, 1865-09-29


safely can. AS we do not believe there
ever was any real feeling o~floyaIty 10 the
Bnurbons IN amy part OF Southern Italy,
or in any class, We think it hardly worth
while 10 notice the pretrnce tn It these
were not SO much brigandS as Royalists.
Our own 'swell mob affect to be gen
tlemen, because il answers their purpose,
and In no other way do we believe that
these banditti are adherents of the ex-
King. What we have to deal with,
therefore, is simply an old disorder, ia
Voured by the mountainous character Of
the country, by lis long political divi-
slons, It's obstinate diversity of races, and
It's marvellous story of alternate rises and
falls, There is in Italy, both in the
country and in the towns, a very large
class, without regular occupation or
means, content with the bareSt existence,
but not easily earning that. There is an
extreme want O~fsecurily, and consequent
ly ofenterprlse, a wan ofmutuaI confidence,
and a constant mlsglVlng that honorable
industry will never reap its due rewards.
The wealth of the country hides itself, if
portable, In the ground if material, in
Jealous institutions and provincial i'm
practlcabiIlly. 1t is this class aud the
immense proportion that must either be
paid TO fight for the State, or cost more
to be fought against, that necps>itateS an
enormous standing army, which, after all,
IS not equal to It's work. There is only
one e~tttctual remedy for S lch Il mass Of
enforced ldIenesS. 1t is to promote In
dustry and 10 invite enterprise. For the
last OF these objects it will be necessary
that the word Of an Italian should come
to be believed. Meanwhile, however,
there is an actual aud AIgrant disorder TO
be put down by a strong hand, and by q
sklItuI use OF present means. Brigand-
age must be suppressed.
The method we beg to suggest is one
that has succeeded, not only in England
but also in Ireland, and we may even APP
peal to lis beneficial operation so far in In
dia. In This country we think one unarmed
policeman worth more than a whole COM
pany of soldiers. We no more arm the
ordinary guardian of order and property
than we carry arms ourselves il selfde-
tence. Weapons are not only an encum-
brance and a source of personal danger,
bnt an obstacle to that freedom of COM
municaiion and that ubiquity which give
the policeman the real command Of he
position. Any armed man, unlesS he is
a prodigy Of courage and dtxtyrily, is
powerless II an unarmrd crowd. He
must. therefore, move cautiously, keep
his distance, and never be alone, unless
wi hin sight or hearing Of his comrades.
When they move it must be in numbers,
with much show and noise. The soldier
does not mix with the people at least if
be does, he learns nothing. The process
that we now hear of in Southern Italy is
only a sort Of war, and the soldiers can
not get to the root Of the evil. We shall
be told probably hat nothing else is pos
sible, and that even the semi military pc.
lice we have in Ireland would not be
able to hold lis ground in Italy against
a whole class Of ruthless desperadops.
We donht that. The Irish police has
had to deal with rough hands, with deep
interests, and hot feelings. II has had
work enough and though without the
pomp and panoply of war, it has TO a
great extent superseded the army. All
over the country immense squares of
well-built barracks are now empty, while