New-York tribune., 1869-03-04
ITALY
DEATH OF CATTANEo.


tomblinp for the life of the first the last was taken
f-on, us suddenly without warning, irrevocaDiy
II NAV he that owing TO his secluson from political
life Carlo Cattaneo may be less known to you ina"
Italians of minor note yet we doubt whether EIVpo
- hoost n vaster OF profounder mind than MS
ITistorian. political economist, philosopher Had nc
lived in normal country and in normal ul'es ne
would have given us a library Of volumes hstea" VI
merely leaving us some dozen volumes Oh niouo
Vraphies Yet such is the power OF thought cio''i
ness of perception and vastness OF IDEAS cohelSeu
into the simplest words that on no gwen suU9e0'
vvonld exchange these essences of truth Tor the
ost alstr1lse treatise that could be penned by any
ether living Italian That he wrote more lseasly
exnlained In 1888 besides his own philosophical
studies he started the PolitecnicO-a monthly re-
view intended to educate the youth OF Lom-
hardy to make practical deductions from scleh-
hfc premises and il 1913, these same youths 30
eancated commenced th translation of their masters
theories into practice by dragging him from his desk
ON the 18th March 1873 and making him their captain
through the glorious FIVE days fight against kadetz-
kys bordes Bravely he headed them ana sklliihuy
he steered them-uncomprOmising In ms dealings
with his foes as in his philosophical conclusions;
then when the fusions fatal work was done, taking
ND his abode at Castaqualo near Lugano in Swltzer-
land. content to continue his stndies, and educate
the Repubican Youths Of the canton, till there should
no other practical work for him and his disciples to
do Here he remained till 1852 when, Lombardy
set free he recommended the second series OF the
Poltecnico for which, in 1880 his articles on Capital
Punishment and Ugo FOscalo were written on the
6y-leaves of war bulletins and dictatoria proelama-
tOns in the Office OF Gar99ds SeGt5a Sf ends SSn
experienced III the worth OF his strong lahu on the
tioiSS' sage counsel in cumber,"
had dragged him from his hermitage above tne Iahe
Persecuted by the PiedmOnese party after ioo even
as he had been by the Ausrlans preViOusly-ne
frr,ed from mi pubic Office only accepted seat IN
Parliament after reiterated elections and even then
would not make up his mind 20 taSe tne o3te S; dnd
last time | saw him was after Mentana IN loO'' anu
walking mn and down the quay he SAID, am gong
10 be selfish the rest Of my life, to shut myse1
M and give my philosophical thoughts TO the
fnture for the present there is no practical work TO
be done" What he may have completed IN TINS one
year Of shDes we knGT not o oca Sag Soc doctor OF
bled him eOpiOuSly from that moment be sunk rap
. idly, rallied once as Mazzni, with great fatigue
climbed up to his eyrie and then returned 10
his lethargy. Bertani, that providence of the
sick and wounded from lS4S to now, was
summoned too late arriving only IN tHe 20 see Dis
The desolatiOn in Milan can scarcely be described
and in the Iessln Canton a feel that Their father
and friend has departed. Milan demands the sacred
dust, and Castaquao pleads It's right 10 retain ~
No religious ceremony was observed at the fnneral,
as inst before his mind wandered priest entered his
roOrn and in his genial, h0nely way he shook hands
with him, saving, I'VE are not OF the same way OF
thinking" Itis impossible in few lines to give
any fair idea of even the historical and ecOnOmcal
works of this man their great interest consisting IN
the fact that they full OF import for Italy as Tor
Amerlca cg ana pfS 9 SgS z,cs;yo 5% T,lee
male dele cole dItaHe chiefly concerned his native
country the nine volumes OF the PoiitecnicO ana the
three volumes of ScTia diras; which we may trans
late as ESSAYS and Reviews, contain Information and
counsel applicable to all humanity During the seven
wears that the POtecnicO was published under Aus
ran rule the subjects treated of and the methods of
their treatment were of necessity very limited Ex,
positions of the latest scientific discoveries, and
their application especially TO agriculture, occupied
fair share of each number. Discussions on railroads
commenced projected; the internal navigation of
the Lombard Provinces; causes and proposed |
might be discussed without exciting the ire |
Of the censor-but philosophical articles, reviews |
of foreign literature prison reforms, public in
tructon, had TO be cut and clipped till they were |
hardly recognizable BY their author. In 1885 Catta
wrote an article on the laws depTying the Jews
of the exercise of civil rights, quoting IN favor OF
civil equality not only the French but the Austrian /
Code. He demonstrated that the tolerance with which
the benefCeut philosophy of the 4Vlllh century in
spired legislators responded at one and the same |
time to the dictates of justice and TO the material
interests of Christian nations, since the dement's
conferred the lsraelites were DEMENT'S that would
come home 10 rOOSt with Christians since to deny
to dispersed people the rights of property, and all
other rights which make life tOeIable, Is but 10 |
cause them 10 TedOuble their efforts TO enrich them-
selves at the expense of the general community, |
despite all risk, is proved by the fact that the
Jews of all races the most despsed are vet the most
Opnent In describing the evils arising from capital
being artihcialy isolated from property the writer
shows, under new aspect, how absolutely neces- |
sary are the continuous and liberal subsidies Of COM
merce TO prosperous agricultural state-hence |
deduCes the benefits which Europe. cOnvOked In Con-
gTess might secure by abOlishing all private and pub
JIG inequality between Christian and jewish citizens.
This act Of Justice performed. The gigantic wealth |
now accumulated in the hands of less than a hund-
redth part of the population wOuld be IN great part
applied tO agriculture, and thus, III some measure,
abolish the rapid Increase Of public debt, and the
ffghtful panpcrisn of Christian masses. In those
days the transcripts themselves were subjected to
the censorship before going to press and the anese
censor sent this paper 10 the AuC Legislative Com
mission at Vienna, whose chief Cancelled an entire
chapter. The MSS wandered for entire year he !
tween Milan and Nirnna; 80 that written in 1885, |
when the controversy between France and SwitZeT-
land anent the lands purchased by the brothers Wah
French Jews resident ia the canton OF Basic was |
raging the mutilated version was only printed IN
1887 when the interest OF the question had faded
frOm the pnblic mind Two papers, one on the laws
enacted by the Governments OF Parma and MOdena |
touching the navigation of tine PO, which laws, III
fact imposed the commerce Of the Austrian
Eupire and another on the obstacles placed Nv Aus
tTia herse III the way OF the navigation OF LagO
MaggiOre, inteTrptug her best commercial line, tile
line of the PO aud the Rhine, also forwarded by
the Mlanese censorship to the Aulio Commission. /
there detained, and later quoted by the Minister |
Bruck as his own La the old series |
of the POllteCnicO the article most interesting |
to English readers is @ memorandum on the |
state of Ireland, written IN 1874 IN which all the
misery which in fact ensued was fOIetOd as the |
natural consequences of the yeOns method Of tenure
and rentals which Offering no security excluded the
influx of capital hence the introduction Of improved
systems Of agriculture. Speaking Of the potato tpage
1881 CattaneO wrote " this apple OF the ealth-thls
p0Tts Hb9OSO is regarded specific against famine
field Of POTATOES, they say will ailOrd siisenance
70 three times SIS many persons as a heid |
of barley, and the lrlsh with their |
natural inipFOyidclce have 40 trusted in this |
unexpected boon that IL now forms four-fths of the
public food. In 1855. perhaps there were not more
than million of months ia Ireland; IN four or hye