Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-03-03
ITALY'S STRUGGLE FOR UNITY.
The History Of the Past Twenty Years
IAN Interesting Historical Sketch.

c. C. Coffin, in the Boston Congregationalist.
Victor Emanuel in the Quirinal
Palace. Italy rejoicing and Ireland
tearing its hair! That is the spec
tacle at the present moment. TO see
what it all means let us go back
little to ls4e, not quite quarter of
a century. Italy then was lying
around loose. Sardinia, Lombardy,
Venctia, Parma, Modena, Lucca,
Tuscany, Rome and Naples, togeth-
err with Sicily, were peopled by
Italians, but were under separate
governments. Austria held LON
hardy and Vcnetia. Tuscany had
a Grand Duke. There was a Bour-
bon on the throne Of Naples crush
ing the life ont of the people. Car
dinals and priests ruled the States
Of the church, taking the reins out
Of the hands Of the new Pope, Pho
Mono. The provinces Of Modena,
Parma and Lucca were as they had
been since 1915, when the European
Congress made up the patchwork
now torn to shreds aud tatters.
Charles Albert was King of Sar-
dinia in lS46, but there was a
stronger man than he in Turin in
those days, Cavour, who started a
newspaper in ls47, and called it II
Risoryimento, the Revival He was
man of ideas, had a large brain,
and believed in newspapers, and
soon set all Italy on fire with the
idea Of unity. He had a compatriot,
Joseph Mazzini, of Genoa, not quite
SO large Drained, but more impetu-
Gus, who had been talking and wri-
ting about united Italy, for dozen
years or more.
The seed sown had a sudden
springing up. The people Of Sicily
and Naples rose against the tyrant
Bomba, and the Pope, through fear
Of the people, took to his heels and
fled to Gata. Lombardy and Ven
eta attempted to throw off the yoke
of Austria, and Charles Albert, with
his Sandman army went to their
aid. Before doing so he strength
ened himself in the affections of his
people, by granting them consti-
tutional government, with the right
of suffrage to every citizen twenty
one years of age, and paying tax
of eight dollars, and with a Parlia-
ment composed of a Senate and
House of Deputies. This charter
was granted on the 4th of March,
ls4s, and it was the foundation
stone of Italian unity. But Italy was
divided into factions. Mazzini
wanted Republic. He would
sweep away all existing dynasties
and territorial boundaries, crush
out the nobility, and form new
state of society throughout. But the
mobiles were powerful, and tenacious
Of taxes and privileges. Each Duke
and Marquis had his courtiers, and
the upper crust Of society was not
prepared to sink itself to general
level with the Lazzaroni and Carbo-
mari.
Charles Albert thought the time
had come for the building up Of a
nation. He declared war against
Austria, drove Radctzky from Milan
and cleared the Austrians out of
Lombardy. Success seemed near,
but France with Lamartinc at the
head of the Republican Govern
ment, became jealous, and marched
10000 men to the frontier of Sar
dinia. The AuStrians plucked up
their courage anew, and then came
the disastrous day for Sardinia at
Novarra, which saw at its close a
defeated King fleeing to his capital
and abdicating his throne TO Victor
Emanuel, his son, and then retiring
to Portugal to die of a broken heart.
lie sacrificed all for Italian unity,
but the time had not come for sue
cess: Italy herself was not ready,
and all Europe was hostile to the
idea.
Victor Emanuel was not quite 10
years old when, on the Goth of
March, ls49 he was crowned King
at Turin. Far distant then, seem
ingly, was the time when Italy wo'd
be nation. The Republican lead
ers were in exile. Garabaldi, who
had put the Pope to fight, was dip
ping candles in New York. The
Pope was back again in the Vati-
can; the Jesuits who had been driv-
en- from their places of power, were
in their old haunts once more and
the world generally concluded that
there was not stamina enough in the
Italians to become a nation.
Ten years slipped by. Louis Ma
poleon was Emperor of France.
There came sudden GOODNESS be-
tween France and Austria. Who
can tell what caused it? Although a
decade has passed, the world does
not know why the Emperor of
France picked quarrel with Fran
els Joseph, and espoused the cause
of Italy. 1t is one Of the mysteries
Of history yet to be solved. But the
landing Of Napoleon at Genoa on
the 18th Of May, 1859, may be set
down as the beginning of a new ep-
och in European history.
Then came the battle Of Monte
bello on the 4th of June, followed
by that of Palcstro and of Solterino,
with the peace of Villa Franca on
the l4th Of July, and ccssion of
Lombardy, Parma, Modena, and
Tuscany, to Sardinia.
Garabaldi was no longer making
candles in New York, but a few
months later was in Sicily and Ma
pies the head of his followers,
shouting "Nictor Emanuel and a
United Italy" On a bright Octo-
Der morning he met Victor Eman-
uel on the field Of Nolturno, and
hailed him as King Of Italy. 81
thank YOU" was the monarch's re
ply.
In eighteen months from the in
eXplicable movement of Louis Ma
poleon in behalf of Sardinia, Italy
had become; with the exception Of
Venetia and the States ofthe Church,
a unitpI nation with a constitutional