The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-08-16
Food Riots in Italy.

Fooo 6loIG In Italy.
The harvest in Italy promises to be I'm
usually rich. The yield of corn is create,
than any known during the last ten years
and the vines look healthy and give tokens
OF lnxuriant crop of grapes. The olives
or eight lire per diem, and are in demand
at that price, which is enormous for Italy
Yet with this prospect of abundance OF
corn, wine. and oil, the people are in want,
and tumults have broken out in many OF
the chief cities. The last riots were at
Forii, Lpcca,. Leshorn, Pistoia, and Pisa.
The authorities of the cities, generally, fix
the sums at which bread and other articles
| of food are to be retailed, and popular de-
| monstrations have the effect of producing a
| lowering of the price of the loaf. The peo-
pie believe that there are large stores of
grain withheld by spectators, who trade
on the miseries of the humber classes. At
Florence, an imfammatory placard was
| affixed to the wall. 1t was thus worded /:
-"People, the horders of grain, those as
sassins of your welfare, have ceased not to
concoct their infamous pretexts, and you,
and those dearest to you, are forced, de-
spite O harvest of fabulous abundance, to
suffer all the pangs of the most desolating
misery, and all the horrors of famine.
Many italian cities have obtained what
they justly demanded. Initiate their ex-
ample, meet together in the Piazza of st.
Trinita on tomorrow (Friday) at two in
the afternoon, and make those rights pre-
vail which are mans irrevocabIe patri-
mony, which your present masters would
take away from you, and which you could
never retain except by showing yourselves
resolute and strong. People! If you
have at heart the safety of your children
and the peace of your unfortunate families,
follow the example of your brothers, and
you will obtain what they have gained if
you use the same means which they en-
ployed." Most of the attempted de-
monstrations are put down by the soldiers,
who arrest the principle organizers, who
are sometimes discovered to be agents of
the International. A good deal Of blame
attaches to the municipal authorities, who
allow the vendors of bread to keep up their
winter prices and neglect the interests of
the poor, subscribing freely the money of
the citizens for statues and ornaments of
the streets while the people are starving
A Naples paper relates that two men in
want OF food agreed between them to fight |
with each other. in order that the victor
might be carried to prison and the van
pushed to the hospital. They accordingly !
quarrelled in the public square and one of |
the two was slightly wounded. TIER plan
succeeded, and for many days between the
arrest and the trial, the one was comfort
ably fed in the hospital ard the other in
the Jail. Upon the trial the deceit was
confessed. In q few weeks the produce of |
the new harvest will be brought into the
markets in the shape of meal and bread, |
and all danger of disturbances arising from
scarcity of food will be overpast. But the |
state of Sicily continues to create anxiety. !
1t is rumoured that Rasponi,e Project at |
Palermo, has determined on resigning his |
and hatLGadda will take his |
place and endeavor to restore tranquility
to that unfortunate country where bri- |
gandage has long paralyze the industry. of
the inhabitants.