The Critic and record., 1891-04-18
''The Critic-Rccord' ns an Advertising
Medium.
SOME ITALIAN FACTS.

SOME ITALIAN FACTS.
A religious publication, called "a Voice
nom Italy, has recently been issuel in
London and Edinburg. II treats largely
Of crime and social conditions in Italy
and seems TO have been written by some
one familiar bv long residence and close
study with the subject of which he treats
One remarkable and significant statemen
is this.
il seems a sad thing to say, but il sper-
foCtlytrue, that Italy shows a much larger
amount of crime than any other country
in Europe. In lSSS 150 people We're SEN
fenced for homicide in England, 175 in
France, 1,S00 in Italy; although our popu-
Iation is considerably smaller than that
ot the abovo-named countries. The
greatest number Of these crimes Is at
tributablc to sudden passions, such as
anger, or jealousy, or to lOng-Chorished
revenge; but great many have not even
that shadow Of an excuse, and can only
be called cold-blooded murders, with a
view to robbery, or to the satisfaction of
the most brutal passions.
Nor does the police work seem to be
much better. The author goes on to say.
ITO make matters worse our police has
become signally inefficient and unsuc-
cessiul of late. OF several hundred Of
feuses committed in Florence last year,
only ono-half could be punishcd; the
authors Of the other half are still un-
Known. In one of the principal streets of
Milan three men robbed ut midday
jewelers. shop, stabbing the woman that
was alone at the counter and have never
been heard of since. In the very PROV
irCo Of Rome several malefactors have
iecn for twenty years lodging the police,
oil . 4 IL. 4
themselves by some foul murder, and
levy blackmail ON the terrified peasants
FAR and near. Let us hope that the very
excess Of the evil will bring about the
remedy
And this is the record of people whose
representative men prate so gliby of
civilization and profess such reverence for
law and order Messrs. RUDTNI and
n'AEco lay their hands upon their hearts
and declare with uplifted eyeballs that
their deepest wish is to see the United
States brought up to the Italian standard
oi goodness, while behind them spreads
this hideous background of unpunished
crime.
The most interesting statement of all,
however is this;
New Italy has stamped out brigandage
from the Southern provinces; Hs .Ulfd
~ Sicily Is almost crtiict and has been ojligcd
10 cmi9Tato 10 NOo Orleans
And this was evidently written before
the occurrence of the lynching at New Or.
leans, for, in the same paragraph, the
author adds: "Let us hope that, being
now free from the political difficulties OF
the election times, and with an obedient
majority at his command, Signor CRISP
will remember, that as Minister of the In.
lerior, it is his duty to see that the most
Odious crimes do not remain unpunished
in Italy"
So Italy reeks with assassination, mur
der, robbery and every form of brutal vic
lonce and sordid crime So Italy is un
able TO capture, much less to punish @
majority of her criminals So the Malta
treated with exceptional severity, have
been compelled "to emigrate to New
Orleans !" And, finally, it is upon such O
record as this that Signor RUDINI has the
nnutterable impudence to reproach the
United States with barbarism and to holC
us to account for having put to death g
few Of the noxious vermin which easily
escaped his police and crawled into oul
territory
Really it seems to us that Mr.. BLAINE
will have need Of all his patience should
the Italian Premier make further de.
mands upon his time in such contro,
veTsy Indeed if the right of complaint
be lodged with either party it is with us
We have grievance against Italy in that
her Government has fostered crime by
giving it the encouragement of too great
immunity, and has pursued criminals
just enough TO drive them, together with
their customs and their institutions, into
friendly country. Verify, in the light
of all that we now know of the domestic
affairs Of Italy, it would be difficult to i'm.
agine more offensive spectacle than that
Of Italy's Government reDuking ours fol
laSness in prosecuting criminals!