Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-04-17
AChanre Of Position.

The Italian Government started out with
q demand that the United States should
undertake TO see that the persons who
were engaged In the irregular adminlstra-
tion of justice OF New Orleans should DO
punished. This was part OF the Ian
guage contained in that letter which Baron
FAvA himself translated and himself de-
ivered 10 Mr.. BLAINE.
The absurdity Of this stern request seems
20 have struck the Old World statesmen
after Mr.. BLAINE put some emphasis upon
the sentence in question, and now Italy
simply insists that regular proceedings !"
shall be instituted. Mr.. BLAINE holds out
no assurance that even this will be done,
though no doubt he will do his best TO
oromote that end. The whole matter. he
as good as says, is with the State courts Of
Louisiana If an Italian fleet were TO
appear before New Orleans and threaten
90 bombsrd the city 1t couldn't scare the
people into convicting of crime their fell
loy-citizens who stepped up and admins
tered the law when the courts under the
terrorism Of the Malta were powerless to
do il.
So Mr.. BLAINE can neither guarantee that
proceedings in the desired direction will
be taken, OF il taken. will result in the
punishment Of the accused gentlemen.
OF the provision the Federal Oonstitu-
ton makes for cases where foreign sub
jects are involved we speak elsewhere IN
this column to-day.
Italy began the correspondence with the
United States with so much of buster and
ssuoiness. the world now naturally in
quires what will she do next2 What can
she do but prolong the correspondence
until she sees an opportunity TO slip out OF
the difficulty with something like credit to
herself, or else declare war. For the latter,
il would ssem-to state it mildlv-that she
is as much unprepared as we are.
II is clear now that Baron FAvA left
Washington ION leave" though he en-
deavored to create different impression.
This was another specimen of bluster, dis
creditable to him and to bis Government.
Why, the man has simply gone home TO
consult his Majesty's Ministers, and it is
believed that they have long been anxious
TO get rid of his services, and have chosen
this way of doing it to evoke some politi-
cal enthusiasm for themselves. Diplo-
matte relations are in no way interrupted
or interfered with. The Italian Charge
dAfdires represents his Government as
fully as Baron FAyA did. What Italy may
do hereafter about sundering diplomatic
relations we do not know, but as yet II has
done nothing except to give old man FAyA
leave 70 visit his native land.
So far as we can see our Italian
friends have enough serious business
on the continent TO attend TO without
bothering themselves about the death of
three or four men who were of the class 1t
is most anxious to rid itself Of, and who, If
they were not expelled from their native
country. saved the Government that trou-
bic by emigrating.
In the Italian Chamber of Deputies yes
terday Marquis III RUDNI said that he
could not admit "irresponsibility in regard
20 single States of the Union. This was a
question, he added which interested
every civilized government as well as
Italy," In conclusion the Marquis declared
that be did not fear political difficulties
between Italy and the United States, but
il was a matter of regret that so highly
civilized country as the United States
should not fulfil the duties of justice and
morality" THIS concluding remark of
RUD1NI, weare told by the cable dispatches,
was greeted with AN outbreak of general
applause"
The Italian Government knew or should
have known, the structure of our Govern
ment when it entered into the treaty with
US. We cannot alter our Constitution
now to please it, and if we could we would
not. We Judge, however, that RUDNI pro-
poses TO argue the point further and it
may be chat he hopes to find mode of es-
cape from his ill-advised and demogogic
buster and untenable position.