Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-03-01
ITALY AS A REPUBLIC
Views of a Prominent Leader of the
Movement.
how MONARCHY Was MADE. POSSIBLE
Only Way by Which Unity Could
Be Gained.
GROWTH OF THE NEW IDEA

Special Roma dispatch, copyrighted, 1894. by the
Associated Press.
ROME, March 1-Some weeks ago Mgr.
Spalding in the course of an interview with
the Associated Press correspondent, limited
to him as much as to look forward for an
early advent Of a republic in Italy The
correspondent since then has had an OPP
portunity Of gauging the opinions Of italian
statesmen on the subject and as a corrol-
larry to the remarks of the bishop Of Peoria
can give the views of a prominent leader
of the democratic party in this country.
During the course Of a long conversation,
he said
Italy is passing through a formidable
crisis, the precise scope and character OF
which can be judged only by glancing at
the various causes which may be said to
have been its handspring. 1 should pre-
mise that she is now expiating the tradi-
| tional fatality accompanying the footsteps
Of any nation failing to conquer its indie
pendence under the banner of democratic
Institutions.
| Mazxini a Republican.
THE motif of Italian unity was a repub
| lican instinct at the outset. Its first apostle
was Mazzni. who had no conception of the
| liberation Of Italy apart from a republic.
| Until 1859 this idea was a democratic one.
| springing from the inner consciousness of
| the nation. At that period, however, Eu-
rope was monarchical from end to end. with
| the sole exception of Switzerland, and 1t
would never have countenanced the estab
nshment of Italian unity under a republi-
| can ticket. 1t was therefore deemed neces-
sary either to wait or to modify the direc-
| ton OF the impetuous current which was
evidently making for national unity. Those
who were eager for the fray decided that
the movement should be conducted under
the flag of the house of Savoy. This dy-
| nasty had previously resisted the yea rnings
OF Italian patriots, but Ii finally entered
upon an alliance which appeared destined
to secure to 1t the scepter Of an undivided
Italian realm. The almost immediate real
| ization of this hope was made feasible by
the agreement between Cavour and Carl
| baldt. There can no longer be the slightest
doubt that the diplomacy of the house of
savoy secretly encouraged the Garibaldian
assault upon the two Sicilies Hence the
| Indignation aroused in the mind Of Agostina
Bertani. who,on perusal of the later reve-
mark that people would finally come to the
conclusion that Italian unity was Matched
In King Victor Emanuel's stables.
Fearful of Frances Example.
From that day forward Italy was
doomed to become the foe Of France as
soon as the latter transformed herself into
a republic. After Sedan. in the eyes Of the
Italian monarchy. democratic France was
the victim Of two terrible blunders In the
first place. she had been beaten and was no
longer the strongest nation on the Euro
| pean continent, and next she was COM
| hitting the willful mistake of seeking TO
govern herself without emperor or king
| The fanatics of the Italian monarchy
trembled lest republican ideas in France
should spread across the Alps and bring
| about permanent state of antagonism
between the two Latin nations. These
fears were all the more pronounced from
| the fact that the republican spirits which
had fostered the national aspira tons
towards the unity. and independence of the
country still lay dormant among the
masses. and that democratic ideas were
| even then making rapid strides.
Events in Tunis afforded the monarchi-
! cal government a long-sought-for opportun-
lily to conclude an alliance with the great
| dynastic states Of central Europe. and this
| alliance, let me add, was all the more in
keeping with the predictions Of the house
of Savoy, from the fact that the women
| of that house have mostly been Processes
OF German birth or origin. not even exclud-
| Ing the present queen. whose mother, the
Duchess OF Genoa, was Princess Elizabeth
of Saxony.
The People Friendly to France.
This alliance with the central powers
inevitably brought the interests OF the
monarchy into conflict with those Of the
nation. In spite Of all misunderstanding
and the artificial bubbles designedly set
up from time TO time, the public sentiment
had always been one of sympathy for
France The latter. it is true, IN arms
against Italy in ls47 and again in lSG7
| but to her undoubtedly we owe our unity
which may be said to date back to the
French victory at Solferino. Moreover the
alliance with Austria and Germany was
| repugnant to the Italian conscience, Italy
having of old been cruelty oppressed by the
| Teuton.
Nor must we forget that our material
interests were opposed to this diplomatic
change of front. Italy depended first and
| foremost on French credit Thanks to
French money. she was enabled to restore
her national finances after the war of 1866
1t was in France that she found a ready
market for most of her agricultural produce
for her wine, oil. silk, cattle and fruits
| AS matter of fact, the men who were de-
voted to the Italian monarchy felt that
| this close community of commercial and
| economic interests constituted such a bond
between the two nations to put a
formidable obstacle to the possible con-
| sequences of an alliance SO imprudently
entered upon, and they therefore resolved
to denounce the treaty which had long
governed the commercial relations OF
! France and Italy. No greater mistake
! could have been committed, and to that act
the impoverishment of Italy unquestion-
ably dates back.
But the browning misfortune of this
new and disastrous economic policy was
ment that Italy was obliged to prodigously
| develop her ornaments. and to in
debt In order to keep her engagements
with the allied empires. The taxes had to
be increased until Italy, one of the poorest
| nations on the continent, became one of
the most heavily handicapped. Industry Is
| now taxed to the extent of about twenty
per cent of it's earnings. and the burden on
| agriculture is equal to forty per cent of
its gross produce. All undertakings are
thus tapped at their very sources. and the
whole country seems paralyzed.
| Individuality Crushed Out.
1.-THE ills from which Italy is now suf-
| fering also spring. in measure, from 9TH
er causes that ought not to be overlooked.
| Moved by a feeling of jealousy and mis-
giving toward local autonomous institu-
| tions the monarch has established a sti-
fling and tyrannous system Of uniformity,
paralyzing all local initiative. Italian in
! telect has not only failed to find a new
home in the eternal city, but has lost the
intensity which 1t displayed in all the an
| Client capitals. plenteous in particular
and varied traditions and energies. The
| dynasties' spirit has turned the idea of ma
| tional unity into a sort of monolith,
! noin wi n