The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-01-12
THE EVE OF REVOLUTION.
ItaIy's Kings Sends His Private For
tune Abroad for Safety.


Increase of Brigandage-The Vatican
and the Coming Storm.
Rome, Jan. 5.-With her King SO desperate
as to place his private fortune with foreign
bankers; her Prime Muster. born atheist and
republican, as he is ever won't to call him.
self, kissing the Pabal toe in order to marry
his daughter to an aIistocrat;a Parliament,
| once voted the most able and patriotic on
the continent, now distinguished only for
corruption and obstructionist practices;
with her credit on par with that of Greece
and Portugal. Italy may be said to resemble
the France of 174.
Not that Umberto has become a liking
Popinjay'-he alone seems to know on
which aide his bread is buttsred-but that
his government is ''gyrating as the weather
cock does, blown about by every wind ex-
cept on the question of dictatorship. Crises
continue with the egotistical and self-sat-
isied Crispi ordering ice poultioes on the
heads of the revolutionists and a grinnlng
Jesuit ready to perform the last rites.
few days before the latest attempt on
his life heard Signor Crispi say:
al never go to the Chamber without d
| brace of revolvers."
| That may be reassurng to Nine. Lena, but
| the days for individual effrontery, or sac
ridce. for that matter. seem past. May be
the Savoy dynasty will continue for anoth-
er year between the sobs of the starving
and horse cry of the extremists, but it's I'LL
innate doom is as inevitable as was that of
Louis the Saints successors after centuries
of systematized self-aggrandizement and
| financial embarrassments.
REPUBLIC OR ANARCHY?
And when the cloak has fallen, and after
| it the sovereign''-ln this case Crispi and
Umberto-what then? A republic, with the
| Pope's blessing, or anarchy? The spirit is
for the first, but the flesh is weak and in
| Italy ever ready to group itself round the
meat pots of''one's betters."
Archibald Forbes recently expressed the
conviction that in the case of a popular up
rising in Rome the Vatican is sure to be
sacked first. May be he is right. The Pope's
residence promises far bigger haul than
| the Qnirinal, but nation cannot live on
| freebooting forever. There will be a reign
of terror, short season OF reckoning, per-
| haps a skir:rish with Geramny. if she
| should endeayor to interfere in favor OF
| the monarchy, OF with Austria for the pos
session of Trieste. but the logical termina-
| ton will oe a republic and an alliance
| with France. And then the church, always
| a sure winner, because it knows enough to
bide the proper time, will loom up triumph
| antly in a way: first. perhaps. in small
1 way, placing one glOved hand upon the
| popular pulse, but, with the moral support
| of France, It's grip will tighten until the
| Latin Union becomes a Roman federation
with the Holy See is arbitrator,
! One need not be reactionary to agree
with the only respectable and uncompro-
missed PARTY in Italy. the new Conserva-
tives, Haunting the republican banner over
| a platform that demands the abdioation OF
the House of Savoy. abolition of the anti
Christian system of education, distribution
of taxes upon rich and poor alike. which
will not exhaust public and private prosper.
ity, greater freedom of municipal life,
smplifcation of bureaucratic methods, and
a cessation of hostilties against the church
The present government itself recognizes
the urgent necessity of change of front
in some respects. 1t has come to the con.
clusion, for instance, that an army pivoting
| on the monarchical idea alone, without
Christian belief to counterbalance lis dog
mas. is dangerous plaything. that atheis-
tic schools propagate anarchy, and that
| without Capitalization it will be impossible
| to continue the government machine run
| ming for any length of time. But all these
! good intentions go to waste in the face of
| parliamentary opposition. The Palace of
| Monte Citorio, meeting house of the Italian
Chamber, seems to have reverted to it's old
| time destination-police headquarters and
criminal museum. It's walls echo ACCUSE
lions and denunclations; intrigue. coIrup-
| ton, treason stalk through the proud halls
| and claim even the ministerial ear.
| THE HOPELESS SITUATION OF TODAY.
| When, twenty years ago, Italy staggered
under an nnua1 deficit of 100000 COO lire,
she was far stronger financially than today.
though the difference betv cen income and
| expenditure has been reduced by two-thirds,
| or more. In those times her Parliament
was composed of true patriots, eager to do
their share toward building up the country
particularism and egotism played no part
in public life. And today2 Parties and
coteries everywhere, preaching social and
political disorder, misusing their mandate
to levy blackmail on financial institutions.
or floating worthless securities, impeaching
the government. intriguing against those in
power in the hope of gaining the places
vacated
feasance. Rumor has it that in addition a
we'll paid party is plotting against the
foreign policy of the state, French Chauv-
inists furnishing the funds.
And. the worst of it all, the government
lifse1f. with it's countless shortcomings, its
undoubted blunders. its rabid materialism
sunnlies ammunition in plenty to the ooun.
trv,s enemies. The ill-feeling, the sense OF
inseo urity, have become permanent feat.
ure of political life. and pervade all classes
with disheartening results. In palaces and
beyond the city gates it is always the same
story of DISTRICT, founded on more or less
tangible facts or suspicious.
Nobody will deny Umberto personal oour
age and rare fighting qualities, Inherited
and ACQUIRED. Whom, therefore, his Majesty
..leayes the ship" as his action of deposit
ing the $50. 900. 0oO-all of available property
he owns-with the London Rottschilds
seems 10 indicate he has done, it may be
taken for granted that in his estimation the
very last resources of resistance a1e ex
hausted. That he has taken this precau
ton cannot be denied; the transfer was
effected several months ago, and ever since
a.