The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-04

of the police have been made. and the
preliminary investigation of the case is
going on The public Indignation has been
aroused to such a pitch that the premier.
who puts down all socialistic republican,
and political meets with a high hand, was
compelled to allow a popular demonstra-
ton of "commiseration" for the victim to
take place. and more than 10000 people.
bearing wreaths in silent procession, went
to Campo Nerano, where Frezzas man.
gled remains have been Inferred while a
subscription for the widow has reached
a fair sum for Italy.
The disorganized condition of authority
in Italy may be seen by the latest sta
tistics of crime furnished to the Senate
during the April discussion of the new
Dill for regulating the Ubiquitous system
OF enforced domicile (domicilio coatto)
Taking the years 1904, among the crimes
denounced for every 100000 souls we find
u crimes committed by the populace
against the security of the state" and C)
crimes committed by public officials; the
second surpass the first by thirteen to
one. Guardians of the law and law
breakers have become synonyms When
we come to judicial statistics, Senator Cos
ia, now minister of grace and Justice
While expounding the awful state of the
common prisons, where men and women
arrested simply on suspicion, or on trial
or condemned, are huddled together day
and night he goes on to prove that three
Iourths of the condemned criminals do
not undergo their sentences in the way
prescribed by law. At the close of 1896
there were 4,8SS individuals in the various
ISLANDS, sent there without judge or jury
at the good pleasure of the authorities: of
these, 1898 were released during 1896; 9 S25
stlil remain there. The House is now de-
batting in committee the new law passed
Dy the Senate but total abolition of the
system is the only remedy.
Ponce reform, prison reform and a re-
form OF the system of procedure must
be carried out before Italy can hone TO
wash out the stain of holding the "pri-
macy of crime in Europe" But these re-
forms alone will not suffice Hunger is
an evil counsellor, and, as Senator Villarj
aHrmed, the men who have governed
Italy for thirty years have driven the peo-
pie to the delirium of hunger Now
that the yawning abyss of African expen-
dlture is closing up, it is possible that
some funds may be found to freeS the
masses from their intolerable burdens: say.
from the tax of salt, which costs 40 cen
times per kilo, on bread lire per quintal
ana from some of the octroi taxes on the
common necessaries of life. Good work
has been done in Sicily by the royal com
Hlssary during his one years experiment,
ana the people there are so crushed so
thankful for small mercies that the re-
form OF the truck system, the transfer of
some OF the city taxes from the "bave-
nots" to the "haves"-from the moor
mans donkey to the rich mans carriage
and pair-have been gratefully accepted
as an lnstalment. During the late cleo
lions the socialists were nowhere. and
their papers confess that the wind has
been taken out of their sails.
And now, as l write an aeita-
uon, with which the readers of the Nation
are familiar, is recommending Again in
parliament Bovio has raised the cry
what has become of the patrimony of
the poor?' The annual income of char
liable institutions amounts TO s1s5 on 900
Of these, sl1,0OO,00O belong TO the oity of
Naples alone, yet 5000 poor, roofiess. and
IN rage, starve in the streets, while a re-
cent inquiry made by the provincial coun-
Gil proves that out of $50 infants shelter
ed IN the founding hospital of the Saints
slma Annuneiata, only three survived in
1875. This sensational announcement has
once more electrified the country; but the
story is as old as the ill-famed hospital it.
self The funds which ought to serve for
putting the infants abandoned by their I'M
fortunate mothers out to nurse. are swal-
lowed up by the fisco, the cult expenses by
careless and dishonest managers. The poor
mites. therefore, are huddled together, two
or three in crib with one wet-nurse. Of
III OaClA tWO, three, or even
four infants. Hence the inevitable NOR
tally which has ranged throughout CEN
turtles from 30 to SO per cent. This time
possibly the question will be thoroughly
sifted, and it will be found that the solu-
ton lies in the fact that the law of 1889
fully detailed in the Nation of February
-, 1890 has never been applied at ALL that
the reforms enjoined have not been rem
dered, that the institutions have not been
Inspected. And what is true of the Iround
ling hospital of Naples holds good for
nearly all the other charitable institutions
administered there by the state, the prov
ince, or the commune. Hope dies hard
and we still hope to report on the begin
ming Of new system for the alienation of
misery which alone can lead to the diminu-
ton of crime.