The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-06-19

merely for the sake OF satisfying mis- Aus
TRAN ard German allies, King hamAer'
has broken off commercial relations WIN
France and closed the markets OF the H.
ter against Italy, with disastrous ecoEomlc
results for his kingdom. which is in cense-
auenCe involved in financial rum
Finally. in order TO conform to Inc m-Ii-
ta~v demands of his allies at Vienna ana
Berlin. King Huntert has embarked his
country IN a policy of such reckless ana
insane extravaganza in connection with
the army and navy, which are altogether
cut OF proportion 20 the national resources,
that today the treasury is pracncaliS
bankrupt and all the element Of the pop
u!ation tina. is possessed of energy and IN
itiative is driven 10 eInigrate 10 countries
across the ocean. where the government
does no; extort by force. that : ~ say,
by means of seizure and Imprisonment.
more than half of a mans earnings That
is why the king and his family have for
fe.,ed all that popularity which served 10
place King Victor Emanuel upon the
throne. and why Italy is turning toward
the pope. who has all along favored
France. rather than the triple alliance,
and has identified himself with he cause
CT democracy. rather than with that OF
the monarchy.
Ii is Leo Nil. who caused 10 be suosts-
tuted in certain lturgical prayers recited
at the vatican the words sovereign peo-
pie instead of sovereign princes, and II
is doubtless with his sanction that In the
disturbances now raging in Italy he clergy
and the monks are found not on the side
of the troops. but on that of the people:
that is 10 say on the side or the industrial
and trading classes. and of the labcring
masses, who. for once, are In the way or
working hand In hand 10 upset the govern
ment ard the throne
The disturbances are spreading. lndeed.
the Rudini administration, the most nom
est, and at the same time the most weak
and vac:Iating that has held office IN
Italy for many a long day. admits that 1t
is unable 10 cope with the situation. and
is therefore likely 10 be superseded before
many days have passed by cabinet fcrm-
cd by Crispi, the only statesman WHO has
ever shown that he possesses sufhcient
power and holiness TO grlppie with the
apparently insuperable difficulties that
confront Italy.
But the dynasty has become too rnpopu-
lar to admit of its being preserved. Like
rats from a sinking ship, nearly all OF
those great mobiles and patricians who
formerly abandoned the vatican for the
nuirinal have now averted 10 their former
allegiance foreseeing the imminent doom
OF King Humbert's throne, which now
rests not on the will of the people but
merely upon the haycnets OF the troops,
who Will soon become tired of shooting
down their fathers. their brothers, aye,
their mothers, sisters and sweeIhearts for
his sake.
Nearly every rational revolutions has
been inaugurated by means of bread riots
since the days of the French terror, when
Queen Mare Antoinette made he: memoir
able comment upon the popular cry Tor
bread To the effect that, If there w12 not
enough bread, the masses could surely
content themselves ~i;h cake. The pres
ent bread riots in Italy bid fair 20 prove
as fatal 20 the house OF savoy as TO the
Bourbon dynasty 100 years ago. and there
seems "A likelihood that we are about 10
witness the realization Of the prophe sizes
OF that arch conspiratoT- Mazzini, h. who
predicted that Crispi would he the last
prime minister OF the last king of Italy
ST Louis Globe Democrat