The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-08-12
KING VICTOR EMANUEL
WILL SAVE THE KINGDOM.
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! OF Italy have grown to be a subject OF
derisiOn both at home and abroad, and
that the government finally landed it
self into a species of administrative
and political -cul de sac from which
there was no issue and which was of
a nature TO inhict incalcuiable damage
to the prestige of the kingdom
The italian Constitution.
True. none of the Italian kings who
have reigned since the foundation of
the constitution seem to have under
stood its true import, and King Hum
I bert, like his father and grandfather
before him, was always more disposed,
/ possibly by reason of military training,
/ to manifest a greater degree of interest
! in parliamentary tactics and strategy
rather than TO the national issues at
! stake.
| King Charles Albert, indeed, as well
| as the late King Victor Emmanuel. used
TO find favorite pastime in playing
with the various political parties in the
legislature, in engineering moves and
| in egging the rival factions one against
another. Just as If they had been so
many gamecocks in a pit.
Indeed, they never made any secret
I of their contempt for popular govern
ment which they considered each as
merely destined to provids them with
entertainment. Hunbert went to the
! other extreme, and made himself the
slave of every ephemeral parliamentary
majority, except where the triple al
lance and the army and navy were
] concerned.
Italy's new king may be trusted,
however, TO appreciate in a more intel
Eligent fashion his duties as a constitu-
tional monarch. He realizes the fact
that there are times when neither me
ministers of the day nor the parlia-
mentary majority represent the will or
the best interests of the people, and
that at such moments not only his
subjects, but likewise foreign nations
look to the monarch to grasp himself
| the tller of the ship of state with a
firm hand, as the one man in the king
dom who is above the maneuvers and
intrigues of the various political par
ties, who has no obligations to any leg
islative factions, and who, in the eyes
of all at home and abroad, is the re-
sponsible guardian of the interests,
welfare and honor of Italy.
VIII Be Popular Sovereign.
Humbert had constitutionalism on
the brain. and effaced himself politi-
cally. Victor Emmanuel III may be
trusted to pursue an entirely different
course, and to comprehend the fact
that the masses of his people are sick
of political parties and of parliament,
taught by sad experience that admin
istrative majorities in parliament are
managed by the provincial authorities
without any regard to the views Of the
registered electors, and that whether
the latter go to the polls or abstain the
result will be the same
The former King Victor Emmanuel
owed much of his great popularity to a
step which he took at thu very outset
OF his reign. II was in 1S49. Finding
that the so-called Sub-AlDine parlia-
ment was pursuing identically the same
tactics as have now become the fashion
in the national legislature at Rome, and
that government by parliament-that is
to say. in accordance with the letter
of the cOnstitution-had become inn
possible. the king issued a proclamation
dissolving parliament and assuming for
time on his own shoulders the entire
responsibility of the administration of
the kingdom.
Il have" he declared, 1.-The right to
severely call the chamber to account
for its recent conduct. l have under
taken to save the nation from the
tyranny of parties. whatever be the
name, the policy or the rank of the snen
composing them. L am fulfilling my
promise. my oath and my duty as king
by the grace of God and by the will OF
the people in dissOiving a parliament
which has become IMPOSSIBLE
These were brave and stirring lords
which found a responsive echo in every
patriotic Italian breast, giving rise tO
the feeling that the king was there to
protect his people from the despotism
of INSCRIPTIONS and self-seeking poll
ticians.
Young Victor a Reformer.
1t is not necessary TO commend them
70 the attention Of his namesake and
grandson, the present king. For every
thing leads one to believe that he has
long since made UP his mind to SWEEP
out that Augean stable at Rome, thai
hotbed of corruption, of intrigue and OF
contemplate pickering which is known
as the Italian parliament.
1t Is more than probable that for q
time he will reign as an absolute king
and as a benevolent but energetic deS-
pot. keeping parliament waiting, anC
quietly assuming the management OF
affairs himself
If he does this he will be acting in
accordance, not only with the interests
but also with the will of the people.
Nor is there much danger that he
Will abuse his power. For he is essen
TALLY modern in his ideas and views
more 50 than any other reigning SOW
ereign, and shares with the late granC
duke of pldenburg the distinction OF
perceiVing that there was some ''raisOr
d'etre" in socialism, and that some
but not all-Of its demands were il
the main based on logic and Justice
Like the late grand duke he is a sub.
scriber to most of the socialist publica-
tons, and keeps himself abreast of al
the literature of that particular party
He left Italy at the time of the riot tive
years ago because he thoroughly dis
approved Of the subsection OF the dis
turbed districts to martial law and the
wholesale consignment Of persons sus
pected of being in sympathy with the
rioters TO long terms of penal servi
tude.
Despotism of this kind, and tyrannic
methods such as those of Crispi, and Of
! the late premier, General Pellieux, arr
abhorrent TO him.
His absOlutism will be of an entirely
different character, tempered by {
readiness to appreciate the fact tina
there are two sides TO every question
that the views of ones opponents ar,
entitled to fair consideration. and tina
if a sovereign is placed in the posses
sion OF supreme power he must admin
lister it only after mature, calm delSb
Grafton with an unselfish and disinter
eSted view, to the veal of the people
If one may make a forecast baset
upon a careful study of the new king
character, il is that he Will maintain il
office the present administration. tn,
most sensible, matter of fact and econ
Omical cabinet with which Italy ha,
been blessed in many a long day Blu
he will dispense for some time to com,
with parliament, will cut free from tn,
triple alliance and its terrific militar,
and financial responsibilities, and will
devote his attentions to the introduc
ton of reforms, to the institution O
economy and to the restoration O
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