The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1900-08-10


'drger than goat mad been taxed
out of existence, tax was imposed
on the milking of goats, which WAS
collected by the village inspector at
each milking. Evasion was run-
ished by confiscation. The people,
Impoverished by giving three
iourths Of their crops as rent and
paying the bulk of the taxes out of
the remaining fourth, resisted.
Twenty thousand or thirty thousand
soldiers were despatched to the
scene, and the luckless peasantry
were hunted down through the
woods and mountains like wild
beasts.
Campagnia, the granary of an
cient Rome, la almost a desert, its
fertile lands being held idle by the
nobility. Starving Italians marched
in body on these lands. with the
intention of tilling them. but were
turned back by King Humbert's sol
diery. A Noble moved resolution
in Parliament for the transportation
of all dissaffected persons to Gel tain
South Sea islands.
The people are taxed for eye cry
imaginable property, privilege ESQ.,
called), transfer, etc. Our war taxes
are only faint intimation of the
grinding tax system of Italy the
country Is ground down to support
an immense army and navy, A
member of Parliament sincerely
proposed tax on boards, knowing
" eli that the poverty stricken laZ-
Zaronni could afford the luxury OF
| neither barber or a razor. Quarry
men work II hours day for 20 cents.
The maiority of Italians earn Jess.
Such conditions begot a radical
Socialist party, who demand re-
public and political and social re-
forms. The peoples representatives
| in Parliament were thrown into
prison. Hundreds of thousands of
Italians are leaving their native
land annually.
Under these conditions is it any
wonder that the worn turns? the
toiers build the palaces. Idle and
profigate prin es dwell in them.
Labor produces the fruit and grains.
A supercilious nobility enjoys them
When labor asks for crumb from
the loaf which it has produced it
is given cold steel and lead.
The ruling class look upon these
conditions with irdifference-con-
slider them a matter of course. The
we'll TO do class, who are well fed
and well groomed, are conservative.
They deprecate agitation and VIC
lence and change. Talk of shedding
blood for liberty sounds vulgar 1t
fills them with disgust. Tue king is
good. They never missed meal in
their lives The government Is wor'
thy of support. 1t has not borne 50
heavily upon them as upon their
poorer neighbors. Why should men
be so wicked as to harbor thoughts
of removing their beloved king or
changing their worthy governmen ?
WHY do not the lazZaronni have suf-
ficient delicacy to starve in silence
or remove themselves from the view
and hearing of comfortable men?
Why so much hubbard about little
matter like starvation, something
which they conveniently attribute
to an All-wise Providence, the ques-
tioning of whose DEGREES they would
re gal d as rank blasphemy. The king
loves his subjects. He smiles approx
inply as he mods to the winner in the
athletic contt st. But be represents
the class which robs, by law aud Gus
tom, the laborer of his product. He
attends the public publications aud
graciously bows to the admiring
multitude. But he and his class are
eating up the peoples substance
His queen spends an hour every
week at the public hospitals and dis
tributes flowers and smiles, out OF
the millions which royalty annually
wrings from starving Italy. AS a
man, King Humbe.t was good. Much
better than the average monach.
Personally he was liked But he was
the representative of system which
divided the PEG pie into millionaires
and mendicants.
The people would peaceably
change the government and laws.
Their speakers and writers and Par.
llimentary representatives are cast
in prison. Their press is suppresst d
A few desperate men, willing to sac
rifice their lives for the liberty OF
their conntrymen, band together and
strike at the head of the system that
Expresses them. They do not stop at
italy. Their blood is red. They
would emancipate mankind. Bres-
els is generally described as cow
ardly act. Is there one man in a
thousand who is courageous enough
tn give himself over to general exc
Grafton and ignou.iniOus death that
future generations may be born free?
In his mind aud those of his fellows
n ay not his act be compared with
that of Won Winklereid? But many
saw that the taking of life is wrong
under any circumstances; that
Humbert loved his subjects and he
dies martyr to baseless preiudice
and envy. 1t depends upon the
point of view. Those who are born
booted and spurred take no more
account of those who are born to be
ridden than they do Of NANCY ours
What to them Is the annual crop Of
few hundred thousand lunatics
suicides and deaths from starvation
as compared to the death OF the gIo
rious monarch who typifles a system
which enables them to live In hi
70 fiectad glory at the hands OF thu
contemplate lazarronni?
CAIUs GRACIOUS.