The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-09-11

Matosi, It contains much interesting 1 information about an institution against which the author, as head of the Palermo police, has been fighting | for many years in the interests of law l and order.
 l One of the chief causes of the matia, 1 occording to Signor Cutrera, is the very | peculiar character of the Sicilian. He is intensely proud, indivldualist, brave, arrogant. vicious and has tendency to
 secrecy. He is impatient of all govern
 ment; and hatred of authority-the re- l suit of ages of misrule--is a dogma of
 his creed. Hence feeling has grown up among all classes in the island that the authorities should never be allowed to interfere in the private affairs of Si- cilians. No one should ever give infor-
 nation to the police court about any,
 thing. If a man has suffered an injury
 from another, he must revenge himself
 like "a man of honor," and not call in
 the aid of the law. This feeling is ex-
 pressed by the word omerta, which
 means the virtue of keeping silence.
 Against the police as the organ of the
 government which comes into closest
 touch with the people, the bitterest war
 is Waged. Whosoever helps them is
 scoundrel and coward, and generally
 comes to bad end. This perverted
 idea of honor makes 1t very difficult
 to punish even the vilest criminals, as
 evidence is hardly ever obtainable. Not
 only will the friends and fellow mafiosi
 of the murderers refuse to give infor-
 nation, but even casual witnesses of
 the deed, who have no interest in the
 matter, would consider it disgraceful to
 aid the authorities In any way. 4 man
 who had been shot by an enemy and
 was dying in a field. when questioned
 as to the identity Of his assailant by
 some carabinieri who happened to be
 passing, replied: "Gesu Cristo,' al
 though he knew perfectly well who had
 fired the shot Signor Cutrera quotes several Sicilian popular songs, which show that the sentiment of omerta !s regarded as the highest virtue. Among others there is curious sonnet, In which two assassns are supposed to be listening to 6 conversation. When questioned, the latter replies: Knife with knlfe---if I live, shall do my own justice myself-I win not speak" "Wei! done! He is man of honor" is the comment of the listeners.
 A much discussed point is the object and aim of the mafia. The Italian gov ernment, when it occupied the island, after Garibaldis expedition, in 1860, thought that it was a political society of a patriotic and revolutionary char acter. But such was not the case. It arose under the misEovarnment of the Rorl bons, and occasionally took par1 in revolutionary movements, but 1t was more 9 secret means of protection against the cxtortions and expressions of the infamous Bourbon police than anything else. In the revolution of 1920 the mafia helped the Liberals, chiefly with the object of plunder, and its members committed all sorts of atroci- ties When the Bourbons returned. the power of the mafia, they did not disturb it, and only punished the Liberals. The same thing occurred in 1860 the mafosi sided with Gari baldi, and were rewarded as patriots by the Piedmontese government with offices and pensions. But when the authorities found that the objects of the mafia were merely to
 
 members at the expense of the rest of the community, it partially withdrew
 It's favor. The rebellion of Palermo, in 1866, was the consequence-the only rev. olution in which the maf1a. played a leading part. Since 1866 the power of the society has gone on increasing; for, although the Italian government has
 many reforms and has off, | ten tried to break it's influence, it is in 1 ! way compromised with the mafiosi, !, because it accepted their help in 1860; even after 1866, it has sometimes had | recourse to them for electoral pur- | poses. Hence, it's hands are not alto- | xether free in dealing with them. The | nafia is all-powerful in elections, and | It naturally favors those candidates who belong to it and by whose means
 It will gain still more influence.
 Some very interesting chapters of l signor Cutrera's book deal with the pe- | ,uliar organization of the mafia. It is 10 real secret society. It has no cen- .ral authority, no government, 10 laws. Tn every town and village md in every country district, there Ire groups of mafiosi with their local ,hiefs. These groups are all more or ess connected with each other, and l nafioso Is sure of finding friends and protectors in any part of Sicily. But
 here is no interdependence between ,ne mafia group and another, although he authority of the capi-mafia of Pal ,rmo is somewhat greater than that of !! he others. The mafiosi of Palermo are If two kinds-the maf1osi proper and he ricottari The former are often nen of position-barristers municipal electoral agents, deputies. They arrange contracts settle disputes, K the terms for the letting of farms, ,nd form a sort of private police for re- covering lost or stolen property. The icottari who constitute the rank and He of the nafia, are idle students and lishonest workmen. They earn their livelihood chiefly as souteneurs, and hey also form the claque in the thea res; without their favor no perfor- nance and no artist can hope for suc- ess. The maflos of this class are the nost riotous, revengeful, insolent and 'loodthirsty They are responsible for ighteen murders and twenty eight at- empted murders in seven years, and or many other lesser crimes. In the ountry districts the nnafia imposes it's ule on the inhabitants by means of he camieri and the guardiani or yatchmen of the fields and orange