The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-02-15
ITALIAN LAW MAKERS.
Hot-headed as Any of Our Own Law
Makers

Z
| CIV. f. Curtis i'm Chicago Rccord-EIcrald)
I The Italian chamber of deputies is IL
! noisy place, and American visitors who
attend its sessions think better of our
own house of representatives. The dis
| order is no worse than that which
habituaIly occurs in other European
parliameHts. those of Austria and Hun
gary being even worse than that %
Italy. The Italians are an excltabls
people. and introduce a good deal Of
gymnastics into their oratory and con-
versation. Hence an orator in ths
chamber of deputies who swings his
arms and gyrates his body like a Jump
ing jack is simply indulgiug in the ma
tionaI characteristic. If a member OF
the house of representatives at WASH
lngton should act that way the SER
geant-at-arms would take him over to
the asylum at st. Elizabeth
Italian statesmen lose their tempers
easily. They are even more hot-head-
ed than Frenchmen, and, therefore, the
sessions of the chamber are very in
teresting 10 people who like TO see
scraps" When an orator of one polit-
ical group makes an assertion that is
offensive to the members of another
group they do not hesitate To- interrupt
and contradict him. and frequently five
or SIX members are on the floor EeSttc-
ulating wildly While the president of
the chamber rings Il little bell instead
of pounding his desk with d mallet like
the speaker of our house at home.
There was a funny scene the other
day. n certain socialist agItator from
the city of Ravenna named EnriCo
Ferri made a speech on some subject
concerning the working classes and was
quite incorporate in some of his as
sertions-sO much so that he was called
to order repeatedly. He finally lost his
temper and let go of very vigorous and
insulting epithets at the distinguished
colleagues who had opposed him. For
this ne was called to order. and. as he
refused TO take his seat or even stop
talking. the president OF the chamber
directed the chief bouncer TO fire him
out. This ceremony was performed in
a most artistic manner. The sergeant
alarms seized the honorable gentle
man by the seat of his trousers with
one hand and his coat collar with the
other and hustled him down the main
aisle so rapidly that the victim scarce
ly realized what was going on until he
found himself i'm the vestibule where
ne stamped and ragged and shouted and
behaved generally like an angry Itai-
ian.
As soon as the bouncer returned to
the chamber and reported to the presi-
dent that his orders had been executed
what might be called spirit of con-
Citation took possession. One Of the
who had been the target
of Signor Ferris assault arose and IN
a dignified and gentlemanly manner
asked that all reference to the incident
be omitted from the official report oes
the proceedings. and that the order OF
the president ejecting his antagonist be
rescinded. The leaders of the socialist
party received the proposition in the
same spirit and were explaining TO the
president and all concerned that Signor
Ferri did not intend to give offense
or to violate the propriety of the cham
Der. when their eloquence was drowned
bv a crashing of glass and fragments
of large and ornamental door went
Aving I'm every direction The disheveled
hair and bIoodshot eyes Of Signor Ferri
appeared through the hole that he had
broken and he shouted in stentorian
tones that the president of the parlia-
ment and all its members were a lot Of
tyrants. despots, swindlers, thieves and
hypocrites-
This dramatic performance termin-
ted the proceedings. 1t was so conf
cal that half the members Of the cham
her broke into roars of laughter, while
Sipnor Ferris friends. who were testt-
fvine< TO his gentle disposition and kind
Iv sentiments sat down in confusion