New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-02-10

-y,s ,,,erar71r. " Venice Is already voluminous'
hut no historian has traverscd The annas OF
the civ exhaustlve,y enough 20 make TIE prep
aratfon of new books the subject unneces-
sa-y u there Is always room FOR new his'orles
:, ,r,. oefs trere IS also room for such an
essay ns sfr. Mcclellan has written The OH
syrchv OF Venice" Is limited in scope. out OF
49,. many 6irer.nt lines OF investigation otfer-
nc tfer,sclves TO The rtudent. Mr.. McCleA2n
49,. chosen the one which leads more eNpedl-
+folelv .han any other % an explanation Of the
..ro ana san 81 the Venetian Republic-he leaves
a multitude OF questions 80 take care OF tneHl-
sclveE. and dlsoourses simply OF Venetian poll
tics or coUrue. Re docs not neglect 10 point OUT
the underlying causes o. political Developments
but DO docs this with few words as possioie'
making his book. whole. concise ef'o
practical sur,cy OF just that tie Nenetians oiC
10 win co-.-as noing position among the EHro-
pean nations ana 20 lose t.
F'eudalisn. fingered lcHg n Italy, but Its force
u,ss CT 10 avail against the geographical posi-
.,en az Venice. Because Of her situation in the
,sroonr" SAYS Mr. Mcclellan. she was as much
Gu. on from the influence OF the feudai system
a. though a thousand leagues OF ocean had
,eparated her from the shore. She had no ter
-i.o-v upon the mainland. and no rights nor
claims resulting from such possessions. Having
neither lands 10 grant ncr 10 be granted she
was absolutely outside the dominant system o.
-rrone With no LANDS 10 inherit. a
landed aristocracy was an impossibility Beng
OF necessity q commercial State, the only arts
tocracy she could develop was that OF wealth.
And Il is this fact which in great measure eA-
plains the peculiar form OF her evolution. ven
zee. ike Rome or Florence. or any OF Ol'e
leacing cities OF the Peninsula was pace OF
churches. but nowhere IN italy was the moral
f1xv
10 material interests as In the city whose peo-
ME were always Offering tribute. in season and
ont Of season. 10 their patron saint. 'Nenetians
ars- and Catholics aftervard" were these inoe-
fafirsble merchants This long made them pros
porous but Il led them ultimately 10 disaster.
Mr.. Mcclellan describes them as passing slowly
but steadily. in the earlier years OF their MS
tory under the domination OF those who, in the
very nature Of things were bound 10 figure as
the solid men IN the community. At first they
had, as a matter Of self-preservation. TO put
their house in order. and Il was more than con-
venient, It was in the highest degree desirable,
for the central authority be vested in a doge
whose functions corresponded, more or less. 20
those OF q modern constitutional ruler. As time
went on. however. and the growth OF fortunes
IN a city devoted 70 money making gave more
and more men time TO enter the political field.
the governing power inevitably became an OBJ
ject of keener debate In an ordinary republi-
can community the question at issue might
easily have resolved itself into one OF choosing
THE or that individual this or that party. In
Venice it became. under the pressure Of social
and economic conditions. a question OF this or
that class
There were no philosophical ideals at stake
There were not even overwhelming issues Of
taxation, Tor example. or o. municipal admin
fstration. TO be Put IN the foreground. The point
was shat the government had to be carried on,
and those citizens naturally wanted 10 carry II
on who felt that they contributed most 10 the
actual state and significance Of Venice. or
oourse, there were the great families whose fore
fathers had risen by natural ability 10 high posi-
tion, and whose inherited prestige and wealth
seemed 10 constitute an inalienable claim to pub
&c consideration. This traditional line. as Il
may fairly be described. possessed many OF the
merits and was animated by many Of the pre5u-
dices and JealOusies which have belonged TO the
patrscians Of all countries and all ages. II Il
had had territorial resources behind it. il might
have held undisputed sway in Venice Tor CEN
turtles. But the Venetian Of the middle class
who piled UP riches until he was well equipped
TO lead the 1ife Of grand seigneur was not
going 10 SIT IDLY by while affairs Of state needed
attention. He wanted a share in the govern
ment. and he got Il. Mr.. Mcclellan shows that
ne got Il. first and last, by combining with those
OF his own class and playing machine politics
with the most careful observance Of the rules of
the game The old "aristocracy Of tradition"
was handled with discretion until Its domination
was broken: the people were manipulated with
the same shrewdness. and blinded by pageants
Hmusements or generosity in measures Of taxa
ton. 10 the gradual curtaiment Of their dig
mites and liberties as citizens Of republic.
rule. and as they were not only interruptions,
but highly intelligent. they had comparatively
little difficulty in consolidating their power
But the very materialism OF their policy planted
the seeds OF disintegration IN their organiza-
ton They did not see. more DISTINGUISHED
rulers have chance Of seeing, that the most
oontrived political machine must 90
70 pieces II It is run without the aid Of sound
principles
The oligsrchy grew shortsighted. Avid OF
more profits and more power il acquired ter
-itor1es on the mainland and in the East which
seemed TO clothe Venetian authority IN imperial
splendors. but really weakened it through in
cressing the responsibilities OF the State and In
volving il In international chickering's. Out Of
many passages in Mr.. McClellan's book dealing
with the mistakes OF these too commercially
minded politicians. we may choose the follow
ing:
The conouests Of Venice Il, the Adriatic and ia
the Leva-t, eliminating in the Fourth Crusade
had placed her in nominal possession Of an al
most unbroken line Of colonies from Venice 10
ConstantiBOple. including Candia and many Of
tie islands OF the archipelago. But her title 10
these possessions had constantly ~ be upheld
against al corners. Her rivalry VITA Genoa in
the control oT the Eastern trade brought about
the needless snd fratricidai duel which de-
strcyed c1e 90 she con bstants, ard by weaken
inE the other. permitted the Turk 20 obtain n
100 hold in ChriSsenooIn.
The sack O Constantinople in 1904 was the