Evening star., 1907-08-11
AGARIES OF NASI
KALEIDOSCOPE CAREER OF AN
- ITALIAN POLITICIAN.
Special Cablegram to The Star.

Special Cablegram to The Star.
ROME. August 10.-With the pass
ing of Count Nigra Europe has lost
one of its u greatest diplonatists OF
the old school. In spite of his noble
birth the first years of the career
of Count Nigra hampered by the
want of resources of his family. 1t was
In such reduced circumstances that at one
moment 1t looked If 1t could not COM
plete the education Of Count Nigra. For
tunateiy for him. he gained a bursary at
the school at Ixres which allowed him to
attend the university at Turin. 1t was
the stirring events Of 1S4S which first
brought him to the front. He left his
books to join the revolutionary movement
He enrolled himself in a battalion of stu
dents. 1t was here that he first revealed
himself as poet He wrote in the
bivouacs his first war songs and patri-
otto pieces. At Rivoli he shot through
the arm and was laid up till the end Of
the war.
If Count Nigra represented one Of the
most respected and venerable of Italian
statesmen. what can be said Of that more
modern development Signor Nasi. That
personages tragiercomedy is calculated to
much harm the public estimate of Italy's
public life. Signor NunZio Nasi was min
lister of public education. When in office
with the completely of Signor Lombardo.
his chef de cabinet, he is alleged to have
proceeded to plunder the budget of his
department.
In the second act tragic-comedy we find
Signor Nasi. who had carefully placed tho
frontier between himself and the Italian
police, from safe refuge in a foreign
country loudly protesting his innocence,
while his counsel in Rome betoOk them
selves to the jungle of Italian legal pro-
cedure. They demanded for the ex-min-
lister that the senate be constituted as a
high court of Justice to try him. This
cl,a INar a,d, nr1. rod hn
lister Of justice to prosecute him before
the ordinary courts.
The third act is the judiciary struggle
The counsel of SignOr Nasi lay two long
memoranda before the Indictment court
declaring the assZe courts incompetent
These are rejected. Then appeal is made
to the court OF cassation~ Then coup de
theater Signor Ouarta the procurator
general. adopts the view Of the defense
and declares in favor of calling together
the senate high court. But as the ac-
cused is in contumacium the court cannot
deliver judgment. The affair comes back
to the assize courts Here Signor Lanca,
the advocate general. also declares the
aSsize court incompetent. The court, how
ever, rejects his argument and declares
itself competent The advocate general
appeals to the court Of cessation. This
time, as it is an appeal from n public Of
ticial the appeal is heard. Thus the ad-
vpcates OF Signor Mast triumph all along
the line.
The fourth act is the return of the prodi-
gal Signor Nasi re-enters Italy and is
received with frenZied enthusiasm by all
Sicily. His constituents have, since his
flight returned him four times TO the
chamber at the head Of the poll. Crowds
of thousands Of people surround his house
and sing the Hymn to Nasi." Streets
and squares are named after him, and the
name Of Sigror Quarta the procurator
general. vino caused the triumph of the
judicial argument of the eX-miniSter, il
given to n street in Trepani II remains
to be seen what the last act of this tragic
comedy will be. But in any case respect
for public life is suffering. and II has
even been suggested that the trlumphal
return of Signor Nasi may be taken is a
sort of protest on the part OF the multi
t,ldes against the laws devious delays.