Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-10
THE ITALIAN CARABINrERI.
The Admirable Police Force That
Maintains Order in 1talv.

Interview With Marion Crawford In n Y Times
The mainstay OF the Italian govern
ment in its fight with organized lawlessness
Is the admirable police force that is MAIN
tanned In Italy. The Italian police. the
carabinieri. as they are called. are physI-
cally and morally body of picked men
For three generations back q man has IN
show spotless record before he can hope
to become a member OF the force These
carabineers form a regular army corps
and patrol the entire country. They are
dressed in q peculiar uniform. which has
, been in vogue with them for over a CEN
fury. and the mere sight of the queer cooked
hat Of one OF these men. with all that II
suggests Of astuteness and Irresistible en-
ergy to the credulous peasant, is often suffi-
Client to stop a riot. Indeed. II Is difficult
to convey an Idea OF the unbounded re-
spect which an Italian of the lower class
has for the uniform Of the carabnieri He
knows that the latter are liable at a mo-
ment's notice. on the highways Or in the
streets OF the cities. to search him for con-
cealed weapons. and the salutary fear OF
being found out and summartly dealt with
keeps him for the most part unarmed.
when the Italian leaves his country.
however. he feels that ne is out Of the
reach of the dread ubiquitous carabinieri.
alent has this custom become that on some
steamship lines the Italians are invariably
searched for concealed weapons: I have
seen goodly heap of knives collected In
this way from a shipload of immigrants.
But once in New York. the second or third
largest Italian city in the world. by the
way. there Is not Gardiner In sight. and
so the immigrant. not knowing the ways
policeman. feels that he Is emancipated
from further restraint and invests in what
ever knives or pistols his fancy, or his
padrone. may suggest.
ms Oin 81 I-tc
maintaining law and order in Rome! And
yet New York Is next to Rome In size as
an italian city. The Italian in this coun-
try Is quite much in need Of proper
surveillance as he is in his native land,
and until he Is taken out of the clutches
OF the New York padrones with their prob
able Camorra affiliations. and until we have
sufficient number of uniformed Italian
are in Italy. 1t Is quite probable that the
city will continue to suffer from outbreaks
OF so-caliled Black Hand crimes.
The true Italian peasant in his native
environment l have always found to be a
most amiable character. very Woodworking
and honest according to his lights. His
regular workday. beginning usually at 3
o'clock In the morning. is longer than that
of any laborer in the world. One gets
bad impression of these people. of course.
from what one sees of them here. In Italy
they show sunny disposition, dress them
selves tidily. and their neat little houses,
overrun by clean. healthy looking children
they are the most prolific people in the
world-give truthful impression of the
happy family life that reigns within.
have known peasant households where a
husband and wife have raised family
OF as many as twenty children. and even
among the upper classes l know of families
OF fourteen fifteen children. Thus, no
matter how many thousands of Immigrants
come to the two Americas, one need not
fear that the resident population l,Aly
will ever do anything but increase.
Ito ,foti yhnIn 10
thus steadily growing. there is a decrease
in number throughout the agricultural ser-
lions Of southern Italy. The government
Is doing all 1t can to remedy this by offer
ing bonuses for the improvement of land
and the building Of houses. 1t is also try
ing to improve sanitary conditions. An
immense amount Of work in this direction
has been going on for the past twenty-five
now very much in evidence. Certain dis
tricts near Rome which were formerly I'M
inhabitabe for nearly six months Of the
year. have been drained, and foreigners who
live there tell me that the deadly fevers
of the old days have become practically
unknown.
"As for the ridiculous tradition that the
Italians Of the lower and middle classes
are bad and dangerous. in spite of all
the tales of the Camorra and the Malta,
can simply say that l have not found
them 50. The three causes that make bad
Italians here-the padrone system, with its
possible connection with the Camorra: the
lack OF Italian police. and the poor char
acter Of the immigrants and their failure
ditions-would make a bad population Of
any nationality. but they do not exist in
Italy. Sicily Is generally held up as the
bugbeaf Of Italy. I have been all through
Sicily, and as a result Of my experience
believe that even In its proverbially worst
sections 1t Is absolutely safe for foreigners
safer indeed. than the outkirts Of many
Of our great American cities.''