The Detroit times., 1909-06-25
CRAFT AND FILTH
RULE MESS|Nh
American City Is Only Redeeming
Feature of Entire Work of
Rebuilding City.

ROME June 24.-With the work Of
relief and reconstruction SIN in the
hands OF INSCRIPTIONS grating OH.
ciais the state OF affairs AT Messina
ana throughout the districts rayaget
( by the earthquake grows daily more
i horrible, The money collected from
foreign nations has been wanionly
squandcrtd with small result The
distress is shocking in the extreme,
and the Italian government stands
supine.y by and makes Lutte or 10 Ell
/ fort 70 remedy matters.
! \ conscientious observer just re-
( turned from the scene OF the disaster
tells the spondent facts that make
the situation one OF the most shame
ful known TO history Out Of the
whole disgusting mess " graft greed
and hiGeous Indifference 20 suffering
. The one iedeemHs feature seems -
be The wooden village Quilt Tor the
sufferers under American auspices ana
with American capital Even this
uoblc work is tainted with graft. for
the ground on which the village stands,
selling before the earthquake for as
cents square metre was bought by
the Italian government at the rate or
Slt6 3 metre with the pr0v.sl that
~ the expiration Of 1--WE years The lana
shall be returned 70 the original own.
ers who may then demand what
ground rent they choose
Government indifferent.
The Italian government seems 70
care nothing for the distress that pre-
wits throughout the stricken regions.
The whole power there Is IN the hands
II ofHcious engineers Who il paid. will
let the building OF houses proceed. bu,
who. II their palms are not sufficiently
creased. place obstacles liz the way Or
building until their ayaricious de-
manIs are satisfied The ecclesiastical
authorities boycott Protestant firms
and Protestant donors and excOmmun-
( lcate the people who work for them.
This is winked az by Premier Giolitti.
who has made an alliance with the
/ Clericals On exchange for their votes.
More than six thousand persons are
. houselass tn Messina alone while the
barracks are filed with crowds OF
I idHng. Unsuitable officials. All Work Is
az a standstil
/ The correspondent informant de-
iclares that it Is like passing from The
depths OF some loathesome pit 10 tA@
pure sunlit air 10 cross The bridge
THAT separates the Italian buildings
+ from the American village
/ His comments are more than SUD
stantiated in a strong article that ap-
pcared recently in leading Italian
/ periodical the Corriere dltalie.
The American Village.
This editorial begins by saying that
though comparisons are odious. ana III
I this case especially m0r.tiying 10 lta'-
ians praise should be given where u
one cannot do less. J. says the Cor
rierc. when one sees The official Jour
nails az the government do nothing Out
rraise In highly colored language the
/ vretched scene Of muddle. disaster
and fifth which they call the new cry
Of Messina. and pass over entirely inc
really beautiful and periectly con
structed village which the American
/ have built
III would be WRONG 20 call this 2
! village. N IL real city. To pass from
the filthy. badly constructed ana I'M
sanitary cabins which Inc iacnaoi'
italian engineers have built 20 the airy.
broad streets and snugly built modern
houses OF american construction rs
Ike passing from llades 60 Paradise.
On id enc hand is the sicprh OF
-l-,.lrallluE- q hell OF ruins md
thc p14gatoryN oi Engineer 5Ifn"H0t'i
ON the other. vcrdure trim rows "a
trees aHtf-fJi1Ht water eiear-al and
long streets ~ delightful houses =
bridge separates the extremes. ara
Guarding tho hriaee staads hionh
giant OF the American navy, litp an
angel standing between the pi' add
heaven.
The American city IS nearly hair a
mil, long and of The Sam" depth no
barracks cover 2500O0 squire metres
Tho entrance if by the famous Niale
San MARITIME. and passes over solid
bridge built by American marines owes
Tho Turrontc Zacra which serves q.
! the boundary between tho italian am
American sections
GFttG ron cry
FOR FLETCHER'S
. 1