New-York tribune., 1911-03-26
THE CAHORPi AT TIE BAR.

Not since tho days when 1t was the
! scene If Paral elections, and when the
proud English Pope IIadrian made the
Emperor hold his stirrup in token OF
homage. has ancient Niterbo been Il
centre of such world wide interest as II
is to-day, with the blac!; beast Of the
Camorra trapped and fighting for its
life. !; would not he easy to imagine
more dramatic scene than that when
is presented. with score Of men in
court confined in n steel cage. rs though
they were Bengal tigers with multi
tudc Of their Sympathizers raging out
SIDE and with every Judge. advocate and
witness realizing that thousand sh-
lettos and pistols are ready for use
aga inst him. 1t will he protracl
drama. too. for we hear Of more than
four hundred witnesses and Of expecta-
tions that the trial will last for year
which is not altogether uniting, 500
ing that tho specific crime now at issu"
was committed nearly five years ag"
while the organization which is on trial
H. many generations olo.
This last fact is doubtless the oXpla-
nation Of many OF the cXtr3ordinary cir
cumstances Of the ease. II Is evident
F., that many persons sympathize with the
prisoners. not because they think that
they are innocent. but because they
think that they ought not to he pun
ished for practices which have been
familiar 10 that country during long
period Of wears For generations the
CamOrra has been rObbing and staying
81 will. rs though there were 10 law
and no commandments. until ii Il con-
rcivablc that criminality has become IN
hereditary cult just as il has among
some Of the devotceS Of Kali and Of
silva. To the Thug. murder * a sacred
rite. 10 the Camorrist. perhaps 3s
truly and as strongly, it is 2 natural
privilege. That is. Of course. no eNcul-
patton. but it is an explanation of the
extraordinary ethical conditions which
! this trial is disclosing.
II is to this inbred custom Of lavleSs-
ress that the high rate Of criminality in
! Italy is largely 10 he attributed. rate
which varies much according 10 locality
and which j. by far the highest in prov
i1ces where the Camorra and similar
societies prevail. Thus in Sicily. with
its notorious leagues Of crime, there are
-. murders q year in each 10000 Of
poUulation. and 3j4 other crimes of
violence against the person: and III
Rome and LaZiO. including Nitcrbo ana
the scene of CamOrrisi activities, there
are II murders and 30 other crimes :;
while in Venice the figures are only >
and 100. respectively. The difference In
/ literacy j. not nearly 20 great nor can
/ differences If racial temperament ne
made adequately to explain why there
should be three times a. many murders
i'm Rome as in Tuscany aud sin times
~ many as i'm Venice. But in the eN-
istencc and sway of secret leagues an
explanation which explains il given.
In bringing the Camorrists at Nitcrbo
to the bar. therefore, thc italian govern
mcnt IS taking a radical ana hopeful
step toward ahating the rcproach of vio-
lon, laUleSSncss which has too ionc
rested upon Italy OF course II should
not rest upon the whole nation. any
more than all America should suffer re-
proach for the crimes Of equally vicious
if not as widespread and powerful
organizations here. We have had Molly
Naguircs. and ku-KluX, and family
feud, among Appalachian mouDtalneers
lasting through generations, ana organ
lied gangs" right here in New York.
The Camorra is simply higher de-
velopment of the sam" system II II mas
reached its highest potency in Italy. ""
may expect that there. too. it will meet
nerhans has now mct-with the most
rcsolutc and incxorabe suppression.