Imperial Valley press., 1913-10-21

seen they would do, they successfully
hanged themselves.
Since the close of the war last year
between Italy and Turkey more or less
opposition has developed to Giolitti's
conduct of the colony grabbing en-
terprise. There was heavy loss of life
and heavy expenditures of money.
This discomfort Socialists were quick
to turn to their advantage as they
alone opposed to war. They aligned
with themselves dissatisfied elements
of all the other political parties and
began at once a campaign FOR the
overthrow of the Giolitti ministry at
the next election. Success seemed
practically certain. With the strong
organization which the Socialists have
ever had in Italy, with the discomfort
following the war, there was added
one more element in their favor that
seemed to make the moment the psy-
cological one in the history Of Italian
Socialism. At the coming election, s.
100000 new voters nearly all coming
from the working classes, which are
more amenable to the doctrines of Sc
clalism, were to vote for the first time.
It was this combination of circum-
stances that to the Italian public at
Inrrn do ha Ipuy,fol 1F
seem inevitable The public, however,
had not remembered the prime minis
ter himself. In August, strike was
begun by the metal workers at Milan,
and urged on by the Socialist leaders,
From metal workers strike it spread
rapidly to city-wide strike, with all
industry paralyzed, with the streets
barricaded and with the troops patrol
ing every inch of the city.
Then, as final proof of their power,
the Socialist leaders called for a ma
ton wide strike of sympathy 1t was
ordered, begun, and for time seemed
effective. At once Giolitti saw his
opportunity when he was called upon
to arbitrate the strike. Arbitration
would certainly mean the end of the
strike and partial victory for the
strikers and Socialist leaders. With
out arbitration, Giolitti knew that the
strike would fail-there was always
called his "iron hand" to put it down.
With the strike failure, Giolitti would
be certain of the undoing of the So
cialist leaders who had ordered it.
The "Man of Iron" therefore neither
arbitrated nor crushed the strikers.
Fe merely replied to the arbitration re-
quest with a very diplomatic note in
which he deplored greatly the indus
trial damage being done to the coun-
try, but pointing out that the strike
was so manifestly more of a political
than an industrial one that he felt it
would be infringement upon the poll
tical freedom of the strikers if he IN
terfered. He suggested, however, that
the projects of each province might
act as arbitrators.
To these projects appeal at once
was made. The projects, however,
who are appointed by Giolitti, had lit
tie difficulty in seeing that if the stu.
alton was too delicate for Giolitti, it
was too delicate for them. They dis
creetly declined to interfere. Giolitti
took no iron measures to settle the
strike. The strikers continued strik-
ing to their hearts content, and then
the strike failed utterly. The work
ing men then turned on the Socialist
leaders.
With the Socialist organization thus
completely worsted, Giolitti, who has a
right to fix the date of the parliamen-
tary elections, set them for early Oc-
tober. The intervening time was ad-
mfttedly too short to permit the So
cialists to repair the damage that had
been done to their organization, and
the more profund leaders of move
ment have conceded that they have lost
an opportunity which will not come
again in fifty eyars to elect Socialist
majority to parliament. The parlia-
ment expected to be elected will it is
believed, at its first sitting pass a
resolution of confidence in the Giolitti
ministry.