The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-03-16
MORGAN OFFER
TO ITALIANS
Would Finance Excavation Of Pompeil
to Find Treasures Hidden
There Since the
Eruption.
HOTEL MANS DISCOVERY
Series Of Mural Paintings Unearthed
Which Are Most important
Thing Found so
by Henry Wood, Rome Correspond
ent of the United Press.

ent OF the United Press
i ROME, March 15.-Hopes that the
Italian government might eventually
recede from its refusal of the offer of
j. Pierpont Morgan to back financial
ly the complete excavation of Pom
peii and Herculaneum, have just been
given, 1t is feared here, something Of
a death blow. The trouble has arisen
over the fact that Italy having made
one exception in this respect now
! finds itself in a peck of trouble.
In general it has ever been the
Italian policy to admit of no outside
financial help in the excavation and
restoration Of its remains of antiquity
/ Although recognizing officially that
these records of the older civiliza-
lions are in way legacy to the en-.
tire present day civilization of the
world, italy feels that she especially
/ is the custodian of them, and of her
rights as custodian she is eminently
! jealous.
1t is the intention of the italian gov
I eminent that in the due course OF
time everything under the Italian
4 soil that may throw light on the ages
past shall be excavated and placed
before the eyes Of the world. The ex.
cavations, however, cost a pretty
mint of money, and as Italy is ma,
| tion of only some fifty years, with
many problems to settle that are
! vastly more important to her own
| life and development than this par
ticular duty which she owes the
world at large, the excavations have
always progressed slowly.
From time to time offers have come
to Italy, both from outside individuals
and from governments to undertake
these excavations, as has been done in
Egypt, Greece and Assyria. but these
Italy has steadfastly refused, and
has preferred that the excavations
should continue only as fast as the
Italian nation is able to pay for them.
More recently, however, rich Italians,
whose patriotism could not be doubt
ed, also began to make similar offers,
and as these seemed to make it pos
sible for the government to have
little financial help without being
obliged to accept charity from out
side sources, single concession was
finally made
Aurelio item, the proprietor of the
Suisse" hotel just outside the gates
of Pompeii, finally secured permits
sion from the government to under
take little excavation on his own &C.
count. He bought a tract of land
northwest of the buried city, where
the government excavations have
been under way for many years, and
at once began to dig. AS luck would
have 1t, he picked a very prolific spot
and in comparatively short time
there was uncovered beautiful villa,
which in the days of Pompeii had oc-
cupied a most commanding site over
looking the bay of Naples, with Vesu-
vius in the rear and the mountains of
Castellamare to the south.
In the rooms of the villa were
found series OF mural paintings
that are declared to be the most
beautiful and the most important yet
| uncovered at Pompei. With find SO
important, the Italian government felt
| more than ever it's duty to retain
these for itself and entered at once In
to negotiations for the purchase of
the entire site. Naturally Hotel Keep
err and Excavator Item was loath to
part with his find. legal proceedings
we're at once inaugurated, and it is
generally believed now as result
that If there was ever any POSSIBLE.
ity OF the italian government yielding
| in a weak moment to the tempting
offer of Mr.. Morgan to advance all of
the money necessary for the complete
and immediate excavation Of both of
the buried cities, has been effectively
cured.
ROME, March 1.-THE resumption
of diplomatic relations between the
Spanish government and the vatican
has had the effect of adding i'm
measurably to the diplomatic prestige
of the latter. One of the immediate