Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-03-22
ITALY'S KING
LIKE GRANITE
Apparently Willing to Risk His
Throne for Neutrality, With the
Queen and the Country Both
Against Him-A Royal Vow.
Bv VANCE THOMPSON

| pIlsht-eyed, white-toothed italian; his ideai
OF politics are simple in the extreme. Sale
he: 81 have King, so l must go home anc
| fight for my country"
And sloomlly he sailed to join his oolors.
| might have told him that his theory oi
Italian policy was all wrong; that had it moi
been for his hgh-mnded, hard-headed little
! King Italy had been fighting long ago; but
! what did it matter to him? He was sorry
! to leave ~ Yorka. 1t had meant a great
| deal to him in the way Of money, which is
! the root of life. II had meant prosperity
this shop window in Broadway, with It's hats
and boots and big room behind with the ten
chairs and the boot boys, and, in q niche
beyond. the cobblcrs. And he had to go
away from It all. what was worse was that
In coming back-were he ever to come-he
might find his prosperity gone and he who
built the house sit at the foot OF the table.
Joining the colors meant sacrifcing-in any
case jeopardizng-the hard progressive
work Of seven years in NJ Yorla. This he
told me gloomily. This question was natural
and asked It:
why do you go?"
"1f don't go now vo' scia" said he softly,
"T can never go home any more"
It the way he said it; his voice called
the wet sand and the burning sky and the
fruit boats making out and girls dancing and
the strumming Of guitars. It was homo, and
it wasn't worth while exchanging It for
prosperity in NJ Yorka; better go back and
take chance of German bullet than settle
down In permanent exile.
All afternoon as walked alone in the
light thought Of Santoro's cryptic remark:
II have King so must go home and fight
for my country" Was 1t merely crooked
logic? Was It a sneer, like n Scian knife
thrust, at monarchical rule? AS matter of
fact, had it not been for King Victor EN-
manuel Italy had long since been at war.
He is the little mah obstinate and pathetic
as a Siciian donkey, who has blocked the
will and the way of the nation.
Story of Royal Vow
The people are against him-all except GER
tain factions of the nebulous clerical and
Radical Catholic" party. The court Is
against him-notably the sweet and womanly
Queen; for she is a daughter of Montenegro,
where men are dying daily for ideals of
Balkan freedom. And with every one against
hIm-wife and court and people-he has
stood for neutrality obstinatey mmovably.
And lady of the Italian court tells me that
influence poured upon him is like water
poured on granite.
The story they tell is that few years ago
he gave his word of honor that So long as
old Franz Joseph lived he would not make
war on Austria. why did he give such a
promise to the old Kaiser of the dsintegrat-
Ing monarchy? No one pretends to know.
Only 1t is this oath that stands in the way of
1taly's Joining the Allies. Aside from that
Prince Won Buelow has not been Idle. With
threats and promises he has influenced some
of the Italian statesmen and flnanclers; but
his work wouldn't have amounted to much
If he had not had the Kings vow as a lever.
All Italy for War
Here's ono King who has stood for peace
in the face of a nation that has been almost
unanimous in It's belief that it was national
duty to go to war.
OF course. one has to speak according to
ones lights. There has been no "referen-
dunno plebisclte. But without that Italy
in a democratic way has expressed its ma
tonal thought clearly enough. It is printed
in the newspapers. 1t is cried aloud in public
meetings and in Parliament Mobs have
rioted it in the streets. Now what is OF first
Importance is that all parties-a Destra a
a Centro-are of one mind In this
matter. Even Bissolati. the great Socialist
has put his duty 10 the nation ahead of his
duty to his party,
II you were to try to get at the cause of |
this well-nigh universal war feeling In Italy |
you might look for 1t in the old hatred for
Austria. There those still living who
suffered under Austria's rule; at all events,
their sons have not forgotten, and always |
before them are the subjected Italians of |
Trentino and Treste-living examples of Aus
trian tyranny, The spirit of Italian brother
hood is very strong For generations 1t has
sworn to free these unhappy brothers along
the Austrlanlzed shores of the Adriatic. And |
now that the chance has come the plain man |
the unsubtle Italian-fails to see why they |
don't go in and do It.
Spirit of Racial Brotherhood
My young friend santoro did not give that
as a reason for going home to join the colors
But he's been seven or eight years away He |
was out of the current national thought. Be-
fore he has been home a fortnight he will !
think that thought, even as all Italy thinks !
1t today The stream will go on and carry |
him with It. You can't stop-and rarely can |
you defiect-movements of that sort They |
appeal TO more than national pride OF racial /
The movement for the liberia
ton OF the subjected Italian provinces has
in 1t an appeal to all that is best in man
his humanltarianism as well as his fraternal |
love.
Another thing has added to the intensity |
Of popular feeling in Italy
The alliance with Germany and Austria has |
never been looked upon with favor except In |
certain political and financial circles There |
was immense relief when the two German
empires declared aggressive war-thus |
freeing Italy from any obligation to aid them |