The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1915-03-27

This winter there still games played in
Monaco. but the greatest athletes are with the
colors. This winter there still plays in the
theaters. but the actors fighting and the
actresses are nurses. Visitors still come but
they few. Some American tourists there
hoping for the to end and afraid to go home
stay away With conditions they Mo-
declared for The people flew to arms
in the hopes Germany would be beaten, the
business at Monte Carlo could thrive again.
Now that Monaco, the smallest prncipality in
the world. has declared Germany. San
Marino is shaking its fist at the kaiser. San
Marino Is dot of SO square miles In eastern
Italy. It's quarrel with Germany is the result Of
the kaiser's protest that the San Marno wire
less station intercepting his messages
San Marno, literally, is a mountain and three
little villages It's total population is 1000.
Jefferson City Moberly would make more
populous nation. 1t has railroad the visitor
having to ride four hours in a diligence from
Rimini. Adratc resort city
The founding of San Marno is somewhat OF
myth The local tradition is that Marnus,
Dalmatian stonecutter, fathered the nation in the
fourth century. He working gateway
at Rimini. The nearest rock quarry Mount
Titanus AS reward for faithful work Marnus
was given the mountain, where he established
refuge for Christians Since that time San Ma
rno has maintained its independence
In the seventh eighth century its monastery
turned into fort Many invaders marched
by without attacking the republic. For
son it difficult to attack and for another. it
had wealth to attract the conqueror.
Once pope attempted to collect taxes In the
state San Marno appealed to Judge in Rmini.
who held that it was independent nation and
therefore taxes could be collected. Italy has
never tried to incorporate the republic in its realm
True, today. Italy maintains the San Marnan
gendarmerie and medical staff, but the republic
turns in enough revenue to the Kingdoms treas
ury to recompense it.
San Marino is proud of its claim the oldes.
republic All around its SO miles of frontier one
can monuments marked Italy side
and The Republic of San Marno' the other
But while it claims to be republic. it is oil
garchy IN fact. The government is a grand coun
Gil of 60 elected for life in equal numbers from
the landed proprietors and the bourgeois. The
council elects its own members when vacancies
occur. An inner council of - chosen from the go
forms a kind of senate. 1t has two presidents
or captains regent, they call them. They are
elected every six months at a grand public gath
ering The main reason for the frequency of
those elections is that they are the principal
amusement the citizens have.
There is only one level spot in San Marino
That is a plaza in front of the national palace
1t is used parade ground for San Marines
citizen army of $50 men and SO officers. San Ma
rfno's army is not professional Its SOL
ders all make their living at some other occupa-
ton Thus the commanding officer of the army
is also librarian of the national library and
professor in Belluz college.
The people generally work in the quarries and
do some hillside farming. AS the expense Of
maintaining the government is small taxes prac-
tically amount to nothing. San Marno has
diplomatic force of II consuls. Three are In
Italy, in England one in France and the
others in neighboring countries. Their only pay
is fees San Marino once thought 1t would send
a consul to the United States. Not that 1t needed
one here, but 1t was a happy thought that the
Oldest republic should be represented in the
largest republic. The captains regent, Of that
date investigated the matter. They saw way to