Rocky Ford enterprise., 1915-03-26

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 are fighting and the
actresses Visitors still come, but
they few. Some American tourists are there
hoping for the war to end and afraid to go home
stay away. With conditions as they are Mo-
naco declared for war. The people flew to arms
in the hopes Germany would be beaten. SO the
business at Monte Carlo could thrive again.
Now that Monaco, the smallest prncipality in
the world. has declared war on Germany. San
Marino is shaking its fist at the kaiser. San
Marno is a dot Of 3s square miles in eastern
Italy. Its quarrel with Germany is the result OF
the kaiser's protest that the San Marino wire
less station was intercepting his messages
San Marino. literally, is a mountain and three
little villages. Its total population is 1000.
Jefferson City Moberly would make more
populous nation. 1t has railroad the visitor
having to ride four hours In diligence from
Rimini, Adratic resort city.
The founding OF San Marno is somewhat OF
myth The local tradition is that Marinus, a
Dalmatian stonecutter, fathered the nation in the
fourth century. He working gateway
at Rimini. The nearest rock quarry was Mount
Titanus AS rewardsfor faithful work Marinus
was given the mountain. where he established a
refuge for Christians Since that time San Ma
ruo has maintained its independence
In the seventh eighth century its monastery
was turned into fort Many invaders marched
by without attacking the republic. For one rea-
II
had wealth to attract the conqueror.
Once a pope attempted to collect taxes in the
state. San Marno appealed to judge in Rmini,
who held that 1t Independent nation and
therefore taxes could be collected. Italy has
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 1t.
San Marino is proud of its claim the oldes.
republic All around it's 80 miles of frontier
can monuments marked Italy on one side
and THE Republic of San Marino" on the other.
But while it claims to be a republic. it is an oil
. garchy in fact. The government is grand coun-
ell of so 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 IL chosen from the 90
forms a kind of senate. 1t has two presidents
or captains regent, as they call them. They are
elected every six months at grand public gath
ering. The main reason for the frequency of
those elections is that they 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 a parade ground for San Marino's
citizen army of $50 men and 3S officers. San Ma
rino's army is not professional one. Its sol
diers 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 Belluzi college.
The people generally work in the quarries and
do some hillside farming. AS the expense of
maintaining the government is small, taxes prac
tcally amount to nothing San Marino has
diplomatic force of II consuls. Three are in
Italy one in England. one in France and the
others in neighboring countries. Their only pay
is fees San Marino once thought it would send
a consul to the United States Not that It needed
one here, but 1t was happy thought that the
oldest republic should be represented in the
largest republic. The captains regent OF that
date investigated the matter. They way to