The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1915-03-26

This winter there are still games played in
Monaco but the greatest athletes with the
colors. This winter there are still plays in the
theaters, but the actors are fighting and the
actresses are nurses. Visitors still come, but
they are few. Some American tourists there
hoping for the war to end and afraid to go home
stay away With conditions they Mo-
naco declared for war. 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 principality in
the world has declared war on Germany, San
Marino is shaking its fist at the kaiser San
Marino is a 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 was interceptng his messages.
San Marino, literally, is mountain and three
little villages. It's total population is II 900.
Jefferson City or Moberly would make a more
populous nation. 1t has railroad the visitor
having to ride four hours in a diligence from
Rimini, an Adriatic resort city.
The founding of San Marino is somewhat OF
myth. The local tradition is that Marinus,
Dalmaian stonecutter, fathered the nation In the
fourth century. He working gateway
at Rimini The nearest rock quarry was Mount
Titanus. AS reward for faithful work Marinus
given the mountain where he established
refuge for Christians. Since that time San Ma
rino has maintained It's independence.
In the seventh or eighth century its monastery
turned into a fort Many invaders marched
by without attacking the republic. For one rea-
son IL difficult TO attack. and for another, it
had no wealth to attract the conqueror.
Once pope attempted to collect taxes in the
state San Marino appealed to Judge in Rimini,
who held that it was an Independent nation and
therefore no taxes could be collected Italy has
never tried to incorporate the republic In It's realm.
True, today. Italy maintains the San Marinan
gendarmerie and medical staff, but the republic
furnc In oh 10 tha a traa
ury to recompense II.
San Marino Is proud OF its claim as the oldest
republic. All around its 33 miles of frontier one
can see monuments marked Italy" one side
and THE Republic of San Marine on the other.
But while It claims to be a republic It is oil
garchy in fact. The government is a grand coun-
Gil OF GO elected for life in equal numbers from
the landed proprietors and the bourgeois The
council elects It's own members when vacancies
occur. An inner council OF IL chosen from the 90
forms a kind OF a senate. II has two presidents
or captains regent, as they call them They ere
elected every six months at 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 plaza In front OF the national palace.
It Is used as parade ground for San Marinos
citizen army of $50 men and SS officers. San Ma
rno's army Is not professional one. Its sol
diers all make their living at some other occupa-
tion. 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-
ticaly amount to nothing. San Marino has
diplomatic force OF IL 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 Il would send
a consu, to the United States. Not that II needed
one here but Il 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 way to