The state herald., 1915-03-26

This winter there still games played In
Monaco, but the greatest athletes with the
colors This winter there still plays In tho
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 as they Mo-
declared for war. The people few TO arms
In the hopes Germany would be beaten. so the
business at Monte Carlo could thrive again
Now that Monaco. the smallest prncipaiity in
the world. has declared Germany. San
Marino is shaking It's hst at the kaiser. San
Marino s a dot OF rs square miles In eastern
Italy Its quarrel with Germany is the result OF
the kaiser's protest that the San Marino wire.
less station intercepting his messages
San Marine. literally, is n mountain and three
little villages. Its total population is II, 900.
Jefferson City or Moberly would make more
populous nation. II has no railroad. the visitor
having to ride four hours in diligence from
Rimini. an Adratic resort city.
The founding Of San Marino In somewhat Of
myth The local tradition is that Marnus. n
Dalmatian stonecutter fathered the nation In the
fourth century. He was working on a gateway
at Rimini The nearest rock quarry Mount
Titanus. As reward for faithful work Marinus
glyen the mountain. where he established
refuge for Christians Since that time San Ma.
rino has maintained Its Independence.
In the seventh eighth century Its monastery
was turned into n fort Many invaders marched
by without attacking the republic For one ren.
son II difficult to attack and for another. II
had no wealth to attract the conaueror.
Once n pope attempted to collect taxes in the
state San Mnrino appealed TO "a Judge In Rimlni.
who held that II was nm Independent nation and
therefore taxes could be collected Italy has
tried to incorporate the republic In It's realm.
True. today. Italy maintains the San Marinan
gendarmerie and medical stan. but the republic
enough tO the kinpdOm's
ury TO rccompensc Il
San Marino Ia proud OF It's claim as the Older,
republic. All around Its ~ miles OF frontier one
can monuments marked Italy" ON one side
and The Republic Of San Marino" on the other
But while Il claims to b. n republic. II s an oil
garchy In fact The government In n grand coun.
ell Of GO elected for life In equal numbers from
the landed propriciors and the bourgeois Tho
council elects It's own members when vacancies
occur An inner council of ~ chosen from the 30
forms n kind OF n senate. II has two presidents
or captains regent. ms they call them. They are
elected every six months nj n grand public gath
cring The main reason for the frequency NJ
those elections N that they are the principal
amusement the citizens have,
There II only one level spot In San Marino
That ID n plaza In front Of the national palace
Il In used ~ parade ground for San Marines
citizen army Of $50 men and - officers san Ma
rinon army Ia not n professional one liz sol
diara all mako their living nj some other occuna
tion Thus the commanding offeer Of the army
n also librarian Of the national library and
professor In BelluEl college.
The people generally work IN the auarrlea and
do some hillside farming As the expense ~
maintaining the government II small, taxes prac
,cnlly amount To nothing san Marino has
diplomatic force Of II conHuln, Three nr. In
italy. ono IN England, one IN France and the
others IN noighborlng countries, Their only pay
ia fees San Maflno once thought II would hpnd
Al. Had Htut gt hat dad
one here but II was a happy thought that tho
oldest republic should be represented In the
largest republic, The captains regent Of that
date Investigated tho matter, They saw a way ~