Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-09-20

CEPTEMBER 20 is the Fourth Of July
~ Of Italy. the day when the Italians of
all creeds and classes celebrate the COM
pletion of the work Of unification begun
by Cavour under Victor Emmanuel in the
middle of the last century.
1t Is the anniversary of the day in 1870
when the troops of Victor Emmanuel under
General Raffelli Cadorna made breach
in the walls of Rome at the Porta Pia
against the brief resistance Of the papal
troops and took the Eternal City. So de-
lighted were the Romans with the success
of the venture that when plebiscite was
taken on October only 1907 votes were
cast against union to l33,6sl for 1t.
There is no day which the Italians cele-
brate with greater joy or with more sim
cere qualification, because it is the ami
versary of the day on which they were
restored to the position Of great nation
in the world, with an opportunity to re-
cover to such an extent as might be
granted them some of the glories with
which their land had been associated.
Italians in all parts Of the world, where
thew are gathered in sufficient numbers,
ioin with the Italians at home in observ-
ing the anniversary, just as Americans
celebrate the Fourth of July wherever they
may be found on that date.
TIME story of the making Of modern
L Italy is one of the great romances OF
history. In 1880 the country was divided
into two kingdoms-that Of Sardinia, ruled
over by Victor Emmanuel Of the House of
Savoy, and that of the Two Sclies, ruled
over by Ferdinand of the House of Bour-
hon. There were also three duchies and
the Papal States, while Lombardy and
Venice belonged to Austria. Under the
advice of Cavour, Victor Emmanuel sent
a small army to aid the French and the
Fin elisb in the Crimean War and thus Sc
cured the right to sit in the peace confer
ence, At that conference he protested
against Austrian misrule in the Italian
proyinces of Lombardy and Venice and
laid the foundation for the ultimate recov-
cry of this territory. a'
TNHEN followed the war between France
l. and Austria, which was preceded by a
secret agreement that the Italian provinces
should be given to Italy after they had
been, won by France. After the battle Of
Solferino, when the Austrians We're, de-
feated, Lombardy was ceded to the King
dom of Sardinia, but Venice remained Aus
trian. This was in 1859 As soon as it
was evident. that the Austrian power was
weakened revolution. broke out In the
duchies of Modena, Parma, and Tuscany
| and in the Papal State of Romasna, their
dukes and papal legates were sent flying
| and annexa ation to Sardinia was asked II
| was accomplished in 1850, Thus all north
ern Italy, with the exception of Venice
and the Papal States, was brought under
the rule of Victor Emmanuel. .@"s
TN THE same year the kingdom of the
1 Two Sicilies was captured by Carl
baldi with the secret countenance OF
| Cavour and his king. and IL. too, was an
nexed to the growing Italian kingdom
| There remained only Venice and the Papa
States, with the city of Rome, to bt
brought into the union to complete tn,
work which Cavour had undertaken. Blu
| Napoleon. who was acting as a sort o.
patron of italy and also as protector o.
the Pope, was not willing to displease tn,
Church party by consehting to the de
struction of the Pope's temporal power.
Venice came to Italy as result OF tn,
was- between Prussia and Austria In 1856
y n