New-York tribune., 1919-07-08
l6 Conspirators Arrested
Four Hours Before Time
Set fo1. Attack on City.
With Hand Crenades
Troops Quen Food Riots
Lawless Element Effectuallv
Beaten in Florence, but
New Disorders Elsewhere

ROME, July (By The Associated
Press).-An anarchist plot to attack
the central part of Rome by means of
hand grenades and other explosives
has been exposed by the arrest of six
teen of the conspirators, four hours be.
fore the time fixed for carrying out
the plans
About the same time thirty an.
archists motored to Fort Pratalata
four miles from Rome, and tried tc
induce the garrison to join in an at
tack on the Rome market places. The
soldiers fired on the anarchists and
seized several of them. The Others
fed.
The city remains tranquil.
Quiet has been restored in Florence
and several other cities where disor.
ders have marked the food situation
New demonstrations against the high
cost Of living and against food prof
teers, however, have occurred in Milan
Lcghorn and Alessandria.
Premier Nitti declared to newsnana,
men to-day that the sole cause of the
recent disorders was economic. He an.
peaied for their support in pacifvine
the radicals
The Italian Socialist organizations
have decided upon a general strike fo1
July 20 and II as a protest against
Allled Intervention in Russia anc
Hungary.
Machine Guns Awe Mobs
Florence has been occupied by mill.
tary forces, and the machine guns OF
the troops, the mobs and robbers have
learned, were not taken there merely
for show. The same thing has han.
pened at other most rebelious centres .
especially at Ancona and Brescia
where many persons were wounded.
In Genoa, where the uprising against
the cost of living took a most orderly
form, the people imposed a reduction
IN all prices, watched the carrying out
OF this order and prevented any vio.
lonce against shopkeepers. They in
tewened whenever attempts were made
to ransack shops. putting down the dis
orderly elements with much greater
energy than the police ever used Al
Milan, the people have presented a.
ultimatum. demanding that the prices
OF all necessities be materially reduced
by Tuesday.
mob ransacked nearly all the shoe
shops at Palermo. the troops being
called out too late to prevent pllag-
ing. W hen they appeared they were
received with applause, the crowd
shouting to the soldiers:
mo firing, boys, we aren't at the
front. Here we are all brothers and
all are against the vampires who have
starved u.s.
Revolt Reacts on People
From all towns where disorders have
occurred the same report is coming
week ago everything could be
bought-at high prices, to be sure
but now the shops are closed. goods
are lacking and nothing can be found
Entire families in many places are in
despair over finding something to eat
'"Salus publica suprema lex" (the
public welfare is the supreme law
the ancient motto of the Romans, is
being applied by thF Italian govern
ment at this critical moment cf the
national life
"The government closed one eve
indeed, in some cases both, for so long
that the people took the law in their
own hands, said a leading italian
statesman to-day. "They were aiming
at giving harsh but deserved lesson
to the protitecrs. 1t was rigAs that
the people should punish those who
made millions through tie suffering
of the entire popu ation. which for
over four years strained every nerve
in the face of the greatest struggle
OF Its history. With pitiless energy