The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-21
KING VICTOR EMMANUEL
ITALY.

was a magnificent type of Italian man
hood, one of whom his countrymen had
every reason to be proud, both as re-
CARDS his physique and his character.
Nationally speaking, he was a giant,
and ARnunzio, who Is completely
dwarfed by the contrast, Is a man TO
whom even the most enthusiastic ad-
mirers OF his gifts as poet and au-
thor are unable to accord any degree
OF personal respect. 1t may be hoped
that while King Victor Emmanuel and
Premier Nitti will deal comparatively
leniently with Annunzio. as a man
whose mind has been warped by his ex-
travagant egotism, they will punish
with the utmost severity and rigor
Gen. Count Robilant and Gen. Pit
taluga, commander of the italian
troops at Fiume, for their failure to
seize and jail Annunzio when APP
preaching the city, just as Gen. Mena-
brea, Marquis OF Valdora, one OF the
companions in arms OF the late King
Victor Emmanuel and one of the
builders OF United Italy arrested Carl
baldi little over half century ago.
Gen. Pittaluga, indeed, deserves to be
shot. For whereas Gen. di Robilant,
who is credited with q strain Of royal
blood in his veins, merely refrained
from arresting and falling the poet,
Gen. Pittaluga went to the length OF
actually Joining the mutineers. NO
punishment could be too severe FOR a
General so faithless to his trust, so de-
void of military honor and so disloyai
to the Government OF the nation.
This Il. ItaIy's birthday.
To-day is tho forty-ninth anniver-
sary of the completion OF the seizure
of Rome by the italian army ana the
conversion of the Eternal City into
the capital of united Italy. Sep
TENDER 20, 1870, the troops of the late
King Victor Emmanuel entered Rome
and took forcible possession of th"t
portion of the city which lies on the
southern bank OF the Tiber, Gen.
Count Cadorna, who was in command
of the italian forces, had arranged to
leave tho so-called Leonine portion or
the city on the northern bank OF the
Tiber, which included the Vatican, the
basilica of st. Peters and the castle
Of the Pontiff. But ON the following
day a message reached the General
from the Prussian envoy to the Court
Of the Vatican, namely, Count Harry
Arnim, appealing to him in the name
of the foreign diplomatic corps and or
the papal government to extend the
military occupation across the Tiber
to the Leonine city on the ground
that 1t had become infested overnight
with criminals and anarchists bent on
plundering the Pontiflcal Palace,
Count Cadorna, father of the General
now held responsible for the retreat
OF the Italian army TO the Piave in
the late war, took It for granted that
Count Arnim spoke In the name OF
the papal government and OF his dip
! lomatic colleagues. 1t was only much
later that he learned that this was not
the case and that he had been de-
ceived In the matter by one OF those
German official intrigues and frauds
with which we have been rendered so
familiar during the last five years.
other Warrior Poets.
Poets have ere this played q role in
! international politics and in great
wars. Theodore Koerner wac the bard
of the German War of Liberation at
the close of the era OF the first Napo-
! leon, and by his ringing verses con-
| tributed In no small degree 70 raising
| his countrymen against the foreign
invader by whom they were held In
subsection. Rouget de Elsie, with his
"Marseillaise," had a large share In the
credit for those brilliant victories
which enabled France to become the
master OF continental Europe in the
| first decade Of the nineteenth century,
Charles. Dibdin, now wellnigh forgot
ten, stimulated the British sailors OF
the epoch of Nelson to those progresses
which won for them the supremacy OF
the sea by his wonderful sea songs.
including the immortal "Tom Bowl
ing" Lord Byron lives in the menu
DRY OF every patriotic son OF Greece,
through his night, arms In hand. for
their cause, to which indeed he gave
his life. The list of bards who have