Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1920-11-04

serve Order.
More than 300 Of the foundries and
factories of Italy's great metalurgic
center, extending on both sides of the
river Pc and covering its estuaries
from Turin on the west to Mantau On
the east. from MiHn and Novara on
the north to NO@hera and Parma on
the south. have the red flag of bOlshe-
viSm tinnting over them. while the
works themselves are being operated
hy soviet commuters organized by the
proletariat. to the exclusion OF the So
called bourgeois owners. proprletOrs,
and the drectorateS.
This wholesale appropriation of pri-
vate property by the workers has been
going on for more than two weeks Ac-
cording to n special cable dispatch the
movement Is rapidly spreading to
Rome and Naples and other Industrial
cen:ers of central and southern Italy.
The great danger. according to gtai-
ian sources Of information lies In the
facts, first, that the Industries of the
metallurgic region have succumbed to
holshevism, and, second. that the gov
eminent seems powerless to restore
the sequestered property to its legal
owners.
Rich Industrial Region.
1t was this region which during the
war supplied the nation with the ma
terial means of combat and was the
aim Of successive Austro- German Of
fcnsives. 1t utiliZes more than 1000
OoO horse power and employs more
than 100000 men. Its products enter
into nearly every Italian !ndustry-pnr-
ticularly that Of agriculture. which Is
the chief of all--while Its by-products
keep going the small manufacturers
and artisans Of the nation. And now
the great Ansaldo, Fiat, Italia. Gnome,
Mont Denis and sub-Alpine foundries
and factories. to mention only those
of worldwide fame, are being operated
on the soviet plan and without the
consent of the owenrs.
According to the best current in
formation on the subject there is moth
ing political in the movement
not yet-and that may have caused
the minister Of labor, Signor La
briola. to regard it as a mere dis
pute between capital and labor, and
the minister of war, HignOr BonOmi.
I'm the same light. and so restrain his
hand until blood was shed and prop
erty destroyed. The fact that the
workers in large industries have lille
gally taken over the plants and are
Illegally operating them and appear
to be trying an experiment which
threatens, according to the Russian an
alogy, to ruin the country, has not
driven either minister into action. The
projects of the affected provinces, who
have large bodies of carbinieri under
their command, and may call upon the
local garrisOnS in case of emergency,
may not act except under orders Of
the minister Of the interior, and the
minister of the interior, Premier Clio
litti, has given no sign, since he is
sued his command to the projects over
two months ago to put down rioting
and to suppress seditious gatherings.
1t is believed that the projects regard
the sequestration of private property
by force majeure, if accompanied by
neither riots nor sedtious gatherings,
as a matter not calling for their inter-
vention.
Governments Position.
The position of the government Is
deemed logical by many on the ground
81, En- ct0 ni1in0 pnnunmnpt
presented as a result rather than
cause, the cause being the general
lockout declared by the Employers Ma
tional syndicate which exercises ad-
ministrative control over the mechan-
ical and metaliurigical trades and in
dustries throughout the peninsula.
When the lockout came the workers
invaded the property, took possession,
established the soviet regime and went
to work.
The lockout, however, was to antici-
pate. 1t is said, a general strike ac-
companied by the usual destructive
demonstrations, and the government
had informed the Employers National
syndicate that such a strike would be
most hazardous for 1t to deal with, for
each riotUus demonstration since the
war which had been dispersed by force
of arms had rendered the government
more and more unpopular and had laid
II open to criticism that 1t was protect
ing the "pescecani," or war profiteers,
against the rational remonstrance Of
the laboring man. 1t was criticism
which caused the downfall Of the Nit
Il government.
In taking their precautions against
the results of general strike-fOr the
roS,,lts of tho loakout thQv did not