New-York tribune., 1920-06-13
By Arthur S. Draper
From The Tribune's Europeun bureau
Rome, Ma. go.


From The Triosme's European Bureau
Rome, Ma. 90.
TN THE middle of May Italian
affairs reached climax and the
Nitti government collapsed, the
Clericals defeating him on
minor issue.
To-day khaki has almost disap-
peared from the streets of London.
In Paris comparatively few soldiers
are seen, but Rome gives every ap-
pearance of city still at war. On
nearly every corner one or two SOL
diers, revolvers strapped around
their waists, stand as if looking for
trouble. Gendarmes are everywhere.
On the streets and in the hotels Of
fcers in brilliant uniforms, with
swords swinging, move about, as if
anticipating a fresh call to arms.
Perhaps it is all display, but it serves
to create the impression that either
Italy has demobilized her armies ex-
tremely slowly or that she intends
to make show of force for some rea-
son or other.
Delay in the Mails
went into telegraph Office an<N
inquired how long it would take g
message to reach London. The girl
who was acting as clerk said the de.
lay was indefinite. At one of the
travel agencies the manager told me
that he had just received a telegram
from Florence, dated three days
back. Letters were being received
from London three weeks after they
had been posted. The Rome corre-
spondent of London newspaper re-
ceived a telegram of instructions siy
days after it had been filed. 4
London newspaper received a dis
patch, describing the funeral of Bis
solatti, the Italian statesman, bu:
the message telling of his death
never arrived in London. Volunteer
letter carriers, unfamiliar with the
city, were attempting to replace the
strikers in the postoffice and tele
graph bureaus the day l arrived,
This was strike against the gor
ernment, and it had succeeded in er.
barrasslng the general public beyon,
description.
Travelling from Paris to Rome o.
an express we had the unpleasant ex-
perience of being dumped off at the
Italian frontier by che French por-
ters OF the sleeping cars, who, though
they preserved the reputation of
their race for courtesy, were firm in
their determination not to permit
any one to remain in his berth after
O'Clock in the morning, the hour of
our arrival at Modane, in the Alps.
From the Paris express we were
transferred to an Italian frst-class
through train to Rome.
No Water on the Train
Except for the water in the en-
glne, there was not drop aboard the
train. All the mirrors had been re-
moved. No dining car or buffet was
available. The only uniform of the
guards was their cap. A member
Of the league of nations Gan Eng
hshman, it is hardly necessary to
s'ate) used white wine to make
iather to shave. Incidentally he does
not recommend it highly. For hours
ana hours we rode, with no oppor-
unity to get any water or anything
70 eat. 1t was not until we reached
iurin that we had breakfast of black
eonee and equally black bread. Six
aours later we had lunch at Genoa
"a real meal--an opportunity to
"asn under faucet. No dirtier,
more villainous looking crowd Of first
elass passengers ever arrived at
Aome at 1870 o'clock in the morn
ing. But then there was no one to
Oiarne except the French and Italian
iaHwaymen who were on strike.
Turin has long been famous for it's
sernouth; it has now acquired
reputation for radicalism. A few
weeks ago the metal workers there
aeclded the time had come to set
apa local soviet, modified form of
1en'ne Bolshevism. Things devel-
Opea quickly, and troops were hur-
ted there. The experiment failed.
Conditions were still far from nor
Aai when we arrived, though there
'Sa been no recent outbreaks. Mi
'ah' another industrial center some
ninety miles northeast of Turin, had
o experimental in Bolshcvism.
rossiDly Bolsheyism is not quite
s'e proper word; the Italians might
Neisr 10 describe tae situation as
shs IN which the vorkcra atfarnr4ed