The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-01-10
ITALIAN WORKERS
D|DNOT TURN RED
SAYS DR.. R05ELL|
Speaker at Evening Forum Cor
rects Erroneous Impression
CONDITIONS NOW NORMAL
Recent Disturbance not Revolution
but ReadJustment between
Capital and Labor.

The interest in the Sunday Evening
Forum Is very gratifying to those who
are trying out this experiment in Ben
nington. Another fine audience last
night assembled in the Second Congre'
gational church. The brief Scripture
was read by Rev, W. G.. Towart, and
Rec. c. c. Merrill OF Burlington offer
ed prayer The praise service includ-
ed a solo impressiye'y rendered by E.
z. Bottum.
Dr. Bruno Roselli, of Florence Italy,
who had for his subject, "Italy's In
dustrial Revolution" intensely inter-
ested his audience. DR.. Roselli is a
very engaging personality. He speaks
most correct and fluent English. and
with yividness and feryor of style
that fascinates.
He has Just returned within several
months from Italy and was able from
! his owp observations aS well as from
his naturally most familiar understand
ing of the whole industrial situation in
his country to correct the erroneous
Impressions that have obtained in
America.
! Italy is not going through a social
revolution. There is no Bolshevism
there. To be sure, there was a wide
spread labor disturbance, a deadlock
for a few weeks, involving 100000
workers. But only three lives were
! lost Conditions now are normal, in
transportation and in general indus
try. The people of Italy have settled
down 10 work without any idea OF a
revolution. Prophets of evil, and
newspaper reports with their scare
crow headings. are dlscredited.
What came about was simply the
post-be lum readJustment of capital
and labor. which has to take place in
every country in Europe. 1t Is report.
ed that Italian workmen have obtain
ed control of the factories. This is
not true. In the sense In
which in America the word control Is
commonly used, meaning dictation OF
policy. But control In the Italian
sense Of the word means the power of
checking up or verifying the technic
or correctness OF the operations las
conductor on a railway train In.
spects and takes up the tickets, sees
that everything is done according TO
rule. In the succession of strikes, So
called. there was a temporary occupa-
ton OF tn emills and factories to
bring about right adjustment. But
the Italian workmen had no thought of
turning red"
Socialism in Italy is not a name that
scares anybody. II is forty years cd,
People of remarkable tact are in its
leadership. and firebrands are elimin-
ated. 1t has power and prestige.
DR.. Roseli discussed very illuminat-
ingly the struggle between the Nation.
alist and Socialist parties from 1914
on, the one for Italy's entrance into
the war and the other against it.
Italy went in after nine months. She
had 5000, 600 men In arms. Without
Italy in 1916 and 1917 the allies would
have lost the war. Let us not forget
D'Annunzio-his heroism and patrio.
tic appeal in those days Caporetto is
a sad page II was a terrific ow to
the Nationalist party The Socialist
party wept least Italy lacked re-
sources. For twelve mnoths she built
everything out OF nothing. The grit
of the italians. stemmed the tide.
The representatives of the National
list party were very chesty when they
went to Versailles The Socialist par
ty realized their chance by reason of
the disappointed elements. Four mil.
lion soldiers had returned home as
soldiers, everywhere, with a crouch
Where were the territorial rewards?
The Socialist party was sympathetic
The government had not been alb to
deliver the goods. The soldiers saw
the profiteering. The cost of living
had gone up $40 per cent Coal was
$3.50 a ton. Coming home from the
Italian front in October and Noyem.
ber 1918, they brought with them the
things that were most precious and
weighed least arms They displayed
these to scare folks II was not Boil
shevism II they had wanted, revolu.
tion they could have had 1t. 1t was a
protest against the cost Of living
which was six times as much as before
the war, while wages had increased
only three times as much
Now the, government invited confer.
ence between employers and working.
men, the various groups Lloyd
George is a prestidigitator. That too
is Giolitti; the one talks in silent
country, the other Is silent In q talka.
tive country. The wizardry of Giolitti
settled things. On fiftyfifty basis
employers and workingmen came to
an amlcable arrangement. Glolltt
saw to It that each side obtained It's
point of honor, the employers that the
Imen should pay them for material and
moral damage to the factories, the
wbrkingmen that they should be paid
money in recompense for their losses,
The applying of laws in the handling
of the factory was lett to the workers.
A body of twelve men was formed for
every factory which should see to it
that the laws were applied The rep.