The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1922-11-09
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working classes on the fir da. was sporadic, dis
organized and lacking in leadership.
Without losing time the Fascist launched a.
offensive with three specific detectives, The first
was to keep the railroads and other instruments
Of public service in operation, by taking up with
elements Of their own the work abandoned by
strikers; the second was to crush the proetarat
press, the socialist municipal administrations
wherever they existed the cooperative unions
and other working-cass organizations from
which the strike might derive moral or material
energy; the third was to terrify the strikers into
submission by the application of armed force ana
execution of drastic reprsals against any attempt
to revolt.
The centers Of strike activity were Genoa. MI
lam Parma, Livorno, Ancona and Rayenna,
Forty eight hours after the strike was called
Turati realized he was licked To save as much
as he could from the ruins, Turat rushed to
Faeta and offered 10 call the strike off If Facta
would promise that the government would take
the strikers back
Facta gave the socialists the required assur-
ance on the following day-August 9-the Labor
federation called upon the strikers to return to
their posts announcing that the proletariat had
achieved its object
Rut II the socialists were through the Fascist
were not They had a definite program to com.
plete and they proceeded to complete 1t. In MI
Ian they drove the socialist administration out
of power and took possession of the Palazzo Ma
rino. On the following day they attacked the
Avanti the leading socialist newspaper in Italy,
nut the editors to fight and set fire to the plant.
In Genoa they suppressed the publication Of the
Lovoro and marched in force upon the Palace Of
SAN Glorgio where the socialist cOnsortlum Of
tha mort was located. The Fascist demanded
the surrender Of the consortium, and when sur
render was refused they seized it by force.
In Rayenna they seized and suppressed the
elaborate cooperative organization which has
served as a model of socialist cooperative devel'
opment for students from all parts Of the world.
In Ancona they destroyed the printing plant Of
the socialist organ La Difesa and set fire to the
Headquarters Of all the principal labor organza-
tlons. including the Federation of Railway Work.
ers the Society Of SOvlets and the Chamber Of
Labor They marched into Parma 60O0 strong
and took possession Of the city. They destroyed
the printing plant Of the Piccolo and disrupted the
cooperative unions.
Considering the violent nature Of the reprIsals
that occurred against the working classes, there
surprisingly little blood shed during the
course Of the strike.
on August 3, when II was a. over, the govern
ment came 10 life and confided to military control
the cities Of Genoa, Milan, Ancona, Parma and
Livorno.
In the special terms by which the Fascist and
the socialists subsequent. defined "victory" the
claims of both were justified by the facts
Whether the victory OF either faction meant vie
tory for the Italian people and for the nation as
whole was question which seemed TO concern
neither of the opposing forces When, indeed
Facta, In his second inaugural declared that
Italy could be ruined by such "victory," Lupi
the Fascist leader in the chamber, responded
with a challenge which clearly Indicated that il
civil war was not vet an actual fact In Italy
It could any day become one.