The Arvada enterprise., 1922-11-09

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working classes the nrft da. was sporadic. dis
organized and lacking in leadership.
Without losing time the Fascist launched M
offensive with three specific objectlveA The arst
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 proletariat
press. the socialist municipal Administrations
wherever they existed the cooperative unions
and other workng-class organizations from
which the strike might derive moral or material
energy; the third to terrify the strikers Into
submission by the application Of armed force and
execution Of drastic reprlsals against any attempt
to revolt.
The centers Of strike activity were Genoa. MI
Ian. Parma. LivOrnO. AncOna and Ravenna.
Forty-eight hours after the strike was called
Turati realized he was licked. tt ave as much
as he could from the ruins. TllsAd rushed to
Facta and offered to call the strike of II Facta
would promise that the government would take
the strikers back.
Facta gave the socialists the required assur
ance. On the following day-August 3-the I.aboe
federation called upon the strikers to return to
their posts, announcing that the proietarlat had
ACHE, Ell Its object.
But II the socialists were through the Fascist
were not. They had II definite program to com.
plete and they proceeded to complete It, In MI.
Ian they drove the socialist administration out
Of power and took possession OF the ralnzxO Ma.
rino. On the following day they attacked the
Avanti. the leading socialist newspaper In Italy,
put the editors to flight and set fire to the plant.
In Genoa they suppressed the publication Of the
Iavoro and marched In force upon the Palace Of
San Giorgio where the socialist consortlum Of
the port was located. The Fnscisti demanded
the surrender Of the consortum. and when sur
render was refused they seized 1t by force.
In Ravenna they seized and suppressed the
elaborate cooperative organization which has
served a model OF socialist cooperative devel.
opment for students from aii parts OF the world
In Anconn they destroyed the printing plant OF
the socialist organ In Difcsa ana set IRE To the
headquarters OF all the principal labor orgnnlzn-
lions, Including the Federation Of Railway Work.
ers the Society OF SOviets and the Chamber Of
Labor. They marched Into Parmn 5000 strong
and took possession of the city. They destroyed
the printing pnnt Of the Piccolo ind disrupted the
cooperative unions.
Considering the violent nnture Of the reprisnls
that occurred against the working classes there
surprisingly little blood shed during the
course OF the strike.
On August 8. when II wns nj. over tho govern.
ment to life md confiicd TO military coatrol
the cities ~ Genon. Milan. AncOnn Parry md
Iivorno.
In the special terms by which the Fascist and
the socialists subseQuenti' defined ",ictory" the
claims Of both were Justified by the facts.
Whether the victory Of either faction meant vic
tory for the italian people and for the nation rs
n whole wns n question which seemed to concern
neither Of the opposing forces. When Indeed
Factn In his second inaugural. declared TINT
Itny could he ruined by such victory" Lupt
the Fascist leader In the chamber responded
with challenge which clearly Indicated that II
civil wnr was not yet an actuni <nct In itn,y
Il could any day become ons