The Holly chieftain., 1922-11-09
j r

working classes on the first da. was sporadic dis.
organized and lacking In leadership.
Without losing time the Fascist launched al
offensive with three specific objectves. The first
was to keep the railroads and other Instruments
Of public service In operation, by taking up with
elements of their the work abandoned by
strikers; the second was to crush the proetarfat
press. the socialist municipal administrations
wherever they existed the cooperative unions
and other working-cass organizations from
which the strike might derive moral material
energy the third was to terrify the strikers into
submission by the application of armed force and
execution of drastic reprisals 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 TS ave much
as he could from the ruins, T,.sxd rushed to
Facta and offered to 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 3-the Labor
federation called upon the strikers to return to
their posts, announcing that the proleariat had
achieved its object.
But If the socialists were through the Fascist
not. They had 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 Palazzo 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
Lavoro and marched In force upon the Palace of
San Giorgo, where the socialist consortium of
the port was located. The Fascist demanded
the surrender of the consortium and when sur
render was refused they seized 1t by force
In Ravenna they seized and suppressed the
elaborate cooperative organization which has
served as 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 In Dfesa and set fire to the
headquarters of all the principal labor organiza-
tons, including the Federation of Railway Work.
ers, the Society of Sovlets and the Chamber of
Labor. They marched Into Parma 5000 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 reprIyals
that occurred against the working classes, there
was surprisingly little blood shed during the
course of the strike.
ment came to life and cOnfded to military co7trol
Lvorno.
In the special terms by which the Fascist and
the socialists subsequent. defined "yctory" the
claims OF both were justified by the fncts
Whether the victory Of either faction meant vic
tory for the Italian people and for the nation as
Il whole was question which seemed to concern
neither of the opposing forces When indeed
Facta, In his second inaugural declared thar
Italy could be ruined by such n 'victory" Lunl
the Fascist leader in the chamber rcsponded
with n challenge which clearly Indicated that If
civil war was not yet nn actun ract IN It,,,.
It could any day become one