Evening star., 1922-11-24
.DEATH0E:S0NN|NO
M0URNED |N|TA[Y
Ex-Premier, Victim Of Apo
plexy, Was Called "Silent.
Statesman"
BY the Associated preSa

By the Associated Press
ROME. November 24.-Italy mourn
cd today the passing of Baron SON.
nino. who was twice her premier and
her foreign minister during the world
war. Death came last night after an
apoplectic stroke earlier in the day.
News that the baron had been
stricken came as a surprise, for only
few days ago he was seen on the
streets. apparently in the best of
health. Word of his illness brought
anxious inquiries from many state
notables, including Victor Emmanuel
Baron Sidney Sonnino was called
the silent statesman of ITALY," He
disliked to talk, though he could be
fluent In Ave languages. He was
prime minister of Italy in 1906 and
again in 1910. From 1914 to 1919 he
was minister of foreign affairs. He
minister Of the interior and as a
member OF parliament. He brought
70 the Paris peace conference the
reputation Of "the first financier of
Europe, the man who had probed the
economic life of the world to the
core"
Was Finance Minister.
40 not shlne-I do not glitter"
he said on one occasion in the cham
OF thing to my political opponents.
| am satisfied il l can reveal an oc-
casional CLEAN Of common sense"
At another time. addressing his in
olHerent colleagues. he said: II pro-
pose to put a little knowledge of the
state of the nations revenue into
your heads. whether you feel inter-
ested or not"
While minister of finance he was
credlted with having laid the foun-
from the revenue standpoint, and for
MS establishment of budget sur
pluses.
Baron Sonnino was one of the most
aostemious of men in spite of his
wealth Even before the war, he
! Italy could not borrow favorably in
the London market by reason of her
enormous public debt Sonnino low
ered it by vigorous taxation, by re-
ducing public salaries and expendf.
lures and dismissing needless en-
ployes. The politicians. therefore,
hated him.
a Jew by race. Protestant by
faith and native of Egypt, the man
VINO was one day destined to handle
the Italian ship Of state. was. born
Scotch mother. on March II. 1s47. on
the banks Of the Nile He was edu-
Gated partly in England and at the
University Of Pisa. Sonnino's grand
father migrated from the ghetto of
Leghorn. Italy. to Egypt, where he
punt up an enormous fortune as
banker. a fortune which the future
premier Of Italy enjoyed.
Elected to Chamber.
Although elected to the chamber Of
deputies IN 1880 and quickly acquir-
ing prominence as an authority on
financial and economic questions and
ranking in public esteem as a man
on whom the country could rely in
any grave emergency, Sanninos un-
compromising severity in his views
long proved an obstacle to the at
tainment of HRS ambitions TO form :,
cabinet Of his own.
By the late King Humbert. and to
some extent by Victor Emmanuel,
Sonnino appears to- have been re-
garded as an uncomfortable and un-
compromising politician, too inelastic
qufrements of the Italian court and
parliamentary politics. Sonnino. how
ever, in 1906. at the end of the first
period of the political Decentralization
which began in 1901 with the re-
turn Of Giolitti to power. was to
form his own cabinet. 1t lasted 100
days. In 1910, after a further period
of Giolitti rule, he formed his second
administration. This lasted approx
mately three months.
1t was asserted at the time that
Sonnfo would never be a successful
politician-that bis mind was too
straight, and that nothing short of
an extreme national peril would ever
give him real chance.