The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-11-07
COMMUNISTS
ARE FEARED
BY Fascist
Socialists Are Harm
less, Says MussOlini
lspseIaI . ths oaIIy Worssrl

ROME, Nov. 81 he Com
munist Party is the only group
in Italy that the Fascist govern
ment has need to fear"
With these words, spoken in
this city in the course of an adj
dress on the occasion of the am
nivers2ry of the Fascist march
ON Rome two years ago, Pre-
mier Mussolini paid unwilling
tribute to the decisiVeness and
the observation-disclosures of the
Communists, and unconsciously
scored the passiyism and futility
of the socialists and democratic
groups of Italy.
For the so-called constitutional OPP
position Mussolini had nothing but
jeers I'VE have learned by experience
how little The socialist threats amount
to. The sum total of socialist and de.
moeratic action will be the casting Of
votes by the representatives of these
parties in the next parliament.
Strike Hard Blow.
1.-THE Communists, on the other
hand have seized every opportunity to
strike a blow at fascist rule. It is
against the Communists that we must
array ourselves"
Because of the menacing attitude
of labor bodies all over Italy, and be-
cause of the fiat-footed refusal of the
militia to take part in the four days
celebration of the march on Rome,
the fascist festival has been cut short.
Within two days the government real
lied that farther attempts to prolong
the Jubilee" might lead to armed up
risings of the workers.
Meanwhile, fascist atrocities contin-
lie undated. Mavciano Gino, work
ingman of this city who is a member
of the Communist Party, was knitted
to death by gang of six blackshirts
who attacked him in a restaurant in
Rome. The Roman police have made
no attempt to arrest the murderers.
Long Sentences.
The sentencing to a term of 20 years
of Imprisonment 20 of the workers
who took part in the riots against the
fascist strikebreakers at Florence a
year ago has been in part responsible
for the hasty closing of the anniver-
, sary ceremonies. The trial, which has
been going on at Empoli for almost
three months, has held the attention
of every working man in the country.
OF the 1872 workers arrested, only SO
were acquitted. The rest have received
sentences of from three to 29 years
each.
The atmosphere in which the trial
has been conducted has been wholly
fascist. Lawyers for the workers have
been threatened with death for daring
to conduct an energetic defense.
And the long sentences imposed
have failed to satisfy the fascist sym
pathizers, who have thruout the trial
elamored for the death penalty for
every one of the prisoners.
Cheers For Communism.
Long live Communism" were the
only words uttered by the condemned
workers at the close of the trial.
Prosecution of the daily organ of
the Communist Party, Unita, and of
Avanti, organ of the Maximalists. IS
now going on in Rome with a view 10
the suppression of both of these pa
pers. Suit was brought at the time of
the Matteoti murder by Aldo Finzi,
former secretary of aviation in the
cabinet Of Mussolini and implicated
in the killing of the socialist deputy.
Both Of the newspapers on trial told
Of the grating operations conducted
by prominent members of the Musso-
lini government, and told of facts that
were patent to everyone.
Monopoly In Sports News.
Among the charges made against
Finzi were that he was implicated In
the proposed sale OF the Italian oil
reserves to Harry f. Sinclair, Ameri-
can oil magnate and that he sold
gambling permits at fancy prices. At
The beginning Of the Mussolini rule,
Finzi was instrumental in having a
law passed which forbids publication
Of sports news in the Italian news
papers. He then began publication OF
paper of his own, in which all OF
the sports news was contained. Fin
zis paper was of course never prose
cuted for violation OF the law.
Lawye-s who are conducting the
prosecution against Unita and Avanti
are basing their arguments, not on
any denial Of the charges made, but
on laws passed by the last parliament
making any newspaper which publish
es statements disparaging to the gov
eminent or the national honor" Of
Italy liable to suppression.