Evening star., 1924-12-24
IN TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

burdening of taxes to make up for
losses on bread and transportation
and other socialistic government en-
terprises.
In 1s20-21 the deficit was over 10
milliards OF lire; then when Mus
soltni came into power, the bread sub
sidy of 400 niliiards was suppressed.
In 1928 the deficit was 4,s26 mil
liards: for the year 1924 the def
cit was reduced to 1880 900 lire
and last March the minister of Finance
announced that by the end OF
the fiscal year even that deficit would
be wiped out and the budget balanced.
Government bonds issued at 81, fell to
1860 prior to the Fascist govern
ment, but by last May had risen TO
par. The minister of finance declared
that the state by suspending all in
crease of debt, would no longer alb
sorb any part of the nations saw
ings. A prediction was officially made
that next year Italy would fund the
American loan.
= X :: IL
In a speech last month Mussolfnf
said:
"A government should not lie
judged by one part nor from only one
side OF its politics. nor only by what
1t has accomplished. but upon wha;
1t could do. and by the tendencies
which inspire the government. Then
the judgment will be fair and objec-
tive. 1t is not true that the
government wants to maintain its
power in all eventualities; IL the KING
at the close of this session. should
call me to declare that II is necessary
that l leave, / shall obey The puri-
ncation of the Fascist party is real
lied. very severely. The militia has
been organized and has sworn abso-
Lutte loyalty. Ninety-five per cent az
the officers of the national militia
has been provided from the regular
army"
The ideals and character of the
Fascist have been much misunder-
stood, outside of Italy. Conditions in
our own country have never been
comparable with those in Italy, where
socialism controlled the government
and bolsevism confidently believed
il was on the eve of accomplishing
a revolution. overthrowing the king
dom and enthroning the --oletariat.
where strikes were ramI and, as
claimed, were openly supported by
the administration. The popular re
action against suoh conditions, mani
tested in the Fascist might be liken-
ed to the ideals OF the American
Legion.
The legion, however, has never been
faced with conditions calling for such
patriotic action as that of the vet
Grams of Italy. The Fascist OF Italy
are mainly the former soldiers of her
victorious army. The men in Office
today are no longer men of old age.
such as formerly were thought alone
fit for responsibility. Mussolini is
about 40 years of age-his cabinet
is made up of no older men. They
are men Of action, not proscrastina-
ton.
They do not represent the prole-
tariat nor the aristocrats. They might
quote the American Legion's own con-
stitution, for they seek ''to maintain
law and order, to incuicate sense of
individual obligations to the State
and Nation; to make right the mas
ter Of might; to promote peace and
good will on earth"
There was little or no violence when
more than 100000 Fascist marched
into Rome. and the King asked Mus
solini to become premier. There is no
militarism in the creed of the Fas-
cisti, but neither is there apology for
patriotism, and Mussolini said recent
ly that IL conditions ever were again
in Italy as they were in 1918, the Fas-
cisti would again leap to her defense
and go to war. Opposed to that spirit
were all the previous administrations
since the war began, and 1t was that
menace of ultra-pacifism and OF igno-
miny upon the former defenders of
the nation--the soldiers-that made
Fascismo imperative, as the only safe
guard against bolshevism.
An American traveller who makes
frequent visits to Italy and who re
turned from there within the last
fortnight, comments upon the fact
that all beggars have disappeared
from her streets. This, he said, was
in most remarkable contrast to CON
ditions familiar to all tourists up to
two years ago. Today begging is
forbidden, able-bodied beggars are
forced to go to work and crippies
have been put into charitable institu-
tfors.
Copyright. ise4,- by Paul v. Collins,