Evening star., 1925-10-31
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS.

paign of misrepresentation and crj,i-
cism of the government. and his ex-
pulsion was based on the same kind
of laws that exist in England. Y
the time Senator Cippico made his
defense Of that suppression of TN"
press the government had not th"n
suppressed the second most importG nj
Italian daily, the Stampa of Turin.
which had published news Of the
alleged looting Of village homes hy
rowdy soldiers Ut the time OF Inil.-
tary maneuvers. The later suppres
sion Of that great organ Of free
speech has made a profound seuSa
ton among the press and politicians
of Italy. but it is upheld by the lead.
ing FaSCists.
While Senator Cippico disputes IT,"
idea that Fascism is founded ana
upheld by force. the following Ian
guage is quoted from a speech hy
Secretary General Farinacci to Mus
Solini:
we have 5000 Fascist sections.
7G0,00 members: $50 women's sec
tions. with $4,000 members. We have
in military organizations I0,0"n
legions and 10000 vanguards, national
syndicates of million men and II
railroad association of 10000. We
are all. first to last, at your orders,
Signor MuSSolini, without any di~
cussion, for life or death. You have
Il powerful army which you may
maneuver as you think best To reach
our lOnged-for Goal-the Fascist
State"
In reply TO that fattering speecI
Mussolni said that TO tight in the
ranks of Fascism was a high privileGe.
most serious one. This fact gave
1t moral superiority over all others.
and imposed upon it the duty Of
strictest intranSigeanCe. "1ntransi-
geance" means political eXtremism.
uncompromising radicalism.
x 4 :: y
In the three years of Fascism the
party has introduced in Parliamert
1890 bills, mostly of extremely radical
or revolutionary nature. 1t now has Il
program for the coming session, which
the leaders are confident they have
the power to put to passage.
The first will exempt the prime min
ister-Mussolini and his successors--
from responsibility TO the Parliament
1t will leave him in office, permanent
ly, beyond parliamentary recall, until
the King dares dismiss him-an act
WHICH "Oulu IOCh the lIlIpII Vi lldiA
since the dictator holds the backing Of
the rnasseS-the intranSigeantS.
The people will no longer he permit
ted to elect the mayors of any city OF
less than 5000 pOpulation-they will
be appointed by the Fascist govern
menu-"carpetbag" podestas. No OF
flee can be held by one who fails 10
uphold the Fascist government. Free
speech and a free press no longer are
- J. ySln el shaw rr-if il
cism of the Fascist government.
In an article written by Roberto
Cantalupo and officially indorsed by
Mussolini published in the October
number of Foreign Affairs, it is eX-
planned:
In the case of Italy it is to pre-
serve her as institutional stat
against corruption, decline and ruin.
Such ruin might befall as 4 result of
granting the citizens of a parliamen-
tary state a degree Of liberty incom
patible with the functioning of such Il
state. Liberty within a state must
serve to coordinate for the common
veal all the energies of a nation
Granted that a people cannot be hap
py or prosperous or respected IL the
state to which they belong is not
strong and respected, the so-called re
dictionary character of FaScism dis
appears. If we admit that
there cannot be civic happiness wien
the state is not thriving, the interna
tionalist and class-conscious theories
Of socialism which would set class tti-
terests above national interests re
ceive serious setback.
1t is the aim of Fascism to make
Italy strong nationally, to subordinate
the classes as well as the individual
to the paramount prestige of state,
and to make Italy one of the great
powers. Mussolini, the strong, defies
opposition, and declares that only
force can dislodge his party. He will
crush the power Of Parliament, first
perhaps Of the throne later.
Copyright. 1925. by Pau Y co'Nns1