Evening star., 1926-04-22
HOODLUM FASC|STS
ATTACK AMERICANS
Outbreak Following Attempt
of British Woman to Kill
Premier Is Reported.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
BASLE, Switzerland, April 22.-One
of the acts of Benito Mussolini, Italy's
Fascist premier, which may have been
misunderstood abroad is that of sup
pressing the activities of lodges of
Free Masons and of closing up all
branches in Rome.
The explanation given a special cor
respondent Of The Associated Press
when he was in Rome recently was
that when Mussolini arrived in power
he found a mysterious occult force
working against him. When seeking
to advance state employees on the
basis of merit often he found his
nominations opposed by a bureau
cratic machine which thrived during
the old regime.
Inquiry convinced MuSSOlini that
Free Masonry was at the bottom of
the difficulty and was exercising
secret influence which was disastrous
to the nation as a whole.
Applied to Military.
The same applied when it came to
promotions in the army and navy.
Mussolini is described as not op-
posed to the benevolent attributes OF
Free Masonry, such as characterize
American lodges, but as unyieldingly
hostile to any use of political IT.
fiuence which, as exercised in Italy.
is declared to have threatened to foil
all his attempts to establish the merit
! system.
To some persons the Italian lodges
were alleged to be too pronouncedly
Ha;t HanCn
Mussolini's suppression Of Free Ma
sonry has pleased the clerical forces
and has considerably contributed to
the new entente between the govern
ment and the holy see.
The correspondent heard opinions
in Rome that the youthful militant
fascist threatened to cause some dis
ruption to the movement headed by
Mussolini.
1t was learned that windows of the
Soviet embassy in Rome were broken
by a mob after the recent unsuccess-
full attempt by Miss Violet Gibson to
assassinate Mussolini. Foreigners
were virtually unanimous that had
Mussolini been killed there would
have been tragic anti-foreign repris-
ais In Rome.
Americans Assaulted.
Youthful black shirts on the march
behind a flag down the Corso Um-
berto smashed with walking sticks
the hats of two Americans who were
riding in an open carriage and had
failed to uncover. The tires of an
Americans automobile, parked in a
public square, were slashed.
The Government Is said to have re.
fused TO allow the publication in the
newspapers of speeches made in the
United States Senate against the
| Facist regime. 1t is declared that
| Mussolini Is somewhat worried over
| the hoodlum tendencies of some of the
black shirts and is determined to end
| them.
Dispatches from Brussels, quoting
| from the newspapers. say the Ital'
| ian Ambassador to Belgium has been
| summoned to Rome by Mussolini be
cause of the burning of a straw-stuf'
| ed dummy with a bandaged nose, sup
posed to represent Mussolini, during
an antiFascist demonstration at La
| Jouviere, by 5000 Socialists. The
Belgian government apologized to the
Amba ssador, and an inquiry into the
affair has been started by the min
istry of the interior.
Attacks on Mussolini by Socialist
| newspaper in the free city of Danzig
also are causing trouble, Berlin ad'
VICES saw. The Italian consul gen
eral protested to the Senate or DanZlg
against the attacks and declared ne
was empowered to take measures
which might have unfortunate con
sequences"
The Danzig Senate informed the
consul general that there was no law
to restrain the press.