The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-10-02
BY William Philin Simms

BY William Philip Simms
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2.-Nobody
has earned the right to vote, says
Benito Mussolini. Italian dictator,
merely because he has kept on liv-
ing until he reached the voting age.
This thing of popular suffrage,
Italy's big boss told me during our
conversation in Chigi palace, Rome,
may be all very fine in theory, but
in practice it has been responsible
for more incompetence and corrup-
ton in office than any other one
conception Of government.
In Italy today, therefore, there is
no such thing as popular suffrage,
either in national or municipal af-
fairs.
Must Work to Vote
Under Mussolini the only people in
Italy who have any voice in public
matters whatever are those who are
doing something. Mussolini says If
man or woman wants to vote, he
or she must work for it, contribute
something, however small, to the ma
ton.
Thus fascist Italy is not just a
mass of 4O,000,O0O people with the
usual percentage of votes, but Is di-
vided into four main groups Of doers
or contributors: Agriculture, indus
try-including labor-commerce and
the intellectual professions. ANY
others don't count.
In the future, Italian legislatures
will not be composed of one repre-
sentative for every so many thou
sands of Italy's forty millions, but
Of representatives of the above
named groups. And. aside from
Rome. which has been given a gov
ernment similar to that of Washing
ton because it is the capital, Italian
municipalities will be directed not by
mayors and boards of aldermen or
councils, but by trained city man.
ayers and specialist assistants hired
for their knowledge. and named on
the advice Of these same groups.
The Advantages
What is the advantage Of your
SYSTEM" I asked the Duce, "over
our American system of selecting
public officials?"
1.-THE Masses" Mussolini replied,
"are totally unprepared for the
vote. They are the easy prey of
every demagogue that comes their
way, the facile victims of all the
petty vanities and personal ambi-
tions of every self.seeking politician.
Take our cities. Under our old
system Of popular elections, almost
always ignorant or incompetent men
were lifted to power, where they pro-
ceeded to spend their time maneu-
vering. to stay there or trying to
climb higher over one another to
crafty a mean. personal ambition.
Groups Favored
"Such administrations, thus con.
stituted, would look after the inter.
ests of some particular group Of citi
zens, their own particular crowd, bur
mostly to the complete neglect of the
welfare of the general public.
"And the general public. though
it could plainly see the sinful waste
neglect, prodigal spending of tax
money and other imbecilities on the
part of the authorities, did not see
what was to be done about it,"
Italy's ortho dox premier
shrugged his shoulders eloquently
The purchasable, maneuverable vote
so frequently can be made to out
count the unpurchasable vote!
"The democratic, liberal idea Of a
sovereign people has led everywhere
to deplorable consequences, but not
here has this conception of govern
ment been more Of a blight than ir
our cities.
Abuses Disappear
To-day, in Italy, that system is
obsolete. And the abuses to which
it led have disappeared.
Hereafter local government ir
Italy will be in the hands of compe
tent persons, experts, men of known
reputation and of proved worth
along the lines wherein they will
| function. They will not listen tc
this or that party or class but to al
the classes. And the only way they
can make good will be to insure the
well being and prosperity Of the
community as a whole
To the average American, like my
self, this dethroning of the sovereign
people sounded vastly like bias
| phemy. But the picture of some re-
cent American elections flashed
across my mind, the picture Of long
lines Of voters marching past the
political bosses pay windows as they
went to the. polls.
Maybe neither Italy nor America
has yet reached perfection.
Monday further conversation with
Mus9OIfy1il -. s.us - = -, s.tr.a..