Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-03

II flhAM hELLI MODEn" ELL.
Correspondence of The Star and the Chicago
Daily News.
ROME, Italy, January 10.-"I have
| in this portfolio the new laws which l
shall presently submit to you and
which you will approve"
Mussolini, speaking to the Italia n
Chamber of Deputies at the opening of
| its Winter session, And the Chamber,
| composed almost exclusively of Fas-
| cisti (the others having stayed away in
| protest or having been driven out by
Fascist fists applauds the announce
ment that, as legislative organ, it is
| dead. Under the new laws 1t cannot
initiate legislation or overturn a min.
istry, since Mussolini is responsible
only to the King. The only national
body in Italy which can be said to have
anything approaching legislative pow.
ers is the Fascist National Council,
which sometimes discusses projects
which the government proposes TO
promulgate. A Fascist newspaper re.
| Gently, in pathetic seriousness, urged
that somebody find dignified job for
the Parliament
The Senate is to be half, and event,l-
ally altogether, elected by trade unions
professional societies and chambers of
commerce, controlled by officers chosen
for them and imposed upon them by
Fascist headquarters.
MussOlini the Entire Show.
In Musolini's Italy the legislative as
well as the judicial branch of the state
Is wholly subordinated to the execu-
tive. Logically this would be equiva-
| lent to saying that the tail wagged the
| dog. But practically 1t means that
the legislative and judicial functions
have been handed over to the execu-
tive. Mussolini as legislator solemn
ly proposes laws to himself, which he
unanimously approves. As executive
he then proceeds to administer them.
AS judiciary he applies and inter
prets them.
This transformation has been
achieved by series OF laws denatur-
! ing Parliament, as explained above.
and revoking the civil service normS
FOR the judiciary as we'll as the ad
ministrative organs Of the govern
ment. Judges. as well as other EN-
| ployes of the state. may be dismissed
! if they openly refuse to think like
| MuSSolini. One of the two chief funC-
| tons of the courts-that of protecting
the individual against caprIcious. op.
| pressve or unconstitutional acts OF the
state-has been abolished The acts
and intentions Of the government can
not ba called into question by the
| courts.
Up-to-Date Tyranny.
! But this is not to say that the Mus
| Solini regime is a medieval tyranny.
| If IT is a tyranny it Is very up.to date.
| The characteristic feature of Musso-
| lini's system is not its rigorous repreS-
| sion of opponents, but its extension Of
! the powers of the state over areas of
national life formerly supposed to lie
| outside the political sphere. He saw
| that the state had enormous potential
powers under the complex conditions
| of modern life and he determined to
| utilize them to the limit.
| Besides the legislature and the Judi.
ciary he has transformed the follow
/ ing into obedient organs OF the execu-
! tive power:
| The Schools.-These state institu-
| tions are required. from the kinder
garten to the university, to teach
! Fascist doctrine Teachers who oppose.
or who have in the past opposed
Facisn, may be dismissed (many have
heen) on the theory that Fascism com
pletely incarnates the new Italy.