Evening star., 1929-12-10
BY WILLIAM H. sToNEMAN.

ROME.-A dictatorship, while having
it's graver aspects, also has its thrills
for those who watch from the bleachers.
An opposition, however weak, may sud-
denly resolve itself into the form OF one
man and make threat at the Whole
structure of government. II his plans
are carefully laid and his fanatlcism Is
strong enough to steady his hand, 1t VIII
take the same one man only one sec
ond of action to do something ex-
traordinarily serious In the way OF gov
ernment wrecklng.
No one, 1t is safe to say, can know
this better than do the dictators them
selves, who go boldly about their busi-
ness with the knowledge that one min
ute's exposure Of the body at the wrong
moment will mean solemn music ana
lilies.
Mussolini, iron man of the new Italy,
has had more than his share OF dan
ger. On four occasions people have tried
to assassinate him In public ano once
in the case of Miss Gibson, he got a
bullet through the nose. In Bologna
steel vest saved him from revolver bull
let, and on another festival day an as
sassin tried to take him" with a bomb
at the Porta Pia in Rome.
Perhaps the closest call Of all came
when the former deputy. zaniboni,
equipped with a telescope sight and
fine Austrian rifle, which he had learn
ed to use with great precision. planned
to shoot him down as he spoke from
the balcony on Pilazzo Chigi. Fortu-
nately for the Duce the secretary OF
the assassin turned out to be Fascist
secret agent and he was nabbed with
the goods" several minutes before Mus
solini appeared before the crowds.
X Il
Mussolini. whatever may be thought
of his politics or his personality, is
brave man He was filled full Of steel
bits when a trench mortar blew up
during the war, he has been through
plane crashes, he drives a car like
lightning Cor rather he did, and dur
ing his younger days when hot political
heads turned to the sword when 1talan
inyective failed, he was never the man
to back out of duel. He is not afraid
to die for personal reasons, but he real
izes that Fascisn, even after seven years
of development, needs his f1rm hand for
come time to come. He is still the gov
ernment in italy and If his schemes
for the betterment Of the country are
to be carried on he must live on.
It is largely for this latter reason
made popular by the Genna brothers
during the days when they were flght-
ing for the right to sell their bad liquor
20 thirsty Chicagoans. AL Capone him
self was never guarded as closely and
40 well as this man, whose reason Tor
wanting to live is a far more un-
selfish one than that which prompts
the crafty Al.
.,,H,a,o thn T11IrA Fanne int0
nv back yard to dedicate the newly
excavated Mercati Traianet, I had an
Excellent opportunity to observe the
whole system by which he is protected.
INV own observations being supplement-
ed by the explanations OF a talkat1ve
secret police agent who stood by my
side. The latter. who was eager not
to be considered an intruder, showed
me photographs of his three bambini
and the signora and gave interesting
"reminiscences Of his work.
Long before the Duce arrived the
surrounding towers, housetops and bal
comics which offered opportunities Tor
sharpshooters were all posted With
hard-faced gentry, each OF whom car
ried an umbrella and had bulge at
his hip l counted so OF them, casual
ly sauntering back and fortn, trying
to be inconspicuous with as little sue
cess as a fiat-foot standing guard over
q batch Of wedding presents.
The whole district around the ex-
cavations was shut of by lines OF
metropolitan police, carabinieri, black
shirts and army troops who stood with
their faces to the crowd, in the pres
ent-day Italian style, in order that
they might spot any disturber. Cara
binierj, the marines" OF the Italian
soldiery, were posted directly around
the "mercati," reinforced by the mus
keteers" of the Duce and several dozen
picked members of the metropolitan
force. Several days before, every one
living In any of the surrounding build
ines had been required to prove his
good character by showing credentials
so that by the time set for the actual