The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-08-26
By G. A. (ROme)

THE outsider who wishes to
l. study the development of
Italian fascism on the basis of orig
inal documents and the irrefutable
actions of fascism, but who knows
only of the first half of the history
of fascism, must shake his head
with incredulity when he reads the
reports of the reestablishment of the
temporal power of the Vatican by
the Italian fascist government. Is
not the resent dictator" of fascist
Italy tie same Mussolini who de-
manded in the original program of
the fascists "the appropriation of
the property of the religious orders
and the abolition of the episcopal
benefices which are the privileges of
the few" Was it not Mussolini
who agitated for years in the col
umns of the "Popolo d'Italia,' the
central organ of the fascists, for
the abolition of the privileges of the
catholic church, for the separation
of church and state, for the aboli-
ton of the property rights of the
religious orders? Was it not Mus
solini and the fascists who smashed
the Popolari party Catholic Peo-
pies Party) which stood under the
wing of the Vatican and the clergy
and drove its leader, the priest Don
Sturzo, out of the country? Was
it not Mussolini and the fascists
who dissolved the catholic trade
unions which had no less than 1,200,-
600 members, who suppressed the
1000 catholic cooperatives, who
destroyed the 5000 catholic mutual
aid societies in the villages and who
dissolved all catholic youth organ
ization3, declaring that the Italian
youth must not be educated in a
religious spirit but in the spirit of
fascism, in other words in the spirit
of militarism and chauvinism? Did
not Mussolini and the fascists burn
down dozens of rectories and demol-
ish affairs because priests refused to
make fascist propaganda from the
pulpits p? Did not Mussolini permit
his blackshirts to beat up priests
and even bishops on the open streets,
some of them being killed outright,
as for instance the Archdeacon Don
Minzoni? Mussolini is still holding
a great number of catholic priests
and politicians on the terrible depor-
tation islands, for instance, the we'll
known theologian Bevilacqua, Caon
Rolandi of Savona, Gori from Udine,
the Archdeacon Gaspero from Tar
cento, Concina from Pordenone, Co.
lin from Spilimbergo, Moiano from
Como, the 73-year-old Archdeacon
Solizzo from Gemona, the priest
Miami from Como, Galbiati from In
veruno, the catholic deputy Gavaz-
zoni from Bergamo, Merizzi from
Sondrio, Tupini from Rome and
many, many others. Mus olini
causes every sermon in every church,
even in lonely districts, to be con-
trolled by blackshirts and Carabi-
nieri whose duty it is to make
written report concerning the tone
of such sermone to the fascist auth
critics.
The puzzled consider need be
puzzled no longer, it is one and the
same Mussolini, and the whole stu
alton which appears so contradictory
and confused, is in reality not at all
extraordinary. 1t can easily be I'M
derstood in relation to the history
of the Italian bourgeoisie in the
last century.
Since the Goth of September, 1870,
the Pope has been the voluntary
Prisoner of the Vatican" On the
goth of September, 1870, the troops
of the Italian bourgeoisie. entered
Rome under the command of the
head to the House of Savoy and the
temporal power of the Papacy was
solemnly declared to be abolished for
all time. Historically considered, the
troops which entered Rome were the
troops of the North Italian bour-
geoisie. In the first half of the
nineteenth century Italian industry
commenced to develop in northel II
Italy whilst southern and even CEN
trail Italy to a certain extent, have
remained overwhelmingly agrarian
districts down to the present day.
The numerous petty states in central
and southern Italy which existed in
the second half of the last century,
were the bulwarks of the agrarian
interests. The rising class of bour-
geois industrialists, ETC., demanded
the unification of Italy, partly in
order to satisfy their immediate
economic interests leach Of the pet
ty states had and exercised the right
to impose customs, etc., and this
was very damaging to the develop
ment of northern Italian industry
and commerce) and partly in order
to