Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-02
BY EMIL LENGYEL.

~ blIIl6 DeIOTG 1e EeSkSHCQ dS
NM chancellor of Austria, re-
turned to Vienna from visit
to Rome, he brought back
the assurance that Signor Mussolini
would amnesty the South Tyroleans
who had been sentenced to jail or
ordered to leave the country for alleged
disloyalty toward the Fascist state. Now
that the italian dictator, more in re-
sentiment against the French than in
genuine attachment for the Germans,
has adopted a pro-Reich policy. rad
ical change in the treatment of South
Tyrol has become a diplomatic expe-
diency. Not so long ago MusSolini
threatened with Italy's cannons every
time German statesman referred to
the oppression of the South Tyroleans
at the hands of FasciSmo. Today all
this is different, and South Tyrol, for
years under the rule of an iron hand,
is hoping for a brighter future.
The question remains open, however,
whether Fascist Italy's change of heart
has not come too late to undo the mis-
takes of the past. On the Tyrolean
side of the Bremen Pass, especially in
Innsbruck, the capital, Mussolini's ges-
ture is deprecated 1t Is equivalent, a
newspaper said the other day, to trans
ferring the body Of an innocently exc
cuted man from the potter's field into
more honorable grave. Besides, peo-
pie there are asking, If France and Italy
come to an agreement, what will be-
come of South Tyrol?
Military Zones at Borders.
Crossing the Bremen Pass, Italy's
new frontier. from the north, one enters
a military zone which is under strict
surveillance. Whereas one can enter or
leave Italy at any other point without
great difficulty, along the Bremen Pass
the old restrictions still prevail. The
so-called fortress zone" which runs
parallel with the boundary line in a
width Of a hundred miles, is under a
special regime. Any tourist caught
there: especially II ne happens to carry
an "Alpenstock" and knapSack, Is la
BILE to be treated as spy or prospec-
tive fugitive from justice. The sus-
picion of guilt increases If a camera Is
found in ones possession, and no mat
ter how beautiful the surrounding coun-
try Is, one should never fall into the
temptation of making a sketch of it..
The region Is bristling with signs of
"prohibitate," and If the tourist should
overlook them a couple of carabineers
are always close to hand to see that
they are obeyed.
Such irritants for the tourist are con-
slant sources of governmental interior
ence for the natives In this zone no
buildings can be erected, demolished or
altered, no cellars can be excavated or
trees felled without a special permit of
the Fascist authorities. Such requests
may be rejected without any assigned
reason. Experience has taught the ma
tives that an appeal to higher authori-
ties Is of little use.
GrOups Usurp Rights.
irresponsible private organizations ex-
ercising sovereign rights are not un-
known in South Tyrol. The Valley of
the Adige is under the rule of such a
private organization, the Opera Ma
Zionale del Combattenti," the Italian
War Veterans League, which has been
entrusted with the task of draining this
region and Of settling 1t. The league
has done good work, although not for
the benefit of the native population. It
is settling Italian farmers in this Ger
man valley so as to dilute the racial
compactness of the section. The league
is omnipotent and its decision is law.
South Tyrol was outraged by Fascist
decree prohibiting the use Of German
inscriptions on tombstones after the
Autumn of 1927. The object Of the de-
cree was to have German inscriptions
replaced by italian ones, so as to give
wrong impression to coming genera
tons about the racial structure of South
Tyrol. A visit to the cemeteries of sew
eral South Tyrolean cities Is convinc-
ing proof that not even the mailed fist
can make an absurd law obeyed. The
TyroleanS now simply put the names
Of their dead ones on the graveStoneS,
with no other inscription, in emulation
Of the simplicity of the Christian ceme-
tertes of pagan Rome
Resent Forced Name Changes.
Nor have the street scenes changed
much since the introduction of the
ordinance which told the Tyrolean Karl
and Franz that in reality they were
Carlo and Francesca and that the
"tedeschi" had robbed them of their
Italian names to make them appear as
If they were Germans, Karl and Franz
Since German Christian names must
not appear on any signboards, they are
using now only their family names.
For some time, until this practice was
forbidden, ShopkeeperS put up symbol
signs instead of their names, remini-
scent of medieval times when people
were illiterate and found the Red
Shield" more readily than they would
have found the name of Anshelm the
over as a Rothschild of Frankfurt.
Since the Tyroleans must not refer
to their country as South Tyrol, but
as Alto Adige, they prefer to mention
it in public as the forbidden name"
South Tyrol has an argot of its own.
created for the purpose of hiding her
thoughts from the intruderS and Of
keeping herselef amused so as not to
cry. Italy is often referred to among
the Tyroleans in Goethe's words as "das
Land wo die Zitronen bluehn," an in
nocent enough designation which is con-
sidered In certain extremist quarters as
tantamount to lese majeste.
German Legends Removed.
The South Tyroleans, If they are
not afraid to speak will not admit of
much change in their treatment by
Rome. They will admit, however, that
certain excuses which previously were
frequent occurrences no longer take
place. 1t has not been recorded for
some time, for example. that carabine-
ers have invaded native houses in
which death has occurred, to tear of
ribbons with German legends from the
collins. This practice may have been
discontinued because the ribbons for
the dead no longer bear any German
inscriptions.
In the roadside inns. restaurants and
hotels traces of the former German
names have remained only on the
crockery, glassware and linen. The eX-
ample of the hotelkeeper who had for
gotten to remove the German words
'heisses wasser" from his bathtubs and
who was heavily fined for this dereliction
has served its purpose as a deterrent. In
the cafes of BoZen and Meran, which
are purely German towns, there are
as many italian newspapers as German
ones-because it is the law. In the
public libraries there are as many
italian books as German ones-because