The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-10-25
EUROPE'S REINS
OF PEACE HELD
BY MUSSOLINI
New Caesar Still Retains
Spotlight After Twelve
Years.
BY WILLIAM PHILIP SINIMS
Scripps-6o Foreign Editor


WASHINGTON, Oct. 25.-Twelve
years ago Friday, Oct. 26, the colors
of Rome on his breast, the then OBJ
scure Benito Mussolini stood in
Piazza Plebiscito, at Naples, making
the speech that marked turning
point in Italian history.
1t was afternoon. He had just
come from the trenches dug that
morning in preparation for the final
assault upon the Eternal City. He
had asked the government at Rome
only for five places in the cabinet
and been rebuked for his pains. For
himself he had asked nothing. He
said he wanted to continue to lead
his party unhampered by any job
in the government. He was disap-
pointed and angry.
THE moment has arrived" he
Numbered to his tremendous audi
ence, after explaining the situation,
when the arrow must leave the
bow, or the cord, too far stretched,
will break"
Fully $4,000 black-shirted follow
ers below impulsively flung their
arms in air in Fascist salute and
roared back with one voice: ITO
Rome! To Rome!"
II Duce Named Premier
Four days later-Oct. 80, 1922
Mussolini and his crusaders had
taken" Rome and II Duce had be-
come premier of Italy.
Abroad statesmen shuddered. For
eign chancellerieS had been watch
ing but without really paying much
heed. Suddenly, they realized, a
dictator had set himself up in Rome.
From that moment they knew they
had a new Italy to deal with.
1--WE speak clearly" warned this
new Caesar. 1--WE do good to those
who do good to us and evil to those
who do evil" While as for his for
eign policy, he frankly said, my
formula is simple: Nothing for
nothing!"
This week marks the twelfth an
niversary of those historic scenes.
MusSolini still is stalking across the
European stage, the spotlight upon
him. He is still as much, or more,
of an enigma as ever.
The peace of Europe unquestion-
ably rests largely in his hands. He
is credited widely with have saved
the peace of the Old World twice
in the last sixty days.
Troops are Modified
A few weeks ago he modified
100000 troops along the Austrian
border. To Adolf Hitler, dictator
in Berlin, he said in effect if not
in words:
IF the Nazi coup succeeds at
Vienna, Italy's legions will march
on the Austrian capital forthwith"
Again, following the assassination
of King Alexander at MarSeille,
Italian riots broke out in sew
eral places in Yugoslavia, where feel
ing against Italy long has been al
most at the boiling point.
Watch your step!" MuSSolini
ordered his subjects. And the lid
was clamped down on the press of
the country. Reference to the hos
tile demonstrations across the Adri-
attic was strictly taboo.
But the same old unrest keeps
piling up over Europe. At the
moment of the assassination of
French Foreign Minister Louis Bar
thou and Yugoslavia's king, Europe
seems approaching some sort of
balance.
1t would be difficult at this
moment to place more than three
of four of EUropeS countries de-
fnitely into one armed camp or the
other. Poland seems almost de-
f1nitely to have eluded France.
Yugoslavia is slipping. Hungary
and Bulgaria are not put. Neither
is Austria Rumania is a problem.
The eastern European pact of mu-
tual assistance called the Eastern
Locarno never may see the light of
day. And so on.