Evening star., 1946-11-10
Trieste Overshudows
LocuI Issues in
Municipal Election
BY the Associofsd Press

ROME, Nov. 9.-ROme and l42
other cities pick municipal govern
ments tomorrow at elections In
which local issues are largely over
shadowed by the question of Trieste
and increasingly sharp national
differences between Italian leftists
and those farther to the right.
In Rome, where the Bloc of the
People" comprising Communists,
Socialists, Actionists and Labor
Democrats is one of the eight tick
cts, the Vatican City newspaper
L'Osservatore Romano urged Cath
olics to put on an energetic last
minute get-out-the-vote campaign
lest the capital of Christendom fall
under the domination of Leftists.
Cities to Influence Policies.
With the Communists busily ex-
plotting to the-full the role of Com
muniSt chief Palmiro Togliatti as
the savior of Trieste" observers
agreed the 2,500,000 voters in Rome
and the other cities would directly
influence the future policies of the
central government.
A smashing victory in Rome by
the newly solidified bloc of Com
muniSts, Socialists and other Left
Wing splinter groups would embold-
en- them to break up Premier Al
eide de Gasperi'S precarious middle
of-the-road four party government
and try running the country itself ;,
1t was believed.
On the other hand, confirmation
of the mandate which Mr. De Gas
peri's CentriSt Christian Democrats
received at the June 2 Constituent
Assembly elections might encourage
the premier to tell the Left parties
to cooperate along the lines of his
policies or get out of the govern
ment.
Interest Centers in Rome.
Leftist victories were pretty we'll
discounted in industrial Genoa and
Turin and even in Italy's cultural
capital" Florence, in the north. |
The right was believed assured of
winning in monarchist Naples and
Palermo in the south. The nations |
interest therefore centered in Rome
because:
l. Rome is the nations capital
and its citizens will cast the largest
single bloc of votes-900, 600.
2. Rome is also the Holy City, -
containing within its bounds tiny
Vatican City. Today L'Osservatore
Romano warned that "the adyer-
saries. of the Catholic name are
counting on absenteeism," and said,
woe to us" if the Campidoglio
(Rome's city halD should fall to
the forces of "negation and hos
tility." Catholic Action was re-
ported busy getting out the vote.
3. Rome is middle ground and
perhaps the country's best political
barometer when no national elec-
tions are being held South of Rome
is agricultural country. traditionally
conservative. To the north lies in
duStry, whose workers usually back
the Left s.... .-. s....
Five months ago Rome gave
215, 1000 votes to the Christian DEM
ocrats, 100000 to the small but To-
cally strong Republicans, $1,000 to
the Communists, $4,000 to the So
cialists and some 10000 to other
Right Wing groups. At the same
time Turin was voting 225, 900 for
Communists and Socialists against
10000 for the Christian DEM
ocrats, while Naples was giving the
Leftists only $1,000 and rolling up
200, 900 for all Right Wing parties.
Lineup May Change.
Events this week, however. which
have had their loudest echoes in
the capital. may well change last
June's political lineup. These de-
velopments include: l.
The sensational journey of Mr.,
Togliatti across the Morgan Line
last week end and his report that
Marshal Tito at last was willing
to give up Trieste-on conditions
concession which Mr.. de Gasperi
never had been able to win from
the Yugoslav chieftain.
Mr.. de Gasperi's reported eX-
ASPIRATION that Mr.. Togliatti had
given the news of Marshal Tito's
offer to the Communist press be-
fore it was communicated to the
government.
The governments unanimous but
soft rejection of the Tito offer OF
Trieste for Gorizia-neither OF
which is slated to go to Yugoslavia
in the italian peace treaty draft
though Trieste is scheduled to be
"lost" to Italy as free state.
The governments expressed will
ingness to negotiate on other
phases of the reported Tito COM
promise.
The statement of Foreign Min
lister Pietro Nenni, Socialist, last
night that Mr.. Togliatti'S initia-
tive had opened "the way to later
developments" and the unconfirmed
report that he might make a
journey to Belgrade to pursue the