Evening Post. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 1924. FASCISM AND FORCE

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 143, 18 June 1924, Page 6

Evening Post. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 1924. FASCISM AND FORCE

" To dissipate British misunderstanding of his aims," Signor Mus-. sohm'sent a A r 6 w Yeai's Message to the1 people of England thiough the " Spectator." It was an elo- ( . quent and interesting pronouncement, though abounding too much m generalities for the British taste. The pith of it was that Fascism was to be consideied "a movement of profound spmtual significance."

..• It .is not mei-ely i& political • revolt •against s outworn, incapable : Governiments, which menaced the -development of Italy, but a spiritual revolt against pld'v systems'.and ideals, which/bade fair to Corrupt the sacred principles of 'religion, patriotism, and family..'. i

But this spiritual movement which has sought to rescue the ideals of religion,, patriotism, and the family from the danger > with which they were' threatened has not been content to make its way by spiritual agencies alone. It would, have made but little headway if it had. '■Religion always conquers," said one of Mussolini's countrymen to the King of Spain spine three centuries ago, "especially if it is armed." While Fascism leapt from the head of Mussolini in,to the national arena it came tike Pallas Athene from the head of Zeus, ■ fully armed, and it has remained fully armed ever since. It was by, force that Fascism I rendered the' State the initial service o£ sup-1 pressing the strikes .and the an-, archy which the Socialists were taking advantage of by the unrest, created by the war to promote by force that it put its prophet into power,..and on force that he has had to rely during every hour of his rule.

The frankness of Mussolini's reliance on force and of his contempt even for those democratic forms to which he fin^ds himself compelled to pay an impatient homage was revealed in the speech with which, on the 28th January,1 he opened his election campaign and at the same time declared it closed. In this speech he poured contempt . upon the Parliament through which he professes to govern, and excited tumultuous applause by declaring that he had not the slightest intention of disbanding, the militia, whifch' was a national and not a party concern and must be retained for the purpose " of keeping at bay all I those whom the Fascists have spared." This "militia for national 'defence" is a force of 300,000 men, which is to be increased'to 500,000, an alias for the Black Shirts who two or three years ago were executing J\nch law against the Socialists, a sort of Pretonan guaid which, as i. is at the dictators beck arid call and unlike the aimy and navy is. not even nominally dependent on the King, may be said to be concerned with the execution of Ijnch Jaw still A speech which had not: touched on a single item of conbfructive policy concluded with -a peioration winch sounded the note of foice moie fleicelv than ever The v ei y fiist words weio "When it is a question of country and fascism we aie leady to kill, we are ready to die."

In justification' of his deteimina-' tion not to dissolve that extiaconstitutional bodyguaid of 300,----000, Signoi Mussolmi quoted in the same speech A h & fc of fifteen outiages perpetrated against Fascists oi Fascist emblems dm ing the month of Januaij Wilting on The Fascist Rule," in the April number of the "Contemporaiy Review," " One Who Knows " lephes that both in number and in charactei the list seems trifling m comparison the putrages committed by the Fascists themselves, and he gives the following list, compiled fiom Press leports, for the same month -i- '

; Twenty-six cases of raids by Fascists into private houses, athletic'clubs, cafes, town halls, with consequent devastation °* Pl'°Perty valued altogether at about oU,OOO lire,' and with hundreds of people beaten. ' . .. l

■ Twenty-five cases. of assaults in the streets by Fascists against individuals supposod to be opponents—chiefly Onthohc- youths or old'priests. , Four cases in which Fascist violence has resulted-in. the death of their victims, one of, them a woman. Six cases of reprisals-by Fascists 'with arson, devastation, etc. Two cases of ; provincial newspaper offices assaulted and wrecked, 'and two journalists wouuded. , 'Vi.. '

Rarely, this writer Jidda,, lire the perpetrators ,of 'these' crimes brought to justice; rarely, if tried and convicted, do they finish their

sentences. "A decree of amnesty, which will remain, memorable, discriminated between condemned Fascists and Socialists, favouring only the former." ; .

The profusion of material available is strikingly illustrated by the fact that Professor Guglielmo Salvadori, writing from Florence on the. 20th February, provided .the :',New Statesman "■ of the Ist March with1 another remarkable list, which overlaps that already quoted very-slightly!"if at aIL Here are a few-samples : \

Another recent. incident is that ''of. Cosare Sobrero, correspondent of the "Stampa" :and ".Giornp di Napoli," two well-known daily papers', ■ which, • like Ithe "Corriere.della Sera," indulged in some criticism, cautious,'., perforce, of the party in powers' JSobrero was called to the police-station and admonished to" be careful,-'for: his remarks had not pleased the Pria& Minister ! The .truth is ■ the one thing one cannot ,now say. or print in, Italy. Many', other so-called episodes occur all over the .dountryj which', indeed are ,not episodes but a method. - 'At Genoa an. ex-deputy is hindered from speaking in a . private house . among friends—Fascisti irrupt: ':■ At Bari two .[members of Pailiament '.'■-. belonging to that-province are .banished.-. '. In the neighbourhood ■of Epmo the Popolari Party(in opposition) is prevented from preparing for the .elections', The Fascio of Friuli decrees that the opposition shall present no for the; ad-: mihistrative elections. ;Thes6 infringements of the most .elementary rights of. citizenship might- be multiplied without end.' ■ ■■ ' ' ■. ■-,'■ . ■ -,-.

The. sad. and shameful sequel* to Professor Salvadori's article provides as illuminating a commentary en that aspect of' Fascist ruls yoi which we have heard least as anything in the article itself. He was well a'ware1 of the risk, that he ran in putting his name to the article, but iike a brave man he'refused to take ( the protection of anonymity. The resuljb is thus described.in the " New' 'Statesman " of the ' 15th April:— . .'.''...'■ .'"''■ .

A band'of 1 armed Fascisti'visited his house, and .demanded an explanation/ This he offered to give, at their head-, quarters. He went there and \yas received by a dozen or, so '•Black Shirts, first with • gross s, insults} and menaces, and then with ■■< blows. They hit:-him repeatedly on the face and head and turned him out bleeding, to He.'struck-, again —this time with leather-covered canes—. by another - 'band at the - door.; /His young son,^ who was waiting outside, rushed t6 his father's rescue. and he,, too, was hit'and thrown to' the ground. The two got away, but -were followed by ' their tormentors, -who presently "came up with them and^ once more beat them over the head.with their, sticks. Policemen looked on , -without: interfering, • They were only saved by a passing officer, who, deputed' two sold-i iers to . escort. them home. Since then the professor has been assured that he \yiP; escape further molestation.' so long as he breathes no word of criticism of the Fascists' activities. ' >Such: "is -Fas-' oism ! ..•..■■'• .:

This, infamous treatment of a scholar whose sole offence.was the publishing ,of an article of which, the chief sting was in its statement of faots was apparently of insufficient novelty to attract much attention in Italy. But the assassination of Signor Matteotti, the Socialist Deputy who was about to publish documents calculated to do grave injury to the Government, is not being treated so lightly. ", No crime in recent jears," says the " Times " correspondent at Rome, "has so shocked the public." Fascism is considered to' be on its lnal. There have been several arrests and several important resignations, but the responsibility is still a mystery. It is, however, clear that the ultimate responsibility must rest on the man who, with good intentions and for great objects, has substituted a species of lynch law for the law of the land. Sooner or later it was inevitable that'some of his followers would get out of hand ,and better his instructions.