The Daily News MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1928. SUPREME AUTOCRACY.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 September 1928, Page 8

The Daily News MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1928. SUPREME AUTOCRACY.

In view of the trend of constitutional affairs in Italy, the people of democratic countries will have good cause to be thankful that they are not under Italian rule. The latest development of the Fascist regime can only be regarded as autocracy run riot. Not content with being the actual dictator of that country, Signor Mussolini has inaugurated a system which hedges the premiership about with an almost impregnable line of defences, evidently intended to assure for the Premier for the time being absolute security in his office, as well as in the execution of his edicts. Nominally the Grand Fascist Council is the supreme power in the country and the final Court of Appeal on all questions of the interpretation of the law. Moreover, this arbitrary body must be consulted on all constitutional matters including “Bills in relation to succession to the throne, the powers of the King and Premier, the composition and attributes of the Council itself, the Senate and the Chamber, also the relations of the State with the Catholic Church, the Government ’s responsibility regarding the regulation of syndicalist activities, and treaties involving a modification of Italian territory. Some slight pretence is made for the carrying out of a process of election, but when that system is examined it will be apparent that it operates virtually at the will of the Premier, for he will be president of the Council, the other members being the presidents of the confederation of labour, agriculture and industry, ex-Seeretaries of the Fascist party, and “others who have served the country well, or are qualified to speak on subjects under discussion.” Most significant of all, however is the fact that the chief of the staff of the Fascist militia is also to be a member of the council, thus ensuring the support of the military in case of trouble. Such a council should certainly be a happy and united coterie. The only nominal part the King will play in this regime is that in the event of a vacancy in the premiership or Cabinet a list of members selected by the council will be submitted to him, no doubt with an intimation as to the members to be chosen. The council is also to “examine” the lists of Parliamentary deputies, which means that it will control the personnel. Apparently there is no loop-hole for any unwanted citizen to creep into any administrative office without the Premier’s consent, so there can be no opposition to Fascist rule. In addition, the council will sit in secret and issue its decrees, from which there is no appeal. The only redeeming feature of this new constitution is that the members of the council, including the leaders of the Government and the Fascist Party, will be unpaid. It is only reasonable to suppose, however, that they will receive remuneration—direct or indirect—otherwise their only privileges will consist of immunity from arrest or criminal proceedings “without the consent of the council.” Mussolini, hitherto, has mostly taken Napoleon the Great as his model, but evidently fie now favours Jupiter, who is much higher in the list of autocrats, for Jupiter, it will be remembered, as the supreme deity, received from the Romans the title of “best and greatest,” the most celebrated of his temples being erected on the Capitoline Hill, where he is represented with a sceptre as symbolical of his supreme authority, every Roman being believed to be under his authority. It is certainly strange that in these days of enlightenment, the people of any civilised country should be content to embrace the paganism of the remote past so far as a ruler is concerned. There is, however, a possibility that such an autocracy as is now brought into being will defeat its own ends and eventually bring about an upheaval of some magnitude.