| Show UNIS UNI'S WAR C CORD Rn INSPIRED t S MA for f C Combat At At- acted S-acted Thousands of ol Brave Brave Italians Who Ha Had I p Great Fighter I ATTEMPT I JO TO fO CAUSE HIS s DEATH L resent Premier Did Not Nol I Hesitate to Desert Radical Radi Radi- Jal cal Ranks When Italy Wavered on War Course Cours By Antonio II I ARTICLE V. V I C 1923 by North North American 1 Newspaper Alliance In United States Can Can- l Britain and nd South America All II f reserved I The e European war broke out ii In a S ug st 1914 Mussolini had to make e choice He saw that fo for forto r to hold apart from th the C was as equivalent to accepting a ab b position in world affairs there chie it would drag drag- out a 0 miserable 5 te fel in selfish fear tear and timid D ortance As a Socialist he was op op- op ope f Io d to all wars between nations H He HeI Hh e lad I ad ad to decide whether to stand wit with h 4 I and desert the men who wh 0 f ad d been Jils comrades up to that tim time Le fro rito stand with Socialism and see hi his is ruined t m finally preferred his coun- coun L Ito his party though he was full fully y of what it would cost hii him n personally to break from all aU h his Ls i le and as well of the difficulty difficult y arousing the revolutionary Italian n as s to the idea of a patriotic war wa r. r f ellett the Socialist party with a a. fu fun full 11 pense nse of the hatred which the masses ES pour upon him lm making snaking a heroic hero ic t cislon which was the test of the tre- tre I- I moral energy he has within fl t Ini With the dogged det determination n I of his whole life he ie I Stepped out to face the tempest th that tt j ras not long in breaking breal Da Day by d day y I faced Italian mobs risking his ii Ute life e i of his idea He was real really reany Ly his life Ufe in his hands in adopting g e course he had chosen to follow 5 I out ut a a. man stranger to fear tear he w was ta most ost COurAge courageous us in that aay day of ot grea great great- t- t L WITH HIS PARTY jwo TwO days att after r ting resigning the edito r- r p of Avanti he had founded Ii his is l saper per called d' d Italia The Tho TI ie tallan Uan People which was henceforth Lh f Ibe his organ and his rostrum n. n Through that paper he conducted a 0 battle for the Intervention of ot italy taly aly in the World w war r. r meanwhile a as- as s- s the cowardice of the So Socialist lai aSt St which he understood so sowell well iy The moment war was declared Ben Benl- Benl 1 left lett for the front as a Corporal of ot the DesPite Despite his resolute attitude In f faor farOt fa- fa a- a rOt or of the war the military bureaucracy bureau bUreau- U- U tracy racy was not reconciled to Mussolini l he be generals generas still looked upon him hint as dangerous man and he was deni denied ed to become a candidate for a He felt bitter at this b but ut no less determined to d do I his us full fall duty as a 0 soldier We find him himon hi Im on at the foot of Hill on t the he theS torn tom Carso S WAs As As the head of a squad of bor bomb throwers b his attitude toward his ec sol sol- l Biers was characteristic He woi would ild ot ot allow them to dig dig- diga a bombproof of leave eave save j Let Let them once get in there out of ganger tanger anger he would say and yot you'll lI Sever ver hear from them again Fever In going over the top he would cr cry Come on boys show me whether y you ou aye ave the guts guta to go to Hell HeU cUN UN EXPLODES His enthusiasm caught his comrades comrad es d Mussolini's squad distinguished distinguish ed te 1 But one day the hey ey were using exploded A n- n nt t and three soldiers were killed a and n enito Mussolini himself was wound wound- din two forty-two places A b bleeding ng ass of flesh lesh he was carried to a h hospital hos hos- Is- Is pital ital where the doctors despaired 0 of saving him I The he question came up as to whether ier one ne of his legs should not be amputated amr EUne EU- EU and the matter was referred to Mm He was angry at the hesitation I o physicians For heavens heaven's sake sak e cut the thing off ott WI What a fut further her Use usa will wili I have for it it 1 if Im I'm dead The leg was not amputated His sturdy constitution saved him a and ande Ici e Improved While he was as Uthe in Ini e hospital the king of Italy visited ted I twice to recognize the heroism of Socialist ASSASSINATION N. N Meanwhile the hatred of the social sod socialists al- al ts for their traitor comrade did not lessen Gassen essen A soldier in Mussolini's squad lad wine n day received a 0 letter from the so- so leader in his hid village a small SIT Sown Own In Venetia We have Jean learned ed hat h t you are fighting at the front with w ith the h hij notorious Mussolini You wo would uld ora oLa personal favor to me and a s service ser ser- skill eroLa er- er vice to your comrades 1 if you would kill kUl that hat traitor But service under I fire nrc makes kes loyal friends of people The Tho J L soldier showed showe the letter to Mussolini l People eoPle who have stayed at home h pe e e said have queer ideas Mussolini was still sUll convalescing hn the disaster at oc occurred oc- oc In his own life he be had been flown cnown n wn to weep only once and that was wasn n he heard of the death of ot his But the news of the great allan tallan disaster made him weep like a hild For several nights he ho did not aYe ave a wink of sleep and his nurses iad ad to resort to morphine to win him a iUle ittle 1 rest But the desperate situation tl he front and the need of action Everywhere re sc seemed to 2 act like a tonic I to tofi l He lie went back to the of fi fice ce of his newspaper stronger than ev ever er more moie full tull of faith than ever eyer eyer ta un t-un m of Italian victory in the tho end The ba baA baG battle of ot the tho Platte came on The G Germans were in retreat In France The Austrians A were wore overwhelmed at V Veneto however did not In Ia laj do doat down wn the sword of combat He began begat at OnCe preparing for another war almost al al- m most ost as the one that was in ending an and anc many respects more snore difficult fi fight te to fiC COUNTRY C IN REVOLUTION Italy Itah in the hands ot of demagogues demagogues' T The he Italian populace reviling the tho war pe persecuting the soldiers who tool took p sar trl j I In it laughing at the wounded I cu cuth ling the moral fortitude which kept kep th the e army in the trenches for four Continuous con Con- ti years Deserters I co corded an amnesty and spies accorded ac ac- put tao dec or orated hero on the tho same footing tooting orm as th tho m most ost cowardly traitor To show the their co coas contempt for the war and everything as asp associated with the war those who had hai p profiteered during the war var behind th the B li lines nes actually nominating lito and electing j I to parliament a man who had deserted j fr om the front Great cities clUes like TurI Tur Tur- j in Milan Bologna Florence I inh in th the S I hands ands h of communists Unheard of ot OUtrages out OUt- ra rages against persons and property oc ocI oc- oc I I c dail daily The example of Russia Russi i In inspiring Italian workmen with th the S I th thought ought of introducing social chaos mt Into 0 Italy It also alsol I Successive governments government 5 1 I I ti timidly bowing to this storm consenting consent consent- ing in g to forget the war and victory in into ing g up territories that the army ha had d w won on adding billions to tac debt det t to pay extravagant wages to greedy greed y w wm workingmen With most of their deI de de- de I m mands ands granted the workingmen sti still 11 1 I b bringing ringing on strike after strike The Tb e i r railroads cea ceasing to function the pos t tal al and telegraph service I crippled b by y sabotage s I In September 1920 the th e i w workmen seizing the factories Such was as the state of It Italy ly In th the 5 y year ear after atter the conclusion of ot the armi arm s stice tice T TURNS URNS ON THE SOCIALISTS In these circumstances Mussolini l I t the he former revolutionary felt Indeed d t the he impelling necessity of a revolution 1 b but ut a revolution far different nt from tl the Is I O one ne he had formerly fought for No Now Ev r reconstruction rath rather r than demolition n I w was was as In hrs his mind Destruction had gone gon 5 j f far ar enough It was time to think of f I Instilling into It Italy Itly ly those moral forc forces 5 w without which no zo people can be great grea t. t I A Authority discipline morality religion a i e efficiency faith in the possibilities of ot otI i I li life fe these were what our country needed need need- I- I e a ed d. d Tho The violence therefore of thos those those- 0 I w who ho cowards at bottom were were tyrannizing tyran tyrar L- L n izing over peaceful citizens had to t be e emet met with force Tho The demagogues ha had ci cio t to o be dethroned d. d Those who had ability abil abil- I- I i ity tY and devotion to put into service of ot f t their heir country had to be spurred Ted to ac action ac- ac I- I t tion ion and given freedom for useful won work Ic At first Mussolini was almost alone alon e b but ut that weakness did not terrify hi him TI TIny any a ny more than had poverty and ana persecution persecution perse perse- 1 c cution ution back in the old days day in Switzer Switzer- I l land and People regarded his plan for U the 5 r of Italy as Impractical Impractical- j I a 0 dream He alone had confidence I in h himself and the persistence the courage courage cour cow a age ge to go forward Socialists an and d dt c communists made fun of him and a at attempted at- at t- t t tempted empted violence upon him One day a workman from Genoa presented presented pre pre- seated himself at the editorial office offic e of the d' d Italia Halla He lie asked I Isee to see Mussolini and Mussolini consented 1 t to o Interview him The man had a r re revolver revolver re- re 5 volver In his pocket but face to face fac e with th his Intended victim ho lie changed change d his mind Confessing the real purpose de e of ot his visit he handed the pistol I to Lo Mussolini Mussolini gave him a a dinner er an and d paid his fare tare back home to Genoa FOU FOUNDS DS THE FASCI But the unions for tor combat U the Fasci dl di were solidly organized in the end furnishing tang tangi ble forces to meet those of the SocialIsts Socialists Social Social- Socialists and the Communists At first only a few brave men were members of these bands but from month to month and from year to year ear the numbers grew began to be a power in the land The Socialists and the tho Communists now demanded that the government suppress the Fascist but Mussolini was deaf to appeals from either hand The Tho first bloody ex exchanges exchanges ex- ex changes between the warring factions occurred Mussolini published his fa famous famous famous fa- fa motto An eye for tor an e eye e a 0 tooth for a tooth The Tho Socialists were dumbfounded They had never been accustomed to seeing violence met with violence Day by day they found their centers burned and the punitive expeditions of the assailing the very regions where Socialism considered considered considered con con- Itself strongest The motto of the changed Two eyes foran for foran foran an eye two teeth for one tooth The Socialists were terrified They saw their authority over oyer the masses slipping slipping slipping slip slip- ping from their hands First fear and then admiration came over the populace populace populace lace for tor these fellows In the black shirts Finally Bologna Itself the citadel citadel cit cit- cit cit- adel add of Communism was occupied bythe bythe by bythe the Fascist and reduced educed to discipline After Bologna other cities followed Ferrara Verona and numberless numberless numberless number number- less smaller towns in the country People People Peo Pee pie died In great numb numbers rs on either side Hundreds of young men have left their names In gold on the roll of ot those who died for Mussolini sow IloW now organized hi his hiS' bands asa as asa asa a popular militia redu reducing them to I order under an Iron discipline The I Italian p people ople by tradition the least tolerant of enforced order suddenly I acquired a mystic passion for self- self I I sacrifice The Italian youth deserted I the fields the workshops the schools I to fight at Mussolini's side He lie found himself at the head of three hundred L I thousand men who had sworn to give j up everything even their lives In the I I service of their country The acm caught tIe the country as a whole I The conquest conquet of Naples In September Septem Septem- ber was the beginning of a new era In I Italian life lite For the passing of Mussolini Mus Mus- into control of government was iva I I now flOW a foregone conclusion Mus-I Mus |
