THE ITALIAN ELECTIONS
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.]
Sin,--Your Rome correspondent, in referring to the Italian Elections, states that " there does not seem to have been any attempt at overt pressure," and that he can at least " testify to the falsity of the charge that the recording officer could distinguish between the ' Si ' and the ' No ' ballot papers as they were dropped into the urn." May I submit to your per- sonal inspection the enclosed "Si" paper, and ask you to give your verdict as to whether the paper is transparent or no ? It seems to me indisputable that the red and green bands (particularly the former) are clearly visible from the outside, so that it must have been easily distinguishable from the' "No" paper, which was white throughout. The voting- paper, it is to be noted, was not dropped by the voter himself into the urn, but handed to the returning officer (to whom the voter had already given his name), stamped by him, and then placed in the trrn ; so it is evident that he had ample time to examine it should he wish to do so. In a village in Northern Italy where I was staying, all those who had the temerity to vote 't No " were subsequently summoned to the Fascio, threatened,. and, I was told, in some cases beaten. I can testify to one case, that of a peasant known to me personally, who was beaten in the presence of the podesta. Another described to me how he had been confronted with the list of names of all those who • had voted " No," in which his own name figured,- as it happened, by mistake, and how he had escaped trouble only by- proving this. The 'voters never believed in the secrecy of the voting, either before or after, as I found by talking. to men of.all.classes.
As to . other forms of overt pressure," I was told, by various people, that many employers ordered their workers to bring back the No", papers as proof that .they had voted "Si," and that, the Fascists openly advised the voters to keep their " No " papers in order to be able to produce them In the future as proof of their ," loyalty,"...,, I enclose my card, but must beg you not to publish my
name; as I have -no wish to 'bring trouble upon my Italian friends.—I am, Sir,- &e., [We must admit that the voting-paper submitted for our inspection shows the red band -from the outside without par- ticularly close scrutiny.—En. Spectator.]
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