THE BATTLE OF ITALY
Odo Russell tells us " the House of Savoy, who originally benefited by British support, are still there to reassume the lead and to :aye the Italian people at the eleventh hour." That the House of Savoy owes its position in Italy largely to the aid lavished enthusiastically on Italy at the time of the Risorgimento is true What gratitude has the House of Savoy now shown for that aid? What have its present representatives done to show that they are capable of leading Italy? Since 1922, King Victor Emmanuel has been a mere puppet dancing to the piping of Mussolini. No member of the House has objected. The King has acquiesced in all Mussolini's brutalities ; accepted at his hands the title of Emperor, after making an unprovoked attack upon Ethiopia and obtaining victory by drenching the helpless population with poison gas ; followed this up with the entirely unjustified seizure of Albania, though it was—as was Ethiopia—a fellow member of the League of Nations and as such bound to be respected by him.
Victor Emmanuel has sanctioned every one of Mussolini's crimes and is thus responsible for them and himself a criminal. His daughter is married to a Nazi. He and his House have accepted as a symbol of government a bundle of rods with which to flog, and an axe with which to behead, their opponents. Italy in truth started the present world catastrophe. Hitler modelled his Third Reich in every particular upon Italian Fascism. And copied its deeds. Having larger forces at his command he has surpassed his masters. But both Italy and Germany are equally guilty, and a proposal to entrust the leadership of Italy to the House of Savoy, and by so doing ignore its complicity in twenty years of crime, is inadmissible. It has been " weighed in the balance and found wanting." Among the many honest men whom the King has exiled or imprisoned surely some can be found more fitted to lead
what was once a great nation.—Yours, &c., M. E. DURHAM.
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