A REAL KING.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 August 1924, Page 4

A REAL KING.

■ | MAN WHO SAVED MUSSOfdNf. 1 It i.s usual to speak of Mussolini as the man v.lto saved Italy. But people sometimes forget that Mussolini himself had to he saved. And kite mail who saved him was King Victor Emmanuel if]. Had it not been for the singlehanded action of the King in October, !U:22. the Fascists could not have Irad such a smooth and .easy triumph-if, indeed, they muld have triumphed at a). And had it not been for the personal guidance and restraining influence of the sovereign—sometimes exereifed to Hie chagrin of .Mus-in'ini's mote ardent follow ors Fascism might, easily hat e shot its holt within a few months after its access to power. For this reason. King Vi tor is probably the most indispensable personality in Italy to-day. And this may he said apart entirely from the constitutional question of ihe ] hue which the monarchy holds as an institution of the Italian State. When he came to ihe throne, lie found a monarchy wlikh really had not yet found its feet, though it had boon :ilrea:ly mere tlia'ii thirty-l'imr years in existi'iu*.'.

The country was at that time in a veritable slough of despond. Rank crashes and financial failures had wrecked all sense of ecnncmic security lliroiiglumt the .mintiy. The <|i-.istcrs at ihe Abyssinian war had shatleicd popular faith in the i tiling cast". Labour riots, amounting praclii ally to national icvolmion. were frequent., and were carried out on a large scale. It was in these iiriunistati.es that the pre-ent King came to the throne, lie was then only ,‘it) years of age. He saw at opee that he had to eieate Ins own position if that po-ilion was fo endure. Realising that- these who had hitherto, hoi'ti ri-poiisi! le lor the government of the country had treated the working classes as ike pariahs il the nation, he induced Ills Ministers to pass a new system ol legislation lor the protection and regulation of labour. The hakrK’adks ed. The story of Mussolini's advent to power need not he recalled here. Italy was rushing headlong into cit'd war on a large s ale. Already the number of tIll's" who had fallen on both sides was I'iir higher than the number of those who fell during the whole period < !■ the Sinn Fein rebellion in Ireland. 1 1 :• 1 v had become a. ru'-toli’.ed to civil strife and bloodshed. ()vt-r IC'J.OtIO nrnt.-I I’as'i.sts were marching on Horne. I’.y decreeing martial law. Hit* (Jove: uni.mt de'lar.'d war against them. The haifi'a.les were up. and the t root's were ready. The (Inveriimei.t had taken sides. A list ol Hie proscribed hud already been drawn up. Th * Sijite as Sit,•!, ceased to function. Dolt the monar hy remain."l rs repreMOitat it e of the Italian V* opte. It was a des] eral;• mwateirt for th ' lltdiaii | eople. lint the „tr, tig action ol the King .saved the situation. Thinig’i he had no tei'sonal reasons for Icing friendly to the I'.OS-i-ts, he saw that they re; resented the great mass of the sounder elemenl of the nation. He iid used to sign the Cbverimienl decree. Army orders bad to he eoiuiten,landed. The King obtain *.I guarantees from the Fascists that thev Would respect the Coiistiii'.l i:*M. oi'id an iiudei stan:!M;g that iliev v.oil'd put tle'ir »use het'nre the elei to:ate within a i. asonahlc p, rind.

Win::: lire Fascists oinv iiito lower tin", had no expuricMeed men to fill the se. retai iats; fur it must he vemotiih'.oel that they were taw |eiitieal rei I'itit.s. without any of the I‘a'liauieatai'v ex; ei'ii'ii e . u, It as our own La'our I’arty had I efeiu il tuok over the Devel'iimeut ei' (treat Hritain. i'll' 1 the I'a ei-t: hollow from the old.a 1 partie-. heeau.s;. the t-hiri-t of I'jiitx i lit ran-igeame i- so strong in 11 11 1 x iloot anything like lo.mil ioo|ertini h, ; '.e'en .lino,-' | olil i, al ebiivnts i- iii'"d oat of eioi id tation. 11 y Wei'**, tln.'i'efore. i:i the position of having t > take over an immense and lomp'.ex eenee: Il without tile l.s-si-tame <■! any of the former stair i. . them in the wo; king of it. Tl " King had t , supply the conneeting link. Sea.el inn— I e has had to -a .e Hie Fas-is.s from thetn'clves. ttI'IIMNAI. AS AN OFFICE. It i- this silent and shrewd and b.tt.l----w. "kitig man that is the teal power I ■*- iiili.l ihe scenes iu llnlinu polhlie life, l e .hes not fulfil anxtliiiig like a d '.'irative filiietailt, sill !, rs i-. the ease v.itli other nioiiatehii'S. Tlie (.luirinal. v.fiieh is the Riti'kingham I'altK'i* of Rome, i- not. tho home hut the otliee of the King, lie never fives there. Hi- heme is in a modest villa on the outskirts of Rome, three kilometre; h "yiaid tlie Ik i til Salaria. At the Villa Savoia the Royal Family live a quiet and unpretentious existI'aie. Tie' King . nines and goes to his work at the (Hdiinal ca ll day. just as millions of other people do. At the (H'itiiial he receives political leaders, d us; - i lolls and pi'lieie.s with Ilium, eel'alm.ates with them in amending and making practical their schemes. It is interesting to note that, as his English training has been particularly tlioroug'i. It,' has .oa.stantly the exam: I" rf Hritish ii—titulions before his mind wlien lie is advising and helping in the legislation ~f Ids own .oimtry. The King i- simply a deia-hed judge, who hi— the ini crust ul' all pal ties at heart, and he may hi* de) ended upon at the siipreiiic moment to use bis inllu 'in .* itt the bringing about of a decision which will at one and the same tiinc ex] l,"s the national good sense and harmonise rival issues for the common weal. Thus it happens that ihe King has come to la* looked 11)1011 ns tic guide, philosopher, and friend of: Italy.’ I