The last time he left his native country, just a few -.,eeks be/ ore he fell, he was refused a passport and crossed the frontier in disguise. But he returned to Italy undisguised and himself disclosed his identity to the authorities. We asked him why he should run suck a f'isk and he answered simply :-" Our people want encouragement. They will see that one need not put up with everything.,, I remember another word he spoke during his sho1't 3ta,, in this country. He 'Wasspeaking of the sufferings of his fellow-workers in Italy. "The worst," said he, "what even the strongest aniongst our p ople cannot stand is that, for the last two years, when a man leaves his ho1ne in the morning he does not know whether he will return that night . . ." He said it very quietly. And he went back-to die. He died because he had spoken to the world of what the Italian people are going through and because he was going to say more. After -his great speech in the Chamber, in which he vigorously denounced the violence and mockery of the so-called "elections" in Italy-a speech which enraged the artificial majority, the products and puppets of this election-the official Press hinted at him, threatening that he would have to be "silenced. 11 Soon it appeared that his murder had been plotted and executed by a gang of criminals composed of some of the highest officials of the .Fascist Government and party and most intimate friends and counsellors of Mussolini himself. And, though contemporary history scribblers are busy whitewashing the Dictator's person from the stains of this blood, there is something to be said about the responsibility in an autocratic system which focuses all power upon one person. Fascism has always· boasted of having done away with democracy and its system of 1'esponsibilities and has always proclaimed the identity of party and government. It is not Fascism which could to-day discla·itn the culpability of the whole system when criminals 1'ank amongst its most 1'espected se,vants. It cannot term them outcasts to-day when they ha-z_1ebeen instrunients ·until yesterday. There is yet another word to be added. But fo1' the x. Biblioteca Gino Bianco
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