WHY THE DUCE HAS BEEN SPEAKING Importance Attached To Church and State Peace
From Our Rome Correspondent Mussolini's last speech in Milan was advertised as never before. It was transmitted over the radio in ten languages.
This was done by Signor Mussolini's own order, as he was dissatisfied with the reception in foreign papers of the Bologna speech.
In particular the passages from the Bologna speech referring to Church and State were omitted abroad.
The Eve of Conciliation
The Duce divided the Fascist era into three periods, of which the first was the period of conciliation during which " the problem which had weighed for sixty years on the conscience of the nation," the problem of Church and State, was resolved by Fascism.
" It is of exceptional importance in the life of a people," said the Duce, "that State and Church should be reconciled in the conscience of the individual and the collective conscience of the whole nation."
All Italy had expected a hint in the Duce's speech about the events in Spain. Perhaps just because of this the subject was not touched on directly.
Communism Catching
It is certain that the neighbouring centre of Communism in Catalonia has had its influence on the " ex-Communists " in Italy. The Communist plot, discovered and severely repressed in Terni some time ago, is significant. But the immense majority of the Italian people hate Communism, though the average Italian is more affected by Mussolini's strong personality, than convinced by the Fascist ideologies.
It is said that Mussolini's visits to Milan and Bologna, where he had not been for about ten years, are intended to strengthen his position in these big industrial centres, with their thousands of workmen, still suffering badly from unemployment, despite the Government's measures to check it.
Island " Open" to Italy In the face of Signor Grandi's declarations in London about Italian neutrality in Spain, a surprisingly large number of Italians are still convinced that the Spanish island, Ibiza, in the Balearics, is effectively occupied by Italian military forces under Spanish colours.
it is supposed that after the end of the civil s•' Zr, Ibiza will remain Spanish territory, but " open" for Italian forces as a naval base, thus controlling the entrance
to Gibraltar. Spanish territory will in that way be scrupulously respected. According to a very similar arrangement a few small islands of the Italian Dodecannese, in the Eastern Mediterranean, are now " open" to German ships.
The silence in the Italian newspapers is absolute about the numerous Italian volunteers going to Spain. This, in spite of the fact that these volunteers do not engage in any way the responsibility of the Italian Government.
The Italian fruit trade has made great profits owing to the war in Spain. As exports from Spanish ports are now impossible, the Italian fruit exports are flourishing and largely paying for the deficit last year during the sanctions.
Not a Common Front
The German recognition of the Italian conquest of Abyssinia, as the first great power to do so, is to be rewarded, and is already rewarded through Italy's backing up of German pretensions to colonies.
As the interests of Japan in this moment are very similar to Germany's, there are rumours in Italy about a common front composed of these three countries " to obtain colonies because of their absolute need of raw materials, in order to avoid a new conflagration like the Great War."