Parliament Opens

At Rome two humble composite minions took up the task of pleasing Dictator Mussolini once more. They were La Camera dei Deputati and Il Senato. Together they formed perhaps the most enthusiastically abject Parliament ever assembled upon the Seven Hills.

La Camera warmed to its work with the presentation to Il Benito, amid stentorian cheers, of a sheaf of laurel--a token of the Deputies' relief at his escape from assassination (TIME, Nov. 16).

Twitching impatiently at a laurel twig, the Premier suffered himself to be congratulated for a few moments. Then the twig snapped; Il Ditce's eyes became luminous in their pale sockets. Striding to the rostrum amid ringing cheers, Mussolini performed the Fascist salute, extending his right arm forward and upward in the gesture of the Caesars.

Instantly La Camera quieted to a ringing hush. Cried Mussolini: "We are here to give a judical expression to the will of the Fascist Revolution. . . . Today, Fascismo is the only living force in Italy. . . . All else can be relegated to the museums!" Waving a sheaf of papers he exclaimed: "I have with me laws liquidating the past and establishing the base of Fascist power. ... It shall be for you to vote!"

The Proposed Legislation provided that hereafter:

1) The Premier shall be responsible to the King only, instead of jointly to the King and Parliament, as at present. The King shall nominate and recall him.

2) No question shall be included in the agenda of Parliament without the consent of the Premier.

3) The Premier shall rank next to the King at public functions, and enjoy a yearly honorarium on the budget of the State, the amount to be at the discretion of the King.

4) Attempts on the "life, integrity or liberty" of the Premier shall be punished with imprisonment from six months to life, according to whether the offense involves "words," "acts," or culminates in the murder of the Premier.

5) Any Italian abroad who commits acts "injurious to Italian prestige" may be punished by less of citizenship and the confiscation of his property in Italy.

6) The arbitration of labor disputes shall be compulsory.

The Significance. Despatches announced that the deliberations upon these and succeeding bills are expected to continue for about a fortnight before the measures are put to vote. There can exist scarcely a doubt as to their passage. The whole program now being put through is of course the famed "Third Wave of the Fascist Revolution." which Mussolini has been heralding for months.

A Violent Incident occurred when bushy-bearded Communist Deputy Maffi shrieked that the demonstrations in Mussolini's honor did not reflect the feelings of the laboring classes.

Roared Deputy Farinacci, famed firebrand Secretary of the Fascist Party, as he rushed upon Maffi: "If you speak of our Duce like that, we will repay you like this!" (Striking him in the face.)

Other Fascist deputies then closed in, and according to despatches "dragged Maffi to the door, by the beard . . . flung him out . . . threw out three other Communists . . . hissed, spat and uttered catcalls. . . ."

Il Senato likewise opened its sessions with an oratorical tribute to Mussolini; cheered him to the echo; and drank in the (for him) undramatic message in which the Premier thanked them for their good will.

During the week the Senators took notable action only once. This consisted in ratifying the bill aimed against secret societies, which was passed by La Camera at the last session (TIME, June 1). It was recalled that this bill, which now becomes a law, prohibits all persons in the employ of the State from belonging to any secret society or to any society which requires its members to take an oath.

The law is of course aimed at the Freemasons, traditional enemies of Fascism. By way of bugabooing any lingeringly reluctant Senator into voting for the measure, General Zupelli related an extremely tall yarn. Said he: "Freemasonry strikes at the root of military discipline. . . . There was a case during the Tripolitan war in which the Commander in Chief was obliged to remit the punishment of a lieutenant because he was bidden to do so by his aide who, though his inferior in military rank, was his superior in Masonic rank."

Such yarnspinning was merely a luxury. The bill passed 208 to 6-- would have passed in any case.

One Carmack, cartoonist to the Christian Science Monitor, key-noted events in Italy last week with the caption "MUZZLE-INI" over the sketch of an Italian peasant, gagged and muzzled by a steel mask labeled "Fascism," while Il Duce, throned in the background, looked grimly on.