Mighty Oaths

In Rome, the oath of "allegiance to the King and his successors" taken by foreigners on becoming Italian citizens was altered by the Government last week. They struck out the phrase "and his successors."

Since Crown Prince Umberto is reputedly antiFascist, this tampering with the oath seemed a direct slap by Benito Mussolini at H. R. H.

In Victoria, British Columbia, a furious oath battle raged all week between the Provincial Minister of Public Works. Hon. Rolf Wallgren Bruhn (born Swedish, naturalized British) and the Minister of Education, Hon. Joshua Hinchliffe (born British).

Mr. Hinchliffe had introduced a clause into the amendments to the Elections Act requiring naturalized citizens ''to take an oath, when voting, that they have not been bribed or corrupted." Mr. Bruhn, pointing out that he himself, a Cabinet Minister, would be obliged to take this "insulting oath" should the measure become law attacked it with such vigor that the clause was dropped. "Countless naturalized citizens," cried the triumphant ex-Swede, "have just as high and just as intelligent an appreciation of British citizenship as has Joshua Hinchliffe!''

In Dublin, President Eamon de Valera mailed a secret answer to the secret British note he received last month and drew a second secret British note. This game of whispering behind the public's back (due to British refusal to allow publicity) could of course go on forever. But President de Valera bluntly announced that when the Free State Parliament meets April 20 he will introduce "a short amendment, only about 100 words long" to wipe the oath of fealty to the King out of the Free State Constitution.

"Ireland is a distinct nation from Britain," President de Valera cabled to the South African Government which had asked him to modify his stand, and to other Dominions which advised him against tampering with the oath, Mr. de Valera was equally firm. Irish wits had to point out that the Free State Constitution has already been amended 17 times, roguishly referred to "our Eighteenth Amendment."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.