362 



ITALY. 



resignations, which the King had refused to ac- 

 cept. He therefore asked the Chamber to pass 

 the most urgent bills now before it, and to grant to 

 the Government a vote on account for the next 

 six months. On June 11 a preliminary budget 

 for six months was voted by the Chamber, 451 

 deputies being present a number larger than 

 any since 1878. The Chamber adjourned sine 

 die on June 15. 



The Elections. The action of the Govern- 

 ment in asking for a preliminary budget indi- 

 cated the dissolution of the Chamber; it became 

 evident that under the present combination of 

 the Parliament important reforms of the finances 

 could not be carried through, and that a strong 

 Cabinet, which could place the country on a 

 sound financial basis, could only be obtained by 

 an appeal to the country. The Chamber was 

 dissolved on Oct. 10, 1892, and new elections 

 were ordered for Nov. 6. The decree dissolving 

 the Chamber was preceded by a report of the 

 ministers, setting forth the policy of the Govern- 

 ment and the measures proposed for the solu- 

 tion of the financial difficulty. Extensive re- 

 trenchments are to be made in the War Depart- 

 ment, in the distribution of the expenses for 

 building canals and roads, and in pensions. By 

 economizing in these departments it is estimated 

 that the deficit of the budget for 1892-'93, which 

 is estimated to be about 37,700,000 lire, will not 

 only be covered, but that there will be a surplus 

 of 6,000,000 lire ; while the budget for 1893-'94, 

 with a deficit of 50,800.000 lire, will close in 

 equilibrium. In order to prepare the way for 

 taxation reforms, the report proposes a Govern- 

 ment monopoly on petroleum. 



The Government was decidedly victorious in 

 the elections. Out of a total of 508 Deputies, 

 the Left carried 236 seats; the Right, 69 seats ; 

 the Left Center, 59 seats ; the Right Center, 36 

 seats ; the Center, 45 seats ; the Advanced Radi- 

 cals, 16 seats ; the Egalitarian Radicals, 35 seats ; 

 the Socialists, 6 seats ; and 6 seats were carried 

 by members whose politics were doubtful. 



Opening 1 of the Chamber. The new Cham- 

 ber of Deputies was opened by King Umberto on 

 Nov. 23, 1892. In referring to the Columbus 

 festivities at Genoa, the King said that the honor 

 in which the navigator was held by representa- 

 tives of civilized nations was calculated to in- 

 spire Italy with legitimate pride. With regard 

 to the financial situation, the speech urged the 

 necessity of balancing revenue and expenditure 

 without recourse to fresh taxation. Several re- 

 form bills would be laid before the Chamber, the 

 sole object of which was to distribute more equi- 

 tably the pecuniary burdens borne by the Italian 

 people. The speech announced reforms of the 

 universities and the public schools, as well as 

 judicial reforms ; it also proposed the regulation 

 and termination of canal and railroad works, and 

 the introduction of social reforms. In conclu- 

 sion the King said : 



King Vittorio Emanuele could cherish with pre- 

 dilection the ambition of giving to the Italians a 

 fatherland and realize his desires. I cherish the am- 

 bition of seeing my name linked with the economical 

 and intellectual regeneration of the country, and of 

 seeing Italy stong, prosperous, and great, as she hov- 

 ered before the eyes of those of her children who 

 suffered and died for their country. 



Difficulty with the United States. The 

 difficulty which had arisen between Italy and 

 the United States from the lynching of Italian 

 subjects at New Orleans on March 14, 1891, was 

 brought to a close. After an exchange of notes 

 between the Marquis Imperial), the Secretary of 

 the Italian Legation at Washington, and Mr. 

 Elaine, the United States Secretary of State, the 

 United States Government tendered the Marquis 

 Imperial! the sum of $25,000 for distribution 

 among the families of the victims, accompanied 

 by a note from Mr. Blaine declaring that, al- 

 though the wrong was not committed directly by 

 the United States, the latter nevertheless regard- 

 ed it as a solemn duty, which the National Gov- 

 ernment fulfilled with great pleasure, to pay to 

 Italy a satisfactory indemnity, to be distributed 

 by the Italian Government. He expressed the 

 hope that this arrangement might close an un- 

 fortunate incident, and that the good relations 

 formerly existing between Italy and the United 

 States might be firmly re-established, and that 

 nothing might again arise to disturb them. 

 The Marquis Imperial!, in his reply acknowledg- 

 ing Mr. Elaine's declarations, said that the 

 Italian Government, which had already been 

 happy to take note of the terms in which President 

 Harrison referred to the matter in his Message 

 to Congress, now considered the indemnity as 

 sufficient reparation without prejudice to actions 

 at law which might be brought by the aggrieved 

 parties, and was happy to renew cordial relations 

 with the United States. Baron de Pava, Italian 

 minister at Washington, and Mr. Porter, United 

 States minister at Rome, who had left their 

 places at the rupture of diplomatic relations, 

 returned to their respective posts in April. 



Sanitary Conference. An International 

 Sanitary Conference was opened in Venice on 

 Jan. 5, 1892, by the Under Secretary of State 

 for Foreign Affairs, Count Arco. its president. 

 The object of the conference was to ascertain to 

 what extent the European powers were disposed 

 to accept the protocol adopted by Austria and 

 England, permitting English ships, whether 

 clean or infected, to pass through the Suez 

 Canal without detention, subject to certain con- 

 ditions. The French delegates presented a 

 counter-project, which consisted in the substitu- 

 tion of disinfection for quarantine in regard to 

 commercial vessels which may arrive infected at 

 Suez, ships conveying pilgrims to be specially 

 treated in accordance with their condition. Pas- 

 sage of everything to which cholera can not be 

 imputed is to be permitted without question. 

 The cargo and ship, as incapable of contracting 

 disease, go free, only those parts of the ship 

 which may have been in actual contact with the 

 disease being subject to disinfection, which, 

 with ships provided with a medical service and 

 d ; sinfecting requisites, is to be effected without 

 external interference. Cases of actual cholera 

 arriving at Suez must undergo treatment at the 

 establishment provided, or to be provided there. 

 The project of the French delegates was adopted 

 by the Conference, with slight alterations, and 

 the protocol was signed by the 33 delegates, pre- 

 senting 15 different countries, on Jan. 30. As 

 the Government of Egypt maintains its absolute 

 prerogative in the matter, the decision of the 

 conference was only of mor^l importance, but 



