Serene Silence

The passage of the Johnson Immigration Bill by the U. S. House of Representatives and Senate, whereby Italian immigration into the U. S. will be whittled down from 42,000 to about 4,000 caused hardly a ripple upon Italo-American diplomatic waters.

In Italy the press fulminated. The Giornale d' Italia said: "We perfectly understand the motives which have prompted the measures passed by the American Congress, but we think that American public opinion would be well advised to take into consideration also another aspect of problem. Hundreds of thousands of Italians who live in America have, with their work, intellect and enterprise, contributed to the progress of the great Republic. It must be true that they often succeeded in gathering wealth for themselves, and that under the protection of the Star-Spangled Banner they have obtained advantages which their own country could not offer them, but it is also true that they took with them to the New World a sum of gifts which only a people with an old civilization can possess and which undoubtedly have been one of the co-efficients of America's present prosperity.

"Italian workers have many qualities which are hard to replace. This is generally recognized in all countries, because all countries have roads, aqueducts, bridges and other monumental works built almost exclusively by Italian labor, because only Italian labor could build them.

"Let us, therefore, hope that President Coolidge may reflect upon these facts before the new law, which has been voted by the legislative bodies of America, comes into practical application."

The Corriere d' Italia was more resentful. It characterized the American immigration law as "unjust, one-sided and advantageous to Anglo-Saxon, German and Scandinavian immigrants to the injury of Slavs and Italians as well as to the yellow and black races."

But the eyes of the world were upon a small patch of Italian territory* situate at 1400 New Hampshire Avenue in Washington, where lives Prince Gelasio Caetani, Italian Ambassador to the U. S., aristocratic diplomat, diplomatic aristocrat.

What would he say to the passage of the Immigration Bill? Would he take his cue from Japanese Ambassador Hanihara (TIME, April 21, NATIONAL AFFAIRS) and make "veiled threats?" Would he castigate the U. S. Congressmen for their unfeeling attitude toward thousands of expectant Italians? Would he discourse upon the injured dignity of his country? He was known to be deeply and personally interested in Italian immigration to the U. S., he had even worked out a selective system, whereby Italian farm laborers would be sent from Italy to supply the shortage in the U. S.

His diplomatic pen protested against the immigration cut as being an unjust discrimination against Italians. That was all. Diplomatic necessity had dictated that a note be written to U. S. Secretary of State Charles E. Hughes, but there was written into it Caetani's personal aristocratic restraint. His predecessor, Signor Vittorio Ricci, in a similar situation, once made a speech attacking the U. S. Congress in no uncertain terms. He went to Rome on a vacation which has not yet ended. Prince Gelasio's diplomacy is of a higher order and he merits the epithet of aristocratic diplomat, diplomatic aristocrat.

Prince Gelasio is a scion of an ancient Papal family ranking with the Colonnas and Orsinis. Among its members have been great men, statesmen, diplomats, generals; two were Popes, Gelasius II (Giovanni Caetani 1118-1119), Boniface VIII (Benedetto Caetani 1294-1303). His father held many titles; his mother was an Englishwoman, Ada Wilbraham, niece of the then Lord Derby.

In 1901, 24 years after his birth, he obtained his Civil Engineer's degree in Rome. He then went to the U. S. as plain Signor G. Castania and out west to work for John Hays Hammond, who, having noticed "the young and intelligent miner," promised to keep his name and rank a secret.

He worked alternately at manual work, agriculture and designing in mining districts between Mexico and Alaska. He improved the process of washing gold. He spent one winter in a hut on an island in the Arctic to study a project for installing a hydro-electric plant. After many years of this practical mining, he founded a firm of engineers specializing in construction of shafts and mining plants. His four big mining ventures were successful; two in Colorado--"Tomboy" and "Smugglers Union"; and two in California--"Plymouth"and "Mountain Cup."

At the outbreak of the War, he returned to Italy, joined the Army and covered himself with glory at Col de Lana. After the armistice he helped Herbert C. Hoover at Paris to make arrangements for the distribution of aid to Italy and Austria. In 1921 he became a Deputy, in 1922 Ambassador to the U. S. He is an ardent admirer of Benito Mussolini and a devoted slave of Fascismo.

*By courtesy of the Governments of the land in which they are situate, foreign embassies are regarded as foreign soil under privileges derived from extraterritoriality, a term of international law.