In the Chamber

The following "business" was disposed of by the Italian Chamber of Deputies:

P: By a large majority was passed a resolution to send Foreign Minister Dr. Eduard Benes of Czecho-Slovakia "greetings and good wishes" in celebration of the recently concluded Italo-Czecho-Slovakian agreement (TIME, May 26).

P: A tribute in the name of the Chamber to the memory of the late Signora Eleonora Duse (TiME, May 5).

P: A motion expressing the Chamber's sympathy for Chancellor Seipel of Austria, an attempt against whose life was recently made (TIME, June 9).

P: Debate upon the King's Speech (TiME, June 2) began. Signer Insabato, Peasants' Party, offered the loyal cooperation of his following with the Government; Signer Mancini, Maximalist (Communist) "straffed" Fascismo,-- said the country was "disconcerted, oppressed and humiliated." Another Communist, forgetful of the Red hero's death, rose and cried "Long Live Lenin!" Pandemonium ensued, but was quickly squelched.

P: A motion of confidance in the Government was passed by 361 to 107. Benito made a notable speech, arraigning the Opposition. Excerpts:

Warning: "Discussion has not followed the line which it should have taken. From this I will attempt to draw certain conclusions which shall guide me in deciding whether or not we can continue to work together for our country."

Election Fraud. "It has always been the habit of parties which have been beaten in elections to blame it on the violence or fraud of their adversaries. That the opposition should attempt the same trick now, therefore, neither surprises nor disturbs me.

"We received over 5,000,000 votes. I am willing to make the opposition a present of 1,000,000 of them. Even then they would have to recognize that ours is immensely the strongest party in Italy."

Militia. "We will not dissolve the militia. Get that firmly into your heads."

Personal Liberty. "Of course it is first necessary to know what people mean by liberty, and to differentiate sharply between liberty and license." He then read several extracts from Opposition newspapers, in which the Government had been criticized, to prove that anyone could say whatever he liked and that, therefore, personal liberty did exist.

Opposition. "Opposition is necessary. It is not opposition which offends us, but the Opposition's methods. The Opposition reminds me of a man who arrives at a station too late to catch a train, and vents his anger in cursing the train. . . .

"I am doing my best to make Parliament work. It is, perhaps, curious that I should say this, but I wish to meet the Opposition halfway. More than that I cannot do."

Only 468 Deputies were present and it was noteworthy that Ex-Premier Giolitti, antiFascist, voted for the Government.

Premier Benito delivered a speech in which he commented on recent elections and political conditions in various countries and wound up by referring to the League of Nations. Said he:

Germany: He denied that the German election (TIME, May 12) showed a swing to the Left, contended that Germany was a country whose national pastime was reveling in socialistic theories without putting them into practice.

France: "The French Left parties elected only 276 Deputies of the Left against 264 of the Right. But there are 29 Communists, and these engage only in making trouble for the Left, certainly not for the Right."

Great Britain: "Despite the anti-demagogic and unpopular platform of Premier Baldwin and the defeat of his party at the polls, because the people were out to vote against the high cost of living, the Conservatives polled only 16,775 less than in the elections held in 1922. This cannot be regarded as a displacement of the electoral vote without considering that the English Labor Party is something entirely different from certain Socialist parties in Europe.

"Labor is a matter of evolution; labor fought its way through centuries of hard toil in an attempt at recognition of the individuals, yet Premier MacDonald is sometimes embarassed by his own party, especially by the Scottish miners."

League: "We must remain in the League of Nations, because the League of Nations not only discusses problems, but also makes decisions, and Italy cannot remain absent."