On this point the King was
inflexible, for he always refused to allow the army to be reduced
organically, though he never refused to accept such a diminution of
the rank and file as made it utterly inefficient for an emergency, so
long as the _cadres_ and the number of officers were not diminished.
He sent a message to some senators who were in his confidence to the
effect that the measure of Ricotti must be defeated there, as he could
not count on its being rejected by the popular assembly. The senate
rejected it, and Ricotti, unsupported by his colleagues, resigned.
The r?gime of half measures and little men returned. The accession of
Victor Emmanuel III. may bring about a change, if the new King has
statesmen to fall back on, but I do not see them amongst the old men.
The only man competent to assume an effective reconstitution of the
state is Sidney Sonnino, the Secretary of the Treasury with Crispi,
but he is not a popular man, and, if he attempts to govern by the
strong measures necessary, he will meet the same hostility which
always assailed Crispi. Nothing less than the courage and abilities of
a Cromwell could reform government in Italy, and, in the opinion of
some of the wisest and most patriotic Italians I know, the task is
hopeless and the decay inevitable.
Fully convinced of this myself, I could but lose that interest in the
future of Italy which had always made residence there so attractive
to me.
Pages:
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354