Page:Gaetano Salvemini and Bruno Roselli - Italy under Fascism (1927).djvu/21

 produced 4,000,000,000 kilowatt hours. Today it produces 6,000,000,000, according to the figures of 1924, perhaps 6,500,000,000 kilowatt hours. The present government is carrying on the work of the construction of these electric plants, because, ladies and gentlemen, the Italian people were used to work before Mussolini, are used to work under Mussolini, and will work even after Mussolini.

There was great disorder in the railways during the first years after the war. But, ladies and gentlemen, the railways had been ruined during the war. The rolling stock had been completely ruined, and during the first two years we had to face the war liabilities. We could not spend our money in replacing the material which had been ruined during the war. But in 1921 and 1922, we began to spend money in order to replace the material which had been ruined during the war. When the Fascists came to power, they found the new material, and took the full credit themselves.

In regard to foreign policy Mussolini must keep his followers quiet by words. But I thought that a leader must follow his followers and must keep them quiet by words only in countries like yours, where the body of liberty has not been trampled down. But what is the use of having a dictator if he must follow his followers?

Relations with France—hm! I want only to remind you of the name of Ricciotti Garibaldi. This is a document characteristic of the good relations between Mussolini and France!

The Italian people are happy under the Fascist régime? Then if these people are so happy, why does the Fascist régime need so many dreadful laws to keep them quiet? If the majority of the Italian people were back of Mussolini, the Fascist Government would not need so many laws in order to protect the state. Every month there is a new law which protects the state, and there is no law which suffices to protect it.

Either the Fascists are mad or they must protect themselves in a country which they must rule like an army encamped in an enemy country. Italy today is like Belgium during the war under the German Army. This is the reality.

If you want to know the great enthusiasm of the Italian people for the Fascist rule, listen to this: There were in Italy up until 1925 internal commissions in the factories. Yet in all the elections for these commissions not a single Fascist was ever appointed. The great majority of the voters were always against the Fascist candidates. These elections in the factories were so devastating for the Fascist rule that the Fascist government suppressed them by law, and this year I am not able to give you the facts because there are no longer elections in the factories as before. If the workers were in agreement with the government, what was the use of suppressing these elections? I don't need to detain you longer. I want even in this case to spare you some minutes.