pital still
plays a predominant part. So in their folly they strenuously fought for
the Germans, spurred on by the terrible thought that Rieka might become
predominantly Yugoslav. They refused to listen to their wiser men, who
pointed out that the possession of an odd town or island was to Italy of
not so much importance as friendship with their Slav neighbours. When,
at the beginning of April 1921 a large sailing boat, the _Rad_ (Captain
Vlaho Grubi[vs]i['c]) came into Baro[vs], the first ship to bring the
Yugoslav flag to that port, there was intense commotion among the
fascisti. Forty of them with weapons ran down to the harbour, but
Grubi[vs]i['c] told them that he saw no reason why he should not fly the
flag of his State. A number of workmen, Italians and Yugoslavs, then
appeared and made common cause against the fascisti, so that the latter
withdrew. And the captain of the Italian warship _Carlo Mirabello_ sent
to ask Grubi[vs]i['c] if he had removed the flag. On hearing that he had
not done so the captain said that he had acted perfectly correctly. It
seems to be too much to hope that such honourable Italians as this
captain and these workmen will be able, without certain measures on the
part of France and England, to prevail over those elements who have
dragged Rieka down to death and to dishonour.

At last, on April 25, the elections were held. There were two parties,
that of the C.N.I., swollen with arditi and fascisti, who would have
nothing to do with the Treaty of Rapallo--their programme consisted in
annexation to Italy--and the other party, whose object was to carry out
the provisions of the Treaty. Professor Zanella was its chief. There did
not seem to be much hope that it would be successful, although it
contained what was left of the Autonomists, who in 1919 were the largest
party--desiring that the town should be neither Yugoslav nor
Italian--and these Autonomists were now reinforced by the Yugoslavs. But
so numerous had been the expulsions that many of the survivors feared
that it would be futile to vote, and on the other hand the Annexionist
party was quite confident that it would win. During the afternoon of the
election day, however, they perceived that the impossible was happening,
and that Zanella was marching to victory. Thereupon the enraged fascisti
had recourse to violence. "Zanella's victory was intolerable to these
patriots," said _La Nazione_,[65] "because they remembered the two years
of