ent days by order
of the police, who ruthlessly broke up any attempt to interfere with
assemblies entitled to the right of way. As the war party began to
gain, their opponents adopted the custom of attacking the demonstrants
after they had disbanded.

As it was, a mob attacked the Milan branch of the Siemens-Schuckert
works, the great Berlin electrical machinery factory, battered in the
main entrance, and exchanged shots with some young German employees
left in charge. The timely arrival of the armed police stopped this
riot, and removed the Germans to safe quarters.

At this juncture, or before, the influence of the "Garibaldi" movement
became widely apparent. Early in the war the Garibaldians had launched
a movement to recognize the aid received from France by Italy during
her War of Independence. A special corps of Garibaldi volunteers was
enrolled in France, and its valiant service in the Alsace campaign,
where one of the members of the Garibaldi family fell, had a telling
effect in Italy. Volunteers for this corps at once sprang up from all
parts of the country.

On May 10, 1915, Germans and Austrians throughout Italy were advised
by their consulates to leave the country. The exodus proceeded
rapidly, and during the next ten days nearly all the citizens of the
two Central Powers who were able to leave had taken refuge in
Switzerland. Italy seemed ripe for war; but still the Government
delayed. There was now no doubt of the popular mind; but events
outside the country were not encouraging. Perhaps the weightiest of
these deterring factors was news of the Russian retirement in the
north and information reaching the Italian Minister of War that the
Entente Allies were short of ammunition.

Then came the crisis in the Government. Baron Sonnino's denunciation of
the Alliance caused a change in the attitude of the Austro-Hungarian
Foreign Office. Prince von Buelow and the Austrian Ambassador, Baron von
Macchio, were authorized to conclude a new agreement on the basis of
further Austrian concessions. Sonnino refused to accept the new terms and
the German and Austrian representatives played their last trump. Baron
von Macchio telegraphed to Vienna accusing the Italian Foreign Minister
of concealing information of the Austrian concessions both from the king
and the majority of the cabinet. The concessions were printed and
circulated widely among the people. Signor Giolitti, Salandra's
predecessor, and at one time all b