One Man’s Meat Is Another Man’s Poison Part 2
Mozzarella, Ministers and Macaroni
Cavour was waiting. Camillo Benso, Conte di Cavour, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Italy was waiting. He would have had more patience if he was simply having dinner with a friend, but Ruggiero Settimo was no friend. This was business, and no one, not even Victor Emmanuel himself showed up late to meet the Conte di Cavour. This behavior was to be expected from the aged politician, a slow and lazy Sicilian. Settimo was one of Garibaldi's rabble-rousers, or he his. Either way, he was late and indignant.
Settimo requested the meeting in order to express the "immediate concerns" of his constituency to his Prime Minister. Cavour suspected, with reason that Settimo was there only to demand autonomy for Sicily and the Neapolitans, full suffrage and other expensive, ineffective concessions.
At last, the old man arrived, carrying a newspaper. "Rugi, you old bastard, it is good to know you still walk among us." "When you have seen the years I have, walking is no great pleasure." Calabrio laughed."I prefer to sit. Now, how's the wife?" "Ah, same old, same old. She still can't cook worth a damn so I'd always rather eat this slop than what she gives me." The two men laughed.
"Now we need to get down to business. What can the government of the Kingdom of Italy do for you?" Settimo unfolded his newspaper and pointed to the headline. "As I am sure you have heard, three more of my people have been killed by your oppressive army. These patriots died fighting an unjust regime that has denied them their rights and their culture. We need changes now if you can expect us to tolerate Piedmontese rule." Cavour sighed. “You ought to know better than to believe Il Pungolo, Deputy. They play on the poverty on the people and goad them into self-destruction. Garibaldi’s demagoguery is only destroying the opportunities of the Italian people. Instead of alleviating the symptoms of our problems, we should be attacking the root, which is poverty. If we give the rebels autonomy, they will forever remain backward and poor and every reform we have made to help them will be destroyed in the name of ‘rights’ and ‘heritage.’ Our young, united Italy will perish from the earth before it has had a chance to live.” Settimo spoke with a tone of disgust. “You call yourself a liberal, while you are nothing more than an autocrat.”
Further discord was prevented when the waiter arrived. Simple antipasti of fresh mozzarella were served. Ruggiero Settimo noticed that he was getting flustered and composed himself. “The people of Italy have the right to decide their own destiny, regardless of whether they have three hundred acres and six vineyards or a rented home and a chicken. Since you received our lands last year, you have imposed your will upon us, and until the summer, we held our tongues in the name of our ‘young, united, Italy.’ We had high hopes for freedom, but my people are accustomed to disappointment. I want a united kingdom just as much as you do, Camillo, but before this can be achieved, you must address our concerns. We need full suffrage for all men under 25, autonomy for Sicily, Calabria, Basilicata, Apulia, Campania and Molise, and land reforms to eliminate the reactionary power of the latifundists. Without these concessions, there will be civil war.” “Now, now, Ruggiero, I am your friend! I want to help your people too, but we should increase their standard of living rather than destroying it through socialism. I will take your concerns into account when my government draws up a plan to solve these pertinent issues. Without moderation, everyone will suffer under mob rule and our poverty will be made worse. I will help your people Ruggiero, I give my solemn word.” The old Republican stood. “Thank you for meeting me, Cavour. I pray you are telling the truth. Good night.”
As Cavour rode home to his estate, the idea of civil war in the south entered his mind. The Neapolitans were more than happy to be a part of Italy ten months ago when they voted overwhelmingly for annexation, but in recent months, there were more and more occurrences of violence against the government. “This is probably Garibaldi’s doing. He’s prodding the Neapolitans against the government, so that he can return to being ‘Dictator of Naples’ or whatever he was. Well, all I need to do is work with the people to achieve their goals. They won’t care if they’re led by a gaggle of geese if their pocketbooks are fatter at the end of the day.” Cavour got home and ate most of a tureen of bagna cauda with half a bottle of his favorite Bariolo. He worked for a few hours, prepared his ulcer tonic and went to bed.
The light struck him like a piercing dagger. “Oh God. I shouldn’t have had that bagna cauda last night, or the mozzarella from that stinking brothel Settimo insisted on going to.” Cavour spotted the wine glass on his desk. “You didn’t help either, my friend.” Cavour was dressed by his manservant and arranged a late lunch with the Ministers of Finance, Agriculture, the Interior and Education for the next Friday.
The Prime Minister entered the stateroom where he was to meet almost half of his Cabinet. The room was elegantly decorated as a palace dining room. His offices near Parliament were suited perfectly for his needs and it had taken him nearly ten years to make it so. At one-thirty, the four Ministers arrived, and they were seated around a fairly small dining table. The ministers were presented with antipasti of nothing more than a small cup of steamed macaroni. The Minister of Finance, Francesco Chinaglia, quickly questioned Cavour’s choice of appetizer. “Camillo, why are we eating this? I know we are not in such dire straits as to resort to macaroni, so what is the point of this gesture?” “The serving set before you is the average midday meal of an average inhabitant of Campania. We are sitting on a keg of gunpowder, and it is important that we take action quickly to prevent catastrophe. For the last four or five months, there has been an increase in lawlessness and even open rebellion in the south. The situation has worsened consistently and there is growing unrest. Earlier this week, I met with Ruggiero Settimo.” Urbano Rattazzi, the Minister of the Interior, spoke. “That old man? He’s a Republican, all he cares about is causing trouble.” Cavour resumed. “Nevertheless, he speaks for his people. It appears as if they feel betrayed by our leadership and he wants autonomy, land reforms and full male suffrage. Obviously, these things are incredible, but their dissatisfaction is all too real. I asked for you to come so that we could develop a plan for the economic and educational development of the south. We need to put forth a plan to provide the south with a higher standard of living so they are not swayed by the republicans towards acting against their interests. I am directly proposing loaning money for the purchase of modern farming equipment for landowners and training in modern farming methods for farm workers. I am also proposing the construction of a rail network, irrigation systems and the development of Naples as a port. The final proposition I have is the implementation of free elementary education throughout the country. Some of these propositions have already been enacted in Piedmont, as some of you know, so the paperwork has already been done. I’m finished. What do you have to say concerning the issue? Minister Brioschi, you may speak first.”
“Your Excellency, I support your proposal whole-heartedly, and I would take immense pleasure in drawing up the new system. The future of our nation will indeed be bright now that our children will be educated at an early age. However, this may be rather expensive in the short term, but it will pay dividends in years to come. This is an ambitious project, but if it is implemented, will be the fulfillment of my life’s work. All of the people of Italy will benefit and our nation will be a magnet for industry in the future. I have spoken my piece. Thank you, Prime Minister.” “Well, I’m happy you like it, Francesco. I suspect the other Francesco in the room may disagree, so I am asking you to wait until the end, Minister Chinaglia. Any immediate comments or suggestions, Minister Lugarno?”
The Minister of Agriculture spoke up. “Mr. Prime Minister, the reforms you suggested can be implemented with proper funding, but the paperwork and bureaucracy may take time. My ministry can establish a training program for farm workers by mid-1861, and we can establish government loans for farm equipment around the same time, perhaps earlier. As for the irrigation network, we can construct such a network rather easily in the south of the peninsula. However, it will be more difficult in Sicily where it is most badly needed. On the mainland, we can create a very effective network, but we will not be able to construct such a system on about half of Sicily. In general, however, these actions should increase productivity up two three fold. We must take Sicily into account, but otherwise it should be a successful venture.” “Urbano, how about you?”
“Well, I think we should create a national railroad network to expand on the Piedmontese system. An irrigation system will require a great deal of expense in both planning and construction, but we may be able to construct it alongside the railroads to save money and planning costs. The tunnels and bridges we build can be incorporated into both systems and this measure should lower costs significantly. We could also develop the port facilities in Naples for agricultural export when it becomes necessary in a few years, but my ministry can develop the plans now so that they are ready in time. Again, the cost will be considerable, but the construction of this infrastructure is required for growth. My ministry can begin planning soon.” “Wonderful, keep me informed on your progress, and we will introduce the funds into the appropriations bill soon. Now, finally what are your opinions on this matter, Francesco?”
“This will cost an immense sum and will put great pressure on our finances. The National Bank’s success will finance most of what this will cost. If you decide to do this, expect to have a running budget deficit next year and perhaps into fiscal year 1863. This is going to be difficult in the short term, but I think this will be great for the country as a whole. This is our best shot at fighting southern poverty, and the agricultural reforms should yield results within two years of implementation. We should be in the black by 1865 if things go wrong and if everything works, possibly 1864.”
“I also have some ideas on encouraging foreign investment in southern industries. There has been a new development in canning that few have taken advantage of. It involves the inclusion of calcium chloride into the canning mixture and into the boiling water used to sterilize the foodstuffs. When this mineral is used, the water becomes much hotter and processing times are much quicker. More can be canned in less time, and profits grow accordingly. If we can sell this idea to investors and train workers for the factory jobs, it is possible that we can add a growth industry to the south and find a market for southern fruits and vegetables. It would help the farmers and provide much needed jobs. The British are in need of canned foods more than anyone else, so I am sure we can find investors there if we can provide some tax breaks. Overall, I approve of the measures you are taking, but I assure you that we will have cost overruns until 1864 at best.”
“If your various ministries can draw up bills for the initiative, I will submit them to Parliament. I am almost absolutely sure that they will pass, given the circumstances. Thank you for coming, gentlemen. We should do a lot for the welfare of the people after this bill becomes law. Frankly, for the first time since I heard about the invasion of the Thousand Red Shirts, I feel good about our situation in the south. If there are no other concerns we need to discuss, I think we can eat.” The various ministers were served their main course, but Chinaglia needed to speak to Cavour in private. “Camillo, I just need to cover a few aspects of the loans we have and I will be done. The national bank has served a great purpose in alleviating our credit problems. I’ll show you the latest statements.” Cavour and Chinaglia looked over the state of the debt in an adjourning room, and everything appeared to be in order. They then sat down to a delicious bollito.
October 21st, 1861
Naples, Italy
Cavour arrived by ship the day before the speech was to be made. The Prime Minister had spoken to Parliament a few weeks earlier concerning the needs of the south and his solution to the problems. Initially, the right didn’t want to fund the program, and the Republicans believed that the measures weren’t drastic enough. Over a week, the adept politician managed to smooth things over and used the discord to bring the parties together after they realized the threat to the nation. Both sides had different goals, but the idea of a united Italy was a common goal of them all.
Now Cavour was going to make a speech to the Neapolitan people on the one-year anniversary of annexation. He was going to announce and present his government’s plan for the assistance of the region and hopefully win support for the government. The mayor of Naples was going to speak first, and then introduce the Prime Minister. The mayor’s speech had to do with news that Naples was going to be the hub of a new government rail network, and other local matters. After an appeal to the voters to turn out in an upcoming election, he introduced Cavour.
“My fellow Neapolitans, I am very pleased to present our keynote speaker on Annexation Day, Prime Minister of Italy, Camillo Benso, Conte di Cavour! Welcome to Naples, Prime Minister.” “Thank you. Mayor. Fellow citizens, I am here in Naples today to celebrate a great moment in Italian history. One year ago today, you voted to join the Kingdom of Piedmont to form a united Italian kingdom. For the first time since Theodoric, there has been one government from the Alps to Sicily. More than one-thousand years of foreign invasion and oppression have been ended, and we are now all Italians rather than Neapolitans, Sicilians, Piedmontese or Lombards. Your government has been working for you to help alleviate your problems and bring economic prosperity to the entire peninsula.”
“Earlier this month, Parliament passed a bill providing free government training for all farmers to learn new practices. This will increase yields and profits for all farmers. Farmers will receive low interest loans for the purchase of modern farming equipment. An irrigation system will be built to provide water to the fields of southern Italy. A railroad network is now under construction, which will allow you to ship your products to market as cash crops. We are also working to bring in food processing industries so that we can export the fine produce of this land to other nations.” The Count turned to face Minister Chinaglia to his side. “ Our Finance Minister, Francesco Chinaglia, is at this very moment working to establish this industry as a force for good in Naples. Your government is also introducing free public education to all in the king-”
A shot rang out from the crowd and the police immediately captured a young man running away with a pistol. Blood was splattered all over the podium and the Prime Minister. The mayor of Naples was struck by the assassin’s bullet after it ricocheted off of Cavour’s pocket flask. The firing angle was bad, but if Cavour hadn’t gestured towards Chinaglia, he would already be dead. Cavour was immediately rushed off the podium with the Finance Minister and Minister Brioschi. The Prime Minister had a pain in his chest.
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