46 THE RISE OF ITALIAN FASCISM
a setting and an audience worthy of his greatness : £ Each
day will be marked for you by a mighty deed, wherein you
will see, as though engraved on a seal, the quality of my soul3
And twenty years after at Fiume he still dedicated himself
to Glory, whose service he recognized before that of Duty.
Once installed at Fiume d'Annunzio intended to play
the star part. As c Commandant of the city of Fiume ' he
issued a decree on November 20 by which he left in power,
though with strictly limited authority, the National Council
which had been elected by plebiscite on October 30, 1918 ;
1 All decisions and agenda of the National Council which
in any way concern public order and may have a political
effect, must be submitted for the approval of the military
command, and may not be put into force until the day
after they have been approved.' Fiume became a centre
for idealists, idlers and rogues of every kind, some drunk
with patriotic emotion, others attracted by a taste for
adventure or a desire for amusement.
In Rome Nitti, as President of the Council, stated in an
early speech in the Chamber on September 13 that soldiers
who had joined d'Annunzio would be regarded as deserters,
unless they returned to their units within five days. He
turned at the same time to c the workers of Italy, to the
artisans and the peasants, to ask for their help', and c to
the nameless masses, to make the great voice of the people
a warning to all'. Three days later, in another speech, he
adopted a different tone, one almost of retractation, and
appealed to the soldiers instead of to the proletariat. At a
Royal Council in Rome on September 25, Giolitti advised
the occupation of Fiume by regular troops, and an immedi-
ate general election. Nitti only accepted part of this advice :
he dissolved the Chamber on the 2Qth, and fixed Novem-
ber 16 for the elections. As to Fiume, he contented himself
with declaring a blockade by land and sea ; a blockade
which, incidentally, was not at all strictly maintained.
In Fiume d'Annunzio found himself up against a number
of the inhabitants, particularly those who in varying degrees
wanted autonomy, whose leader was the deputy Zanella.
To gain local support, the * Commandant' decided to
dissolve the National Council and hold new elections;