256 THE RISE OF ITALIAN FASCISM
clear to anybody, though its menacing frankness failed to
shake the inertia of the government :
c What we have done so far is nothing to what remains
for us to do. A strong and healthy Italy is getting ready
to make a clean sweep of the scum of Italian society.
Let our enemies have no illusions. We mean to make our
organization even more effectively disciplined, military
and forearmed, so that should a decisive stroke become
necessary, all of us down to the last man—let traitors
and deserters beware !—all of us will do our duty.
In short we mean Italy to become fascist. That is simple.
That is obvious. \Ve mean Italy to become fascist because
we are fed up with seeing her governed at home by
men who continually waver between carelessness and
cowardice, and above all because we are fed up with
seeing her looked upon abroad as a negligible quantity.
. . . Our banners were raised at Vittorio Veneto. It
was on the banks of the Piave that we began this march,
which cannot end till we have reached our final goal,
Rome. Nothing can stand in our way, no man can
prevent us.'
Mussolini knew that the critical moment was at hand and
redoubled his care and his activity. Political parties were
in such a state of disruption, the air was so full of animosity
and reaction that he could allow himself to make proposals
of the most violent kind without causing any unusual stir.
On the evening of October 4 he spoke at Milan before the
squadristi of the Sciesa group, and explained his intentions :
c Those who help us will be well treated. Those who
harm us will be harmed» Our enemies will have nothing
to complain of if they are treated as enemies, harshly.
. . . To-day there are two governments, that is to say,
one too many : the liberal government and the fascist
government. The state of yesterday and the state of
to-morrow. . . . The fascist state is infinitely better than
the liberal state, and it is therefore worthy to take over
the mandate from the liberal state. . . . The citizens are
asking, c< What state will end by imposing its laws on the