Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 165, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 July 1915 — World's Tiniest Republic [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

World's Tiniest Republic

SAN MARINO, the smallest republic in the world and the oldest, state in Europe, did not have to make formal declaration of war when it entered the great European struggle, for ever since the war of 1860 betwen Italy and Austria San Marino has been technically at war with the dual monarchy. It really consists of a mountain and three villages and has a population of about 10,000. It is difficult to take a complete roll of the inhabitants because of the fact that many of the men are employed in other parts of Europe. The republic has no railroad, the visitor having to ride four hours in a diligence from Rimini, an Adriatic coast resort city. The area of San Marino is 38 square miles. The highest point of the republic is Monte Titano, which rises a sheer cliff to more than 2,600 feet above the valley and, being a somewhat isolated spur to the east of the Apennines, is easily discernible from far out on the Adriatic and from the highlands of the Austrian border miles to the north. At the time of San Marino’s military glory several hundred years ago the cliffs and the strong wall that climbed along their edge to Titano’s summit were a defence against crossbows, javellne and catapults. Upon Monte Titano the people have dwelt ever since there was a San Marino; its three summits crowned by towers are emblazoned on the coat of arms over the gates, and around it have clustered all the traditicns and history of the state. St. Marinus here laid the foundation of the little nation some 1,600 years ago. Addison said that San Marino had a nobler origin than Rome, in that the latter was at first an asylum for robbers and murderers and the former “of persons eminent for piety and devotion.” According to tradition the founder of the state was a Dalmatian stonecutter named Marinus, , who after working for years at Rimini embraced Christianity and withdrew to Monte Titano to escape persecutions under

Diocletian. His fame as an austere anchorite reached the ears of the noble lady to whom it belonged and she presented the mount to him and in addition a tract of land, thinking that Marinus, as was usual, in those days, would found a monastery. He did this and more, for he founded a republic. Dying, he gave Titano to his disciples, recommending them never to abandon it and “to organize a civil society and live always in perfect communion and peace based upon principles of virtue.” Marinus was canonized after his death. His body now rests in the principal church in the republic and his fete, which is the most important in the land, is celebrated on September 3. Scenery Is Magnificent. San Marino lies about twelve miles from the Adriatic coast and about the same distance from Rimini. Across the country from north to south is seven miles; from east to west, about five, scarcely larger than Manhattan island. It is wedged in between the provinces of Urbino, Fesaro and Forli. From Rimini an excellent road leads to San Marino through a rich, beautiful plain covered with olive -trees and vines. As it ascends Monte Tl-. tano there is spread out a gorgeous panorama with the Apennines to the south and west and the Adriatic to the east, while far to the north stretches the Pineta that Boccaccio made famous In his “Decameron” and of which Byron sang in “Don Juan.” The road leads through the single gate into Borge, near the base of the mount, the chief commercial village of the state Here are the caves of Sat Marino’s wines, which a seventeenth century poet said were “so pleasing, pure, grateful and good that they have no cause to be jealous of the elarets of France." On one of the houses is a great sundial with this rather striking inscription in Italian that the people of, San Marino so frequently quote: “Thou art nothing without God and I am nothing without the sun.” The narrow streets climb upward

within the walls of the ancient citadel crowning the highest point of the mountain and to the small towers that mark the two other peaks. In the Pianello, the principal square, is the; favorite statue of the San Marinese, a giant figure of Liberty, and nearby is the government palace. This is a more or less pretentious Gothic building that would do credit to a much; larger and wealthier nation. Here is! conducted most of the public business! of the republic and here are the offices of the chief guardians of its affairs. Ruled by Great Council. The government of the republic is really in the hands of a great council of sixty, twenty nobles, twenty landowners and twenty peasants. The executive power is vested in two capitani reggenti, who are selected twice a year. With this short tenure of office there is not much of an opportunity for oppression by the executive, and with the close surveillance of the state accounts and treasury exercised by representatives of the council of sixty there is still less chance for graft by the officials. The judiciary is peculiar in that the judges are not chosen from among the people of Sap Marino, but from a foreign country. The last two judges, who have held office for two terms of three years each,, were members of the Italian bar. San Marino has’ ministers plenipotentiary and consuls, the same as any other European country. She has a legation at Paris, and consuls at Lyons, Bordeaux and Marseilles, and. she has a consul-general at Vienna and a consul at Trieste. Between the little republic and the United States an extradition treaty was ratified in 1907. The quarries of San Marino, from which a fine quality of building stone is obtained, have been a great training ground for artisans in this industry. The vineyards have developed a number of expert wine makers who spend part of their time every year in France and Spain. As these wanderers seldom give up their citizenship they are always to be counted.

upon to swell the ranks of the army or the roll of the voters. San Marino also has some salt mines which it uses to pay the captains regent a salary. The regents have the sajt monooply during their term of office. Since San Marino’s streets all run at some precipitous angle drainage and sewerage is no worry. Nature handles that. Few horses are owned in the republic and in many cases the family cows have to climb down stairways to get their daily pasturing. Life is not very exciting in this little republic. The people appear quite contented to look after their farms, stock and vineyards in much the same way as did their ancestors for generations past. The gathering of the vintage is a time for feasting and amusement, and the cattle sales are picturesque affairs to which the peasants bring their great mild-eyed oxen with coats groomed to a silvery gloss, necks and flanks decorated with ribbons and horns garlanded with flowers. The great events, however, are the September fete in honor of the patron saint, St Marinus, and the installations of the two capitani reggentl. On both occasions there are a mobilizing of the army and a review of the troops in the public square. At the Inaugural ceremonies the two outgoing and two incoming executives, in black velvet and court costumes, march from the government palace to the Church of San Marino, preceded by a military tand and a strong draft of the army in uniform of blue with bright yellow trimmings. While the history of the little republic has not been as full of wars and its devastations as that of Montenegro, the small nation just across the Adriatic, and while its existence has not been threatened by as mighty an enemy as the Montenegrins had in Turkey, yet San Marino has several times been drawn into war and ha* more than once been forced to fight for her freedom. The army of San Marino now consists of about 1,500) officers and men.