Death has deprived us of Theodore Roosevelt, just when his activity and his cleverness were more than necessary in such period of calamity; when presumptuous and scarce intelligence, unfortunately, are ruling disastrously in America and Europe.

He was the first man who detected and exposed the fraud, injustice, and ambiguity of the fourteen points that he severely condemned, foreseeing all the evils that they would bring to humanity, and all the injustices that would fall over America and Europe, for the interest, only, of a few English, French, and Slavish capitalists. As a political genius, he foresaw all this and was prepared to fight against it with all of his energy and sincerity.

Death struck him; and the consequences were very disastrous, especially for Italy, that had in him a true friend, and for America, that is suffering from the maladministration of the man who presumes to know everything and is despotically ruling in the Romanoff style.

The last time we saw him was at the La Salle Station. We had gone to see and greet the heroic "Alpini," and "Gromatieri" passing through Chicago, during the world war. Theodore Roosevelt from his train, seeing our heroic soldiers, with sincere enthusiasm, took off his hat and yelled, "Viva 1' Italia." He sincerely loved Italy and the Italians, and once he proudly said that he had Italian blood in his veins. After the Messina disaster, he said to the U. S. Senate, "We have great obligations of gratitude towards Italy, because she gave us this great continent and this civilization," and generously sent a large sum of money to help the beautiful Sicilian city, ruined by the earthquake. How different and immensely bigger than he who counted the Italians lower than the Chinese!

The Italians have for Theodore Roosevelt the same feeling of gratitude that he had for Italy. We admired and respected him living and we will admire and respect his memory that never will die. We urge all the Italians to give all they can to the funds that are being collected to keep as a "national historic monument" the house of Oyster Bay, where he lived.

The donations can be sent to the L'Italia office at 54 W. Harrison street, or to the Italian Chamber of Commerce at 1613 Masonic Temple in Chicago.

It would be a shame for the Italians not to be well-represented on the donors' list, thus showing all the gratitude we have for the man who respected and loved Italy.