January 6, 1926
Prefect Mori,
During my trip to Sicily, I said in a public square, in front of a large crowd of cheering people, that it was necessary to free the Sicilian population from rural delinquency and from the "Mafia". I see that after the purge of the province of Trapani, Your Excellency has continued the same work beautifully in the Madonie. I express my deep and highest satisfaction and urge you to continue to this end, and to get to the root of the matter, regardless of any feelings. Fascism, which has freed Italy from many wounds, will cauterize—with fire and sword, if necessary—the wounds of crime in Sicily. Five million hard-working and patriotic Sicilians must not be further harassed, extorted, robbed and dishonored by a few hundred criminals. This problem needs to be solved and will be solved. I authorize Your Excellency to make this dispatch public in local newspapers.
MUSSOLINI
