The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-11-11


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Italy is having a hard time of il in
Tripoli. The newspaper correspond
ents who get around tho censorship
hint that the army is not making
progress against the native opposition,
while it is thought in Co%nstantinoplt
that the desultory. guerilla like war
that the Arabs under Turkish leader
ship are making eau be maintained
for years; and now certain members
Of the British parliament have broken
loose in regard to the methods by
which Italy is conducting the war.
4 denial has been made hy the
Italian prime minister that these
methods are other than they; should
he. in. the matter Of killing women
and children and wounded men; but
following hard uppn his denial came
the dispatch i'll which an English Of
ticer. a certain Lieutenant Montagu.
nov serving with the Turkish forces
in Tripoli. gave.two instances IF dead
and mutilated bodies which he said
that he had seen. There are men in
parliament who think that they are
charged with the regulation of the
t1Jiu "a NISulniH ! w
European part Of it. and inevitably
these men asked Mr.. Asquith and Sir
Edward Grey If they would not do
something about these matters. The
answer given by these two members
of the British government was that it
was ill-advised to put questions iii Il
form Offensive To q friendly ma
ton"
We doubt that. this English lieuten-
ants Two: Instances are worth much
ss evidence. Tie says that in one case
I'VE discovered the bodies Of some
one hundred and twenty women and
children with their hands and feet
bound. mutilnted. pierced and torn"
and that in the. other case found
q mosque filled With bodies of women
and children. .mutilated almost be-
You'd recognition" The incredibility
Of this rests upon the reputed fact
that tho Italian troops are kept busy
fighting men. and upon the evident
fact that such proceedings. would
only infame the Arabs to tiercer hos
tility. There were Italians in the six
tctnth century VINO would commit
such atrocities. hut no nam Of ease
believes that the modern Italian is
capable of such horrible work. The
house Of Savoy has been chivalrous
and humane from, the outset Of their
fine career. and there is nothing in
the life of the present king or of his
we'll disciplined army to support such
infa NOUS accusations.
At the same time We have no doubt
that some women and children have
been killed in ,Triroli. The Arabs are
the main opponents Of the Italians.
and the Arabs are primitive men.
When they. 90 t . war they do not go
put to disable their enemies. but to
kill them. Most of them know moth
ing of the modern rules of war. and
all Of them would laugh these rules
10 scorn il they did know about them.
The Hague conference and the Brus-
sells regulations are outside Of their
life. Their notion of war is the same
rs that held by David. who, after
ne had seen Goliath fall. ran. and
stood d. upon. the Philistine. and took
his sword; and drew it out Of the
sheath thereof. and slew him, and cut
off his head Herewith" 1t is pre-
cisely in this spirit that the Arabs
arc fighting the Italians today. With
out machine guns or other modern
instruments Of Val. they try to make
up for these Deficiencies by a per-
sonsl courake that knows no limits.
Under their code everything is fair
that aids them to kill their enemies.
Now in case an Arab undertakes to
fight from his own house. as has been
the case in Tripoli. his wife is there.
N his children. If he. has any, are.
there, too. and they all fight, when 1t
ONE to close quarters. to tho best
Of their varied ability. Boys and girls
ten or twelve years old are pretty
we'll grown up in that climate, and
an Arab woma who. did not help
her husband or father in such an en-
ergency would be an outcast as long
as she lived. Under these conditions
We have no doubt that women and
children have been killed in Tripo,i
during these recent weeks. They
have been a part of the opposing
force which the italian troops have
had to overcome II they were to stay
there at all. The Italian prime min
lister .~went:tee~far. when he said that
nothing Of this kind had occurred,
and Tits English lieutenant goes too
fer when he talks about "a mosque
filled with bodies of women and chill
dren.' The humiliation story is prob
ably mere dime novel characterization,
except go far as all death in open fight
makes the victim of II unpleasant to
look upon. The truth lies between
these W versions. although we are
confident. that the Italians have killed
ro in mere w%antonness or brutal
ity, but only under those difficult
conditions where one has to decide on
the moment between killing others
or heins killed.