The Washington herald., 1911-12-09
ON
TIMELY TOPICS

TIMELY TOPICS
Nemesis. like the mills of the gods, is
slow, but already she seems at the heels
of Italy. Signs multiply that the gov
eminent of Victor Emmanuel already is
| in sore straits. If any one had told the
! Italian cabinet that eight weeks after
| they had declared war their army and
navy would have failed completely TO
possess themselves of an inch of Trip0li
| that was not commanded by the guns OF
their fleet, they would have laughed him
to scorn. The whole affair, like. in 1870
| the excursion of the French army to
| Berlin" was ito be over in a week." and
! there would be no war only AN occu-
patton that would practically be unop-
posed" Therefore. Italian statesmen
smiled over the suggestion that their
country should appeal to The Hague
Tribunal, though, as a matter of fact,
Italy was one of the most enthusiastic
signatories to that convention. l even
read in "Fanfulla" the other day this
sarcastic utterance: What has arbitra-
ton to do with an incident already
Closed?"
So the Italian leaders spoke the first
week of October At this writing, 35,COl
Italian troops Cthis is a true statement,
seeing that it was published in the GiornO
del Populo, of Romeo are penned in like
rats in a cage, in a cholera smitten
camp with the desert on one side and
the Mediterranean Sea on the other.
More than this. the conquering hosts of
the invading army and besieged within
hastily constructed defenses.
Four miles OF barbed-wire entangIe-
ments, earthworks. and brick walls have
been thrown up to prevent the Turks and
the Arabs rushing the town. BY day and
by night the ironclads pound the desert
with nine-inch shells. Never a sun sets
or rises but the wearied, harassed de
tenders await with dread fresh attack
from the intrepid sons of the desert
who, in defiance of all maXims of mill
tary science are constantly attacking
with numerically inferior forces a much
larger army in possession of a fortified
town, with a secure base on the sea.
The advance into the desert, We are
told, IS now postponed until the spring.
Meantime cholera, bred of the unburied
cOrpses of the victims OF the great mas
sacre, is avenging the slain. And just
to afford Europe, Asia, and Africa this
edifying spectacle of military impotence.
the Italian eXChequer is spending two
millions sterling a week.
Under these circumstances the Italians
are finding themselves in sore straits.
That was inevitable. But I was not pre-
pared to hear the Italian press Squeal so
soon. There is. however, no installing
the significance of the CorrIery della
Sera'S insolent demand that the powers
should come to her rescue. Italy having
undertaken a task that is beyond her
strength, the powers are now lectured
as to their duty to help her to comnlete
the garroting Of Turkey so that Italy
may be able TO carry off her booty.
For sheer insOlence this demand beats
tho record. Italy, TO the extreme in
convenience of her "Dreibund" allies and
To the detriment Of the interest of her
friends, has tramplcd underfoot thu pub
lie law OF Europe in order to grab Ma
boths vineyard. which she imagined she
had only to stretch out her hand to seize.
Naboth, however, has proved more than
a match for his adversary. The Italians
can only squat on the edge of his prop
erty, and fling shells into the land they
had hoped to occupy and possess. Now,
when the grim truth begins to break in
upon the Italian mind, the press sets up
an arrogant howl for tine other powers
to intervene.
Indeed, there Is good reason for the
powers to intervene, but not to the bid
ding of Italy. Intervention is urgently
called for to vindicate the public law of
Europe, to repCl a lawless aggression
upon the territory which all the powers
have guaranteed. and to investigate and
punish the violation of The Hague rules
of land war. 1t is safe to say that if
there is any intervention it will be one
in this sense only. But, of course, that
is not what the Italians want.
They buster and tell the powers that
II they do not compel Turkey to hand
over the swag (which this international
Demands the said high
wayman will proceed to make things in
convenient for the whole of Europe. 1t |
IS true that at the beginning of the war
they pledged themselves to con1ne their
operations to North Africa and to the |
defense of the Italian coast. 1t was on
That pledge that Great Britain proclaimed |
her neutrality, and when that pledge |
ceases to be observed that neutrality |
ought to terminate also.
But the Italians argue that by carry
ng the firebrand of war into the heart |
IF that packed powder magazine known |
Is the Ottoman Empire they can produce !
IN explosion that will injure all their |
leighbors; therefore, threatening to COM
nit this crime. they can compel the
lowers to coerce Turkey to give up
rripoli. Now there are some crimes
which even the British foreign office will
shrink from committing. and one Of
hese is the use of the British fleet to
lelp an invader whose strength has
allied to complete the spoliation of a
friendly power whose dominions the
reaty of Berlin had guaranteed
The only importance of this arrogant
attempt to dictate to the powers lies in
he evidence which 1t affords that the
Italians are beginning 10 realize that they
lave undertaken a task beyond their
strength. They have bitten OF more
han they can chew In Tripon. They are
ceiling themselves whipped and are cry
ng out to the powers to come to the
escue and accomplish for the benefit of
tally the deed of spoliation which her
wn strength is unable to accomplish.
Italy has presumed too much upon the
'atience and forbearance of the world.
The has entered upon a career of mad
overture which will land her in bank
uptcy, revolution. and possible disrup-
lon. She now begins to realize what
ahead of her, and shrieks to the powers
0 extricate her from the situation she
as created, by helping her to plumber
he victim whom she has assailed. Il
The long list OF chief secretaries of Ire
md since the passing of the "Act Of II