The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-09-30
END OF FIRST YEAR OF
 TURCO-TTAIIAN WAR

Today is the first anniversary of the beginning Of the Turco-Ita1ian war, as it wac on Sept. 2S, 1911, that the Rome government officially an- nounced that Italy and Turkey were ''in a state Of war from half past two o'clock in the afternoon of to- day" AS 8 conflict between two con- siderable powers, armed with the lat est and most terrible engines of ces- truction, the war might be expect ed to furnish many thrills and to oc- cupy so large space on the front pages of the newspapers. Such has not been the case. On this side of the Atlantic the war was forgotten menced, and except for occasional paragraphs the press has given it little attention. To the majority of Americans the struggle between Turk has become as ancient history.
 While Italy has been fairly suc- speakable Turk have not been gained without expending blood and treasure. The latest casualty list issued this month by the Italian government and 7S3 soldiers have been killed since the beginning of the war. The Turkish losses have not been made public, but are probably not much larger than those of the enemy.
 The friends of peace find cause for hope even in the war. They point
 
 Iy interested there has beenno popu- lar interest in the conflict, and a1- Iege that this indicates that the mass es of the people of civilized nations are no longer interested in accounts of wholesale murder Public 1nd1f- ference to the so-ca1fed glories' of say the advocates of the international arbitration. No man will want to die for his country, they say, if his hero ism is to be dismissed with 8, mere 14 # 71~ka wapt advertisements. Even the Ital- ian press is not wildly enthusiastic over the. war, and 2 victory for Ital- ian arms fs not given as good position as a scandal or an election.
 Probably few people now remen- Der what the war was about It was announced that the declaration of war was @onIy the epilogue of a long ser ies of Vexations and abuses against Italy and Italians by the Ottoman governn ent.'' The seizure of the Ital- vacations Perhaps tF.e real reason wec that Italy coveted Tripoh for strategical purposes and also to pro- vide for her own expansion and feared that Germany Or some other nation would "see it first.'' The proximity would VI @ be disastrous to italy if fri poll became the possession of Ger many or Austria. Italy also had many subjects in TripoIi, and the pro
 
 Italy to take over, the country as her own.
 italy was muea better equipped on the sea than the Turks, and had not much trouble in landing her forces in Tripoh The subjects of the Su1- tan made a desperate resistance, but were overpowered by the trained troops of the invaders When in pos cession of the coast, Italy found her troubles just begun. The Arab tribes men commenced a ceries of night at taeks. and the Italians were practical ly bottled up within the Qualifications Of Tripoh. When Italy again got the upper hand hundreds of Arabs were captured. and all who were armed were irnmed lately shot. The first ina- portant naval engagement took place in January, when seven Turkish gum boats were sunk off the coast of Ara bia, wfisla the Italian wcrships escap- ed unScathed. AeroplEnes played an important part iH warfare for the first time during this conflict. The Italian censorship prevents the world from knowing what is really going on in TripoH, and newspaper corre- spondents find it impossible to send out anything unfayorab1e to Italy.