The Washington herald., 1912-05-26
News Gossip of Interest
From Across the Ocean Blue

Cr.aDl the famous IlailAn statesman.
n 1iS rnsroiru. iust published. sheds
herstoforsi unknown fsht upon certain
phases of the Drelbund. which have en
important bearing upon the present war
IN Tripoli and the Aegean Sea and
therefore. are oe eontemporAneops m
tsrest
10 begin with. Il ought 70 be under
stood thai crispl was ans-German IN hi.
IDEAS ana politics. Hence, Il VIII not be
surprising 70 hear him say that Italy, IN
his estimation. had little cause for grati-
tnde toward the dominant partrer
81 tha TrIpls AlIiance, and that there
ought 70 De no, ground for reproach Il
Victor Emmanuel we're TO seek otner
Affiliations without regard to the
Kaisar'B wishes.
crIspl tells us now. all the actora In
the drama being dead. that ~ far back
as 1883 ne discussed with Herbert Bis
marcl. the shabby manner IN which his
father. the iron Chancellor. had treated
Italy IN the Tunis afiair. by ENCOURAGING
and even aiding % France 70 seize that
territory On which crispi Il absolutely
wrong, as no Frenchman. 20 short q
time after the terrible defeat at the
hands Of Germany. would allow himself
20 Be AIDED" BY the arch-enemyl. Also
that Germany had sanctioned the
strengthening OF Austria,a position lin
the Adrlatic, putting on Italy with mere
promises OF territorial compensatton. AZ
far as concerns the latter accusation. II
ought 70 be taken Into cousideration
that italy. a. wen as Austria. were CO.
signatories Win Germany 10 the Triple
Alliance, and that an that was planned
and done was attempted ana accom-
plished for the good Of the alliance as
a whole Then how could Italy object 70
having her ally strengthen her position,
which was as much open 70 an attack
by the Turks AZ Italy's shores? Which
goes to show that Crispf is not sincere,
but tries even at this late day. to sow
dissension between allied powers
Nor Il Is beIieveabie what Crispi says
the reply OF Count Herbert Bismarck had
been 20 this lmputation- He did not de-
ny the impeachment, but explained IL by
saying that It had been his fathers
plan 70 50 involve France in an African
exploit. so as 10 distract her attention
from European ahaira" II such was the
idea Of Bismarck. he was not circumspect
TO have II become known. Such asin-
unity Is not compatible with what We
know Of tire Iron ChancelIors character
ana diplomacy. Nor would his son have
Efven Il away. for Herbert Bismarck. We
all remember. was an exceedingly shrewd
diplomat.
True enough. Bismarck may have had
such thoughts, but II he did, was he
under the impression that his French
diplomatic mates were fools? Theirs and
the rest OF them could see around a
stone wall or through ons as well as
Bismarck, and they knew as well as he
did that. being so embroiled. France
could not hinder Germany from strength
sning her position without let or hind
rance on the part Of the new and strug-
Cling republic.
Crispi however, takes II for granted
and goes on to prove his assertion by
the unqualified statement that Germany
owes her military pre-eminence 10 the
expedition OF France. Certainly
not a compliment to the sagacity OF her
statesmen. The fact OF the matter Is,
that CTispl. when premier. was the one
10 strongly advocate an expansion policy
toward Tripoi and that all his life he
remained sore that ne was not able nor
his country strong enough to- carry this
out s.Ftff "A
His defeat IN the chamber and resiEna-
tion in 1891 postponed the planting Of the
banner Of Italy on the farther shore of
the Mediterranean. Recalled TO ONCE In
1888, Crisprs rule was that OF a dictator.
He dealt with the Sicilian disturbances
by martial law, he prosecuted Republi-
cans and Socialists alike relentlessly, and
finally plunged his unfortunate country
into the fatal Abyssinian enterprise which
resulted in the disaster OF Adowa and
drove him permanently out OF public life.
No wonder he has ever since nursed a
Crouch" and as he cannot put the blame
Of his downfall upon Germany, he at