Grand Forks daily herald. (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1914-1916, 1914-11-02
WILL ITALY Do? c. C0ATE,
FATHER OF GRAND FORKS MAN.
ANSWERS MUCH N00TED QUESTION

G: Conte. the father of Prof. Paola
Conte. of Wesley college of his city,
writes instructively of Italy's position
In h present European turmoil. His
artlcles, written in newspaper style,
nave been supplied to The Herald,
the first Of these following:
All the eyes of the political and
civil world are now turned to Italy
n her neutrality. everybody asks
what h will do. while all around
ne the annon rOars n the shrap-
neis hiss and the question is, what
will Italy do?"
In order to answer with the proba-
plllty II guessing, it is necessary to
remember some preceding facts and
this is what I intend to de- in this first
article.
Not for affinity of either thoughts,
nature or race but for diplomatic rea-
sons only, Italy was brought in alli-
ance with Germany and Austria. AS
everybody knows France helped us
in our war of independence against
Austria but Notwithstanding the fact
that we compensated her by giving
her the Savoy, the cradle of our dy-
nasty, and Nice. G%aribaldfs birth
place, Latin sister thought that
oreVer we would have to be morally
and automatically subject to her in
SEPARATIONS and will. AS almost every
body, h did not believe that our
national growth would be SO fast.
n thought we could not live with
out her protection and was. of course,
very much surprised and indignant
when We rebelled to this economic
and moral slavery denouncing our
commercial treaties. The fact that we
were able to find new markets to our
products and new friends elsewhere,
convinced Franco at last that we had
grown In age and strength. But while
she could no longer master us as in
the past, she began to look at us with
jealousy n as a rival power in the
dominion of the Mediterranean.
Germany drew advantage from his
state of things IL while she pushed
France to impose upon us, Ii opened
ner arms to receive Italy as a true
friend. The reader knows that Tunis
Is opposite the extremity of Sicily
and 1t was important for us to keen
any European power at a distance
from that locality. An agreement
was made between France and Italy
that neither Of them would occupy
that part Of Africa but France did not
keep her word and me day, ncour
aged by Bislnark she took it and
turned it into as great q stronghold
as she could. AS a reaction, for ne
cessity, therefore, we had to fall into
the arms of Germany.
Other reasons made this alliance
more necessary. We had the Roman
question and the pope was always
trying to embarass Italy, and France.
or course. endorsed the vatican policy
while we found moral help in Protest
ant Germany. Eve later, notwith-
standing the friendly spirit of Eng
land and Russia, it was always diff
1icult if not impossible to live in
friendly terms with France, always
jealous, very overbearing and whim-
sical. In our first and second war
in Africa h was always helping our
enemies, always pushing US to depend
more on II German friendship. Thus
the triple alliance was formed and
grew, not for spontaneous and sim
cere disposition of Italian soul but
for necessity. The alliance with Ger
many was sincere but with Austria,
it was only apparent and unnatural.
turtles under Austrian rule-those
who had seen the effects Of Austrian
oppression in Italy, their cruelty,
their abuse Of our property M our
women. were still living. Nor the
actual policy of tina country was such
to make us forget the past. Two
Italian regions are still under, Aus
- AolA ~ ~ Ia LII ~ ~ SAO W..
preston. 1t would be too long to re-
port some of the cases but perhaps it
would give you an idea of the Austrian
atmosphere of this day. to know that
only three or -four years ago, because
Il Methodist pastor dared to say the
Lords prayer at a funeral. he was
fined 40 crowns, i. e., $s-as he was a
Of the recognized churches of Aus
tria. However this cordial antipathy
between Italians and Austrians, if in
any other case it were sufficient rea-
son not to make the alliance. it was
in the hands'of clever diplomacy just
the reason to ally with her. In fact.
it was said that the best way to avoid
IL war between US was to make them
our allies.
From what I have said. it is clear
that our alliance was a diplomatic
not a cordial one. The effect of ne
ccssity not of free will. However. an
alliance is a contract and to contracts
we are bound if we like or do not
like. Why then is Italy not on the
in the next issue.
Why Italy is Not on the Battlefield.
There are formal and substantial
reasons Before all the treaty of the
triple alliance is not offensive; only
in case that one of the three powers
We're assaulted, the other two being
obliged to go to her defense. Such
was not the actual case as Germany
and Austria assaulted but were not
assaulted. Whatever effort was made
by them to demonstrate hat they
were forced to war was useless as facts
have proved the contrary. But this
not all. A frank and clear agreement
was made between Italy and Austria
hat neither of them would take n
political or military step in the balkan
states without previous knowledge and
agreement with the other. For too
long a time Austria had the ambition
to extend her power all through the
which of course would have secured
her both the entire control of the