Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-21
old HATRED FEEDS
ITALIAN WAR SPIRIT
AGAINST AUSTRIA
People, Yearning to Recover
Lost Provinces and Avenge
Ancient Wrongs, Resent
the Governments Neutral
Policy.
BY LINDSAY BAsHFoRD
,,...o.,ondent of the London Daily Mail.
LOliSSf nrrrANr SnnA Of

-Fieht? OF cou-Se we shall fight! We
.nsr, heat the Austrians once for all and
.r,n hack the Trentino and Trieste. Then
,,,,,, will be united. Ard" added the
"a ,nnl,eeper 1--WE shall be helping the
rno,,sh. That's what we mean to do"
nUe shall help the English" score
=, .srer Italian voices echoed the inn
t.eper's words In variety Of rough yet
vivid Italiap dialects d,
etranRe lot we were-we who had
s.sr dumped down at Cormons, tiny
s.,stons town on the Austro-1ta'ian from
S.r et o'clock ir the, morning from
~ Austrian troop trajn quarter of a
rnils long that lay nov in its siding like
an enormous dead spake MoVly italian
smirrants from Trieste end the neighhor-
INC oourtry--a dirty, vlolent-iooklng pic
tnrasoue orsvl And-to be eyed curiously
the Bnslisbman who had travelled all
an, way from Vienna. for two nights and
sro days IN the long troop train, crawling
along a line sternly guarded by soldiers
s,nder orders to fire on the slightest sus-
ncion. He was glad, this Englishmah,
n meet glances that were not bitterly
hostils and to be able to sit down for
friendly talk with the plump innkeeper.
AIM TO AID BRITISH.
And that was the burden of all their
Ausy claraor, as the hours passed and
Oh. slow of dawn damped the search
lights into ineffective pallor. "Of course
ma sball fight We shall beat the Aus
t,ians once for all, just as the English
will beat the Germans
II this I said to myself, Is what these
exi,es feel what will be the attitude of
italy herself?
Il was to find this out that I had come
TO italy. The position of Italy, this neu-
trality that spelled the collapse of the
Triple Alliance, that bogey of European
politics Cor half n generaton-all this was
we'll worth looking into A dozen issues
hung on this one; the movements of fleets
IN the Mediterranean, the safety Of" tht
routes Of the Far East, the attitude of
turkey and of Greece! What did this
neutrality mean? If Italy so boldly
risked breach with her great colleagues
Germany and Austria, what did she hope
to gain?
Young Italian officer at the railway
station at Udine put the matter clearly
10 me. "Do you think they can hold
back public opinion much longer? Here is
4 nation burning to fight and to
fight the Austrians."
ITALIANS MOBILIzED.
The station was thronged with Italian
soldiers who had just clambered out of
their trains and were awaiting orders
10 march to the great camps even now
forming round Udine-very near mat
frontier! The young officer waved his
hand towards them.
We've an army here" he sald his gay
young eyes full of enthusiasm. I'VE
haven't modified for fun"
Everyone in Venice talked of the war.
4 tl,.at
of the Cormons innkeeper: "Of course we
shall fight. We never liked that Triple
Alliance. We shall trounce the Austrians
We shall help those strong. determined
Englsh-that wonderful MILFORD kitche-
ner!'
Yes-t was clear enough. people
burning to fight. Ancestral hatreds stirr-
Ing! Old friendships revived.
In Rome the politicians said:
Italy has broken no promises. Her
honor Is intact If the treaty has been
torn up It has not been torn up by Italy
Austria plunged into the war with Servia
without consulting us; we did not even
gee the famous Note sent by Austria to
Belgrade which has set the world on fire.
At the very outset Austria broke faith
with us.
Then Germany. thinking the moment
slnguarly suitable, dragged a reluctant
and dismayed Austria with her into a
Italy, And this too was in direct breach
OF the pledges of the Alliance No, indeed
by declaring neutrality italy acted with
great self-contrOl and certainly against
pubic opinion. Give her credit for that"
And the partial mobilzation?" I asked.
necessarily for safety" was the reply
perhaps with sly smile. 1--WE have a
considerable force at Udine and another
III reserve at Verona. Troops are centred
upon Como because, to be frank, we fear
mat Austria may act with Switzerland
rs Germany with BELGIUM: may disregard
swiss neutrality and pour troops into
the Lombardy plain by the Swiss passes
ana the Lake Of Como. Then well-equip-
PED landing forces south of Venice, at
AhcOna, Mt Bari, at Brindisi, are ready |
10 cross the Adriatic."
VIII the neutrality last?"
Already" was told Italy is suffer- |
,ns heaVily because of this war. Trade |
u az a standstill, Sooner or later Italy |
must claim compensation for what she |
mas oeen forced to lose. But she will |
ony take up arms with a sufficient pre-
SHh TO fepel pTovocation to ignore |
"T,eh 1. would be national humiliation"
insh talked with the great historian |
" home, Guglielmo Ferrero. He lives in |
q Nltie Piedmont mountain village, a sim
t PIE ana studious life, but he has come
!" Milah impatient to learn of the war
s silu 10 see the war spirit i'm the eyes of |
ms eountrymen.
\ new RisorSimento," he cried Italy |
ir M ser again, with England champion of |
,nsrty' .ty' All, there is one thing the cynic
Sn.a.eSinen who hurl nations into war
never reckon with"
ana that is?'' ! asked.
Patriotism"
,,I..! ! thought of England today-and