The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1914-10-14
MANNING, S. c.. WEDNESDAY OCTOBER H. 1914
why ITALY IS OUT
AMERICAN EXPLAINS The CON-
DITEON OF AFFAlBS

| OkHsVN lkk U ARAVV
nation Within ITSELF
General Strike Is Feared if Ministry
Attempts to Force Italian Govern
ment Into War.-People Are De-
termined to Tend to Their Own
Internal Reforms.
Ex-Mayor George B. Mcclellan. of
New York, in the October number of
the Atlantic Monthly discusses the
situation of Italy in the present Euro
pean conflict. He says in part:
The Italian declaration of neutral
ity in the present war, coming as it
did most unexpectedly. was received
with varying emotions in the chancel-
leries of Europe.
While the exact terms of the Triple
Alliance have never been publicly an
nounced, the German-Austrian pro-
test was predicated on the assunlp-
tion that under them any two of the
allies were required to defend the
third in the event of an attack upon
the latter. Although Germany had
declared war against France, it was
held that certain alleged acts of ag-
gression committed by France conSti-
tuted an attack upon Germany with
in the meaning of the treaty Of al
lance.
To this protest, the Italian foreign
minister, the Marchese di San Giu-
liano, replied that the acts complain
ed Of had unquestionably been Offset
by similar acts on the part of Ger
many, and that, petty incidents aside,
the vital fact remained that Germany
had declared war against France,
which in the judgment of the Italian
government absolved Italy from TAX
ing any part in the war as member
of the Triplice. Signor Giolitti, the
former Italian prime minister, went
even further than this, and was quot
ed by the Italian newspapers as say
ing that in his judgment Italy would
have been perfectly justified as a
member of the Triple Alliance in re-
naming neutral, even had Germany
or Austria been actually and openly
attacked.
Proletaria Now Rules.
Until recently modern Italy, like
all self-governing countries during
the last half of the nineteenth CEN
tury, had been ruled by a middle
class aristocracy, bourgeois ruling
caste, composed Of merchants and
shopkeepers, lawyers, physicians and
other professional men. who by
means of a limited franchise were
able to exclude the vast majority Of
the people from any share in govern
ment. But the proletariat, so long
dormant. at last awakened to self
consciousness and to realization of
it's power, and the last Giolitti minis
try was forced to grant universal
manhood suffrage. The first election
under the changed conditions was
held last year and inaugurated new
era in Italian history.
Despite the growing prosperity OF
Italy the burdens of taxation have
been constantly growing. The cost
of the Triple Alliance has progressed
greatly during the last ten years.
The increased cost of living, due
to many causes other than increased
taxation, coupled with a dispropor-
tionately small increase in wages,
spread a spirit of great discomfort
throughout proletarian Italy, which
found it's first opportunity of effective
expression at the first election held
under universal suffrage.
1t was fortunate for Italy that
when her two allies, Germany and
Austria, went to war without con-
sulting her and with an unexpected
ness that has no parallel in history
she had at the head of her depart
ment Of foreign affairs one of her
few statesmen. The Marchese di San
Giuliano is a Sicilian, on the north
ern slope of Etna. He was trained
by Francesca Crispi and has had wide
experience in the chamber of depn-
ties, in diplomacy, in the department
Of foreign affairs and in the senate,
where he now sits.
Race Feeling Dominates.
But most potent of all the reasons
for the unpopularity of the Triple
Alliance is the racial fact. which
from the beginning of all time has
made it impossible for the Latin and
the Teuton either to understand or
like each other. Added to this is the
more recent but more intense hatred
of the Italians for the Austrians
Every Italian believes that the Tren-
tino and Trieste ought to belong to
Italy.
Economically the risk Of war was
greater than any possible gain. For
the first time in the history of mod
ern Italy she finds herself on a really
sound industrial basis.
Strong as we're the sentimental
and economic objections to following
the fortunes of the Triple Alliance,
the political objections were even
! more insuperable.
1t might even have been possible
to reconcile the bourgoisie to the nee
essary economic loss involved in an
unpopular war: but it is extremely
doubtful if Signore Salandra could
| have obtained the support of the pro-
letariat in a war waged against an
other Latin nation.
An Italy Within Titaly.
The general strike of last June, re-
| vealing as it did the marvellous Or
ganization and discipline of the Ital-
ian proletariat, demonstrated beyond
| peradventure the existence of an
Italy within Italy. of which until
then the rulers had been absolutely