Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-09-25
NEUTRALITY IS
DESIRE Of THE
ITALIAN PEOPLE
Possible Defeat of Their Allies
Said to Cause More or Less
Open Rejoicing
IBy Latest NALL

by LATEST 11dlll
LoNDoN.-Th attitude of Italy to.
ward the war Is analysed by the cor
respondent Of the Morning Post in
Rome. He says: The vast mass of
the people, the manufacturing and
commercial classes, and especially
those Of Lcmbardy and Venetia, which
have known the Austrian yoke, de-
sires neutrality and most Italians re-
ioiee more or less openly at the pos
sible defeat of their allies.
The king, the premier, Signor Sa,
landra; the colonial minister, Signor
Ferdinando Martini, and their col
leagues, following them are under
stood to be in favor of neutrality.
upon which the premier is said to
have insisted.
ut may be, perhaps assumed that
the Marquis di San 'Giulian0, minister
CT foreign affairs, whose pronouncedly
Austrophil antecedents may have led
Austrian and German statesmen to be-
lieve in Italy's Intervention on their
behalf, has the same views as his
chief.
Intervention Sought.
But party in the army, and es-
peciAlly In the general staff. whose
new chief, General Cadorna, is believ-
ed to be convinced triplicist, is work
ing for intervention. on behalf of Aus
tria and Germany. At the foreign of.
fee some four or FIVE influential af-
ficials are said to take the same line.
and the Duke dsAyarna, the Italian
ambassador In Vienna since 1904, is
probably at heart Austrophil.
Should that party. however, which
is improbable. gain the upper hand,
Signor Salandra would resign, and
some believe that there would then
be such a manifestation of public IN
dignation. especially in the north, that
the most serious effects might ensue.
No Italian wants war with Great Brit.
ain, Italy's best friend; few Italians
would wish to run the risk of seeing
Libya and the $1,000 soldiers therein
cut OF, as they then would be, from
Communication with and supplies from
Italy. A nation which has North Az
rican colony can scarcely be on hos.
tile terms with Great Britain and
France.
Italy has had her temptations /
am told that Austria has generously
offered her other peoples territory
Tunisia and Valona-in return for her
aid-as well as the Trentino. which is
Austrian territory. but Italian by
speech and race.
Another Alternative.
But besides the alternative of neu-
trality or Intervention in behalf Of
Austria, there Is also the possibility
of intervention against Austria. and
that is not improbable, should Austria
occupy the Montenegro strategical po.
sition Of Mt. Lovtchen. which, domi-
mates the Bocche di Cattaro and in
Austrian hands would be a menace to
the Adriatic equilibrium. Hence it is
that the Austrian naval and military
operations in Montenegro are so anx.
iously followed here, especially as
Italy - has great interests in
that country.
Italy has an absolutely clear legal
case for not following her allies They
never warned her of their intentions;
they treated her with scant courtesy,
and never consulted her opinion. The
present German foreign minister. who
was ambassador here, was no friend
OF hers; the Austrian General Barren
Conrad Won Hotzendorff. mediated at
lacking her; during the Lbyan war
Austrian hindered her operations on
the Albanian and Epirote coasts and
the Duke Of the Abruzzi was recalled
thence to the disgust of the nation.
The fact is" concludes the cores
pendent, "that the alliance with Aus
tria, always an unnatural enc in the
eyes Of aliens, has broken down un-
der the stress of hard facts"
Prize courts are said to have been