Grand Forks daily herald., 1914-09-04
Italy Ready to Cast Its Lot
With Allies; Believed That Pact
Has Been In Existence Some Time
(By John callan o'Laueblin !

(By John Callan O'Laughlin.)
Washington, Sept. 4.-That an
agreement exists between Italy and
the triple entente, made up of Great
Britain. France and Russia, is estab-
lished to the satisfaction of diplomats
by information they hae received.
Great Britain has given Italy 40.-
900 tons of coal for the use Of the
Italian fleet. Additional supplies are
will be that Italy will be able, when
the moment Tor her intervening
comes. to use her fleet against the
Austrian and Turkish navies.
The French fleet in the Mediterran-
can thus will be relieved of the ne
cessity of bottling up the Austrian
men -of-war and can be shifted to the
North sea.
The union of the British and the
mendous force will be stationed off
the German coast and enable offen-
sive operations against the harbors
within which the German navy is ly-
ing ready for action.
Five More Powers to Fight.
The exact nooma ant. .awnen Italy is to
throw in her fortunes with the entente
is not knon, but itj is predicted that 1t
will be soon. There is not the Slight
est question either in official or diplo-
matte circles that Italy will join i'll the
conflict
Similarly. there is no question that
Turkey and Bulgaria will operate with
Germany and Austria.
Turkeys entrance into the struggle
will be the signal for action by Greece.
Self-defenSe will compel Roumania to
participate; her alliance with Russia
and Italy is undoubted
Italy's course of action is clear. The
principal work she will have to per-
form is to invade Austria. which ad-
joins her frontier, and to dispose of
the Austrian fleet!
At the same time it is conceivable
that some of Italy's army corps will be
sent to reinforce. the French and
British battling in the neighborhood
of Paris. This will be a secondary
movement. however. as the attack by
Italy on Austria will compel the lat
ter to withdraw from the German
army operating in France the two
corps which at the beginning of the
kaiser.
Austria in Grave Danger.
Assailed by Russia from the east
and by Italy from the west, Austria
| will have to fight for her life 1t will
be impossible for her to aid Germany;
indeed, it will be incumbent on the
latter to assist her ally.
/ Through the operations of Turkey
which undoubtedly will endeavor tc
send its principal army into southern
Russia, the pressure on Austria will
tent. Turkey also will be able to send
troops to assist Bulgaria In the op.
erations of the Sofia government
against Servia.
Turkeys participation in the con.
| f1ict. however is believed to be toe
late to be effective, because Of the
near approach of winter The English
are not greatly concerned over the
threat of Turkey to invade Egypt
though something of the kind viii be
attempted.
A glance at the map Of Europe will
explain more clearly than words why
Germany arranged before the war fol
the participation of the Turks and the
Bulgarians in the strife.
Austria Is In grave danger of being
invaded by armies from three coun.
tries whose boundaries Join her own
Russia in Galicia, Servia in Hungary
Slavonia and Bosnia, and Italy in the
Austrian Tyrol.
Bulgaria can attack Servia from
the east and such Austrian troops a.
can be spared can perform like ser.
vice from the north and west
Turkey can send her troops through
Bulgaria into proximity to the Rou-
manian frontier hence they can be
transported to southern Russia BY
transports, provided the Turks gain
command Of the Black sea.
The Russian feet is superior in ma
terial to that of Turkey even with the
reinforcement Of the latter by the
German battle cruiser Goeben and the
protected cruiser i Breslau, which
sought refuge from the British and
French men-of-war in the Darda-
nelles. If the Turks should be unable
to send troops across the Black sea
probably they will invade Roumania
and In that way seek to gain access
to Russia. Still another way would
be for them to dispatch troops by way
OF Asia Minor; but an army to get al
Russia from this direction would be
forced to cross the Caucasus noun.
tatns, and only comparatively small
force would be required to hold them
in check.
holy War; Is Forecast.
For the Turks TO get into the con-
fiict would be to make the, war a
holy war" indeed to the Russian
peasants. Reports have been pub
lished as to the popularity Of the
struggle because the people believe
they are fightinE for the Slavic race.
There Is no doubt about the popu-
larity OF the RUSSO Turkish war Of
nearly forty years ago, largely because
q the TACT that the Russiana were