The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-10-08
CRESPPS ''MEMOIRS''
 THROW A NEW LIGHT
 ON TRIPLE ALLIANCE


 Four years from this month, Oct, 4, 1919, Italy will celebrate the cen tenary of one of it's most distinguished statesmen, Francesca Crispi. long power in Italian politics as president l, of the Chamber of Deputies, Minister of the Interior, and Prime Minister Anticipating that =aannivresary, the Memoirs of Francesca Crispi''-a volume containing extracts from diary and letters which were never i'm tended for publication-has recently appeared, and it throws a, new light on the formation and operation of the Triple Alliance, of which Crispi was a stauneh defender.
 In the history of '"weItpoIftitil'' there have been few strangers or more unnatural alliances than that effected in 1882 between Germany, Austria and Italy The Dreibund was the re- suit of Bisnarck's fear and hatred of France, and the Iron chancellor look ed upon it as the great achievem ent of his career, enabling him to realize his ideal of a friend1ess France" That astute statesman must have known, however, that Italy and her hereditary enemy, Austria, could not forever dwell together in amity. What hap pened last year, when Italy withdrew from the alliance at the first, shock of war, was what all close students of
 
 Every patriotic Italian was ready and willing to fight against Austria, but to fight as her alIy-never! sz
 It was the fear of France which led Italy to yield to Bismarck's b1andish- mems ard join in the Triple Alliance. now forever disintegrated. The rela- tions. between France and Italy reach ed critical point in 1881. because of the occupation of Tunfs. In 1888 a tariff war between the two countries added to the tension, and made it se~nl desirable that Italy. continue her alliance with Austria afld Germany. It waslnot until after, the fall of Crispi that the relations between France and Italy were estabiished : 9rlaaas fTsere friendly. basis. Tn 1898 the tariff troubles were ended by a commercial treaty By ye1901, the year of Crispi's death, the Italian stateman was able to foresee the end of the alliance h e had helped to Sperp etuate,s for in that year the two great Latin nations re ached an agreement regarding their respective spheres of influence in northern Africa France with drew all opposition to Italian pSojects in Trip oli,a. while Italy agreed t>zegive France a free hand in Morocco. T1n 1103A the Italian monarch paid "a state visit ss.to Paris, and President Loubet returned the compliment by visiting Rone,.re- gard1ess of the oppositio | of the Vati- can At about the same time Edward VII. paid an official visit to the French president. and the stage was set for the new alignment of the powers In the A1geciras conference in 1906, Italy which was also backed by Great Brit | ain and Russia, and had the support of the United States.
 All of these straws must have made 1 plain to the Teuton diplomats the di- l rection in which the wind was blow 1 T. 4 Central European powers could place upon Italy. Long before the Triple took it's pnedestined part in | the history of the past. it was consid- cred. by Germaany and Austria as well as by ItaIy,s as only scrap of | most in need of help, Austria and Ger many gave her nothing but sympathy | -- kindly words which, stbuttered no parsnips''
 Tn his stMemoirs,'' Crispi wrote in ! 1877 that he feared France, and dis J ship. q believe the Republicans. but l [ doubt the reactionists,' he wrote, and it was the latter he feared would | control the destfnies of the country.
 Of thef alliance with Germany and Austria, Crispi wrote: This was the | first. step toward the casting off of iso- Iation, toward scattering the war clouds that had oppressed us.''' Crispi I was disappointed as to the immediate | results of the alliance and wrote: ssAt l Vienna and Berlin the doubts that had | been raised by past events were not < yet dispelled. Our loyalty in fulfilling | the obligations we had assumed was still a matter of doubt. Meanwhile l our country still stood alone in the defense of her own interests. "
 Crispi,s diary contains many inter | esting entries. Of Russia he wrote in 1887 that she occupies a privileged | position, enabling her to tassa1 her European enemies, who can with diff 6Sulty assaiI her., He added: Rus sia is therefore free to choose the.I hour that suits her best for declaring. |; war. Russia little cares whethe eIsl or no France redeem Alsace and Lor-s raine. I might even say that it is to her. advantage that 5France and Ger many should remain unreconciled.'
 At about the same period Crispi wrote:
 ''As for Austria, she is certainly al-l ways an obstacle in Russia's way, when she is not her friends. Austria and Russia are rivals in the East. Austria cannot allow Russia to reach