The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-05-22
Italy's Plans Advanced and
Only a Formal Dec1ara-
ton Is Awaited
ATTACKS ON AUSTRIA
FROM ALL SIDES
Are Expected to Be Made-Austrians
Withdraw Troops from Frontier, AT
ter Destroying Bridges, Telegraph
and Telephone Lines.

LONDON, May pa state of war now
virtually exists between Italy and her
former allies, Austria and Germany, al
though no formal declaration has been
made
The final legislative step before the con
fict was taken by the Italian government
yesterday, when the senate indorsed the
action Of the chamber in granting the gov
ernment extraordinary powers in the
event of war, for which the whole country
appears to be enthusiastic. The Salandra
ministry was expected to meet at once
and draft a declaration of war.
Huge forces are massed at strategic
points on both sides of the frontier. and
the Swiss hear that Germany is sending
large bodies of men south to aid her ally.
All navigation has been stopped on the
Adriatic
Simultaneously with the expected advent
Of Italy into the war, Servias reconstruct
ed army, having recovered from the cam
paign which resulted in the Austrians be-
ing driven from Servia, and been newly
armed and equipped, has begun a march
toward the Austrian border, bent on an
other invasion Of Austrian territory
Austria will thus be attacked from all
sides, and she has still another enemy,
Roumania, in prospect, for it has been an
open secret for a long time that Italy and
Rouamnia have an agreement to act IL
concert.
Roumania, however, is awaiting the con
.clusion of an agreement with Greece and
Bulgaria, which are also expected to join
the allies, before she takes up arms.
The demands for compensation, terri
torial and otherwise, of Roumania, Bu
4 n
arrangement, according to persons IN Lon
don who are we'll informed just at pres
ent the excessive claims, first put forward
by these States, are being cut down.
A despatch from Brescia saws that tn,
Austrians evidently consider that stat,
Of war already exists between the dua
monarchy and Italy. The Austria1fs hav,
withdrawn their troops and custom
guards from the frontier at Ponte Caffar,
and Lodrone, after destroying the bridges
telegraph and telephone lines and tn
electric light apparatus. Other bridges OF
the frontier have been mined.
| A despatch to the Havas agency iron
Uldine says that the Austrian militar.
authorities today, after returning Italian
mail sacks to Italy from the Austrian from
tier, cut the telegraph communications ant
also removed rails from the railroad line
| From Chiasso, Switzerland, comes wor
! that there are large accumulations of Aus
! trian troops in the upper valley of tn
Adige river and the Schulden valley, com
! ing from Innsbruck, and also at Glurns
They are accompanied by many Germar
officers.
Geneva also reports that correspondent
on the eastern frontier Of Switzerlan
state that Austrian and German force:
with heavy artillery, have been concer
trated at Trent, Bozen, and Meran. Nov,
ments Of considerable bodies of troops al
reported from Munich.
The theory is advanced in Geneva tina
Germany and Austria expect to brea
through the italian frontier defenses an
carry the fighting into Italian TERRITORY
Italian troops are massed in great nun
bers, however, along the same front.
Advices from the Italian frontier, "
Chiasso, comment on the secrecy wit
which the Italian military authorities al
guarding the movement Of troops.
1t is known, nevertheless, the despatc
goes on, that some 100000 soldiers hay
ibeen concentrated on the coast of 1tal
across the Adriatic from Albania. The
troops are at Brindisi, Bari, and Foggi