Evening star., 1915-03-21
ITALY FACING A SERIOUS PROBLEM

Florence and Vienna discussed the hys-
pothesis of a possible defensive triple
entente against Prussia .(is6S-lS7pl
there arose the question OF the mission
OF Gen. Turr and the friendly cessfon
OF Irentin by Austria. After the Russo
Iurk war diplomats would make a new
map of Europe. and many Italians In
duiged the hope that there might be
redemption of irredente lands, or at
least a rectification of frontiers The
attributton of Bosnia Herzegovina to
the trredentist question received re-
newed impulse. July IA. 1873, the So
cieta Italia 1rredenta held great
meeting at Naples under the presidency
OF Gen; Avezzana and voted the follow
ing order of the day:
The intrigues and violence of the
congress of Berlin cannot efface the
frontiers traced by ma
MeellngS In ture. Italy. strong In
profes+ her right and desirous
to maintain her dignity
protests against the exterior policy OF
the italian ministry and writes IT on
the submits of the Rhetic and Julian
Alps and over the gates OF Trieste and
Like meetings were held at Milan.
Genoa. Florence. Bologna and Ra
VIENNA, and a meeting at Rome. presid-
ed over by Menotti Garabaldi. voted
an order OF the day condemning The
violation of the principle OF national
ties by the plenipotentiarics at Ber-
lin.
Austria, feeling herself menacec.
maSsed her troops on the frontier and
her ambassador, interrogated. replied
Austria takes her precautions against
all possible eventualities" The oficia
journals of Vienna referred to the ma
neuvers then taking place in the Tyrol
as IAN admonition."
The occupation of Tunis In 1881 serv-
ed to lessen for the time popular feel
ing against Austria and turn 1t agatnst
France. Not able to live as friends
with Austria, Italy decided to try al
alliance with Austria. The occupation
of Tunis, in fact, became the immediate
cause of Italy's adhesion to the triple
alliance.
This alliance has been shaken by
many storms. The morning after tn"
conclusion of the triple alliance stu
dent at Trieste: member Of the ITALIA
irredenta," Guillaume Oberdank. resolv
ed to sacrifice himself to the cause or
irredentism. which he felt was being
neglected. His attempt upon the life
of Francis Joseph failed, but his exc
cution gave renewed life to the society
and Oberdank became a martyr. Victor
Hugo signed plea for his pardon to
Francis Joseph. and Carducci. the poet.
wrote an ode to him.
The revival of irredentism. inter-
rupted for brief intervals. has def
nitely resumed its
Revival of sway over the Italian
rr-.d.,+;.r patriotic mind. The
liberal party. which
for a fact is solidly irredentist. has
SO strong and united as 20
elect all its candidates at Trieste. The
government at Vienna has attempted
to array the Slav inhabitants against
the Italian, and this policy had
temporary success, but recently a rap
prochement between Slav and Italian
and the union of the two against the
Germans has entirely defeated the plan
and resulted in the coalition of Italian
and Slav against the Austro-German
lrredentism was blocked for a while
under the ministries or Depretis ana
Crispi, but since then it has resumed
its sway, because irredentism is an eX
of a national aspiration. In
1899 Ricciotti Garibaldi was offered the
presidency of the National Irredentist
League, and. writing his acceptance.
said:
Not only I accept but I thank you.
You will permit me to take part in a
holy work abandoned so long. to the
shame of the Italian people. mean
that the unity of our country is not
yet terminated. and will he only wheIl
the Italian flag floats over Trieste and
Trentin."
The Tyrol counts more than million
Inhabitants. and two-fifths OF these ar"
Italians located in the south. tn
100000 Italians. is bound administra-
lively to northern Trentin. peopled eN
clusively by Germans The first de
mand of the Italians of the Trentin.
who call themselves Tridentini. was
the right to govern themselves and
not to follow laws and regulations
passed by a foreign majority. TheN
asked, in default of local diet. al
least a separate chamber. like that ar
Innspruck; their deputies were elected
several years Italians abstained even
Systematically from occupying their
seats at Innspruck, refusing in advance
to associate with or recognize the de-
cisions of an assembly which, they
would never take their In
terests in consideration.
a:*
The political demands of the "Tri-
dentini" have only one object-to OBJ
tain by an autonomy more
Tyrolean or less large the means to
r4.l;,, maintain intact their ma
tional character. usage.
language. and to defend themselves
a against the invasion of foreign eie-
ments. Now. it is not only against the
eight or ten thousand Germans, alread
established in the Trentfn, nor even b.
the Germans of Innspruck or Vienna
that the Italians of the southern Tyroi
feel themselves threatened in the main
tenance of their proper nationalit,.
During these last twenty years the
inha bitants of Trentin have witnessed
with alarm their country subjected TO
a progressive penetration by Germans
all the people who every summer
visit the country are Germans. That
pacific invasion irritates the Italians Of
the Trentfn because Italians. and Ger
mans hate each other cordially, and be-
tween whom there occur constant incl
dents and personal encounters.
The possession of Trentin, besides. IS
a serious Typographical menace to Lom-
hardy and the Venitia, between which
1t forms coin or wedge. Thence
several routes permit Austria to emerge
from this bastion of the Tyrol and
throw concentrated masses. as did Gen.
khun in 1866. The mountains of tho
Trentin form dangerous. If not i'm
passable barriers to the march of ar
Italian army toward Frioul and Vienna.
Austria has strengthened that natu-
raj bastion by ironclad forts and case
IN intrenched camp of the first order.
The six forts named CeyeZZanO. BuccD