The Cordova daily times., 1916-08-01
NJ SMALL FACTOR FIRST .
 YEAR OF WAR

III homE, Aug. l. - SOuipiyhB WItH request from the Associated Press, the Italian authorities have prepared a statement reviewing the past year of war from the Italian view point Al though the anniversaries that are marked by the early days of August close the second year of the war for Germany. tria-Hungary, Russia, France and Great Britain, Italy has only little more than passed the first anniversary of her participation in the conflict, which began May g. 1915. But in the view of the Italian authori- ties. Italy's alignment with the entente powers has been no small factor in checking the successes of the central powers.
 In the statement officially prepared for the Associated Press. great praise is bestowed on General Cadorna, the Italian chief of staff, as "a powerful organizer and cautious strategist." who is declared to have conducted his campaign against Austria with a view to rendering the greatest possible aid to the entente allies. It Is asserted that the early reverses of the Russians might have run into complete disaster ff Ifal haA l,.ok at tha nf Ao Russian retreat entered the conflict and forced Austria to employ a vast number of her troops on the southern boundaries. Further. the offensives which the Italians have launched from time to time rendered it impossible for Austria to carry out her purpose of sending troops and artillery either to the aid of the German crown prince for the attack on Verdun or to fight the Russians.
 As given out, the Italian statement reads as follows:
 "The war which Italy is fighting with her allies is imperfectly under stood abroad in It's ideals as we'll as in Its technical development. thus need ing explanations even after a year of Ttaly's participation in the conflict.
 When the European war began | Italy held back for ten months, re- 1 specting the alliance which for a third of century had bound her to the cen 1 tral empires. But longer than this she could not disregard the call of the entente powers. They were fight ing for a principle of nationality to which Italy Is indebted for her exist ence. They were fighting for prin- ciples of law and justice of which Italy has been exponent since the time of the Romans.
 "Furthermore, Italy could no longer delay solution of the question of the Italian provinces that were still sub ject to persecution by Austria. It was imperative that Italy should con- test the frontier imposed by Austria after the war of 1866, which gave her northern neighbors possession of all gates and passes leading into Italy. It was imperative also that Italy should | gain supremacy in the Adriatic. with out which she could never be said to enjoy liberty and peace in full secur- ity.
 Although unprepared for war, we fortunately possessed in General Ca dorna powerful organizer and eau tious strategist. Taking the Italian army on its modest peace footing as a backbone. he transformed 1t. through miracles of energy and military sci ence, into a powerful. efficient. bril- liant modern army, which on May "A, 1915, the day after war was declared in Austria, suddenly threw itself across the whole frontier into the enemy's territory.
 'In doing this General Cadorna won two principal advantages; first. he gained the initiative of action: second ly, he made Austria the scene of the warfare. Throughout the campaign 1 Cadorna aimed to render his allies the greatest possible service.
 Italy began her operations just at the time when the Russians were obliged to retreat The strong army which Cadorna threw across the nor thern border menacing Austria may have saved that Russian retreat from complete disaster. Similarly. when the Germans attacked Verdun, Cador- na started strong offensive along the Isonzo river, which prevented Aus tria from sending to the aid of the German crown prince large numbers of troops and artillery which had been prepared for that purpose.