The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1916-01-03
HUGE RESERVES TO
FALL BACK UPON
Seven Months Of Desperate Fighting Sees
Substantial Headway Made in Car
Ting Out Plans Of
Campaign
By ALICE ROHE.
U. p. staff correspondent.

~--~--
ROME, Jan. 3.-When the orches-
trail guns have doomed their last salvo
and the big asbestos curtain OF peace
drops on Europe's war-torn stage.
doubtless the world win begin to ap-
preciate The role played by King
Victor in the greatest tragedy of his
tory.
Act II was well under way before
Italy joined the players and King
Victor with his tuft OF rooster feathers
appeared from the wings. He had fire.
quentIy been mentioned in the lines.
and no sooner had he strobe upon the
stage than he and the veteran actor
Franz Joseph came to blows.
Verona viii fall before Gorilla. Z
shouted the Austrian.
Gorilla first" retorted vicror-and
the play went on.
1T was not until May OF last year
that Italy declared war on Austria.
Immediately the Italian general staff
outlined the following land program
/. An aggressive. systematic oper.
alton on the mountainous northern
frontier, Trentino and the Carnic
Alps-long fortified by Austria, de-
signedly to make an Austrian invasion
OF Italy easy while standing impreg.
nable against Italian invasion.
2. An offensive on a large scale
against the valley Of the Isonzo which
barred Italy's way toward the Julian
Alps on the east and the Istrian penin
sula to the south
The naval program was this: De-
sruction of Austrian commerce on
the Adriatic and adjacent waters and
the bottling up or destruction Of the
Austrian fleet.
On land today Italy faces the New
Year as the only one OF the Allied
Powers whose main army is firmly
entrenched on the soil OF an enemy
On water the Duke Of Abruzzi's fleet
is supreme. The Austrian main fleet,
refuged in Pola harbor, refused the
Italian challenge just as the German
fleet defies the Britlsh--in the Kiel
canal. Like Germany, Austria Is un-
able to give safe convoy to her own
enumpree
With an army Of more than 2,250.00O
men in uniform; with reserves Of
], 100000 men between rs and 3S yet
to be called to the colors; with abun'
dant equipment. especially heavy aa-
tllery; backed by a splendid indus
trial mobilization capable Of feeding
munitions for any emergency. Italy
looks to the future with the utmost
confidence. This feeling was vividlS
reflected in the recent utterances OF
Baron Sonnino. minister Of foreign af.
fairs, in the chamber, in which BE- an
nounced not only Italy's agreement
with the allies not to conclude sep
arate peace, but her purpose to extend
the campaign across the Adriatic IN
support Of stricken Serbia.
In answer to the latter pledge.
$4,000 Italian troops have already
landed in Albania where pioneers are
busy az road-buiIding and other means
Of transport through the pathless
mountains. Food and clothing by the
shipload are being sent BY the Italians
tor the Serbian refugees.
Seven months Of fighting along the
lines Of the general staffs plan %
campaign have produced far greater
results than the daily cammuniqucs
have indicated. On the Isonzo front
the offensive has reached the stage
where an Italian occupation Of the en-.
tire Istrian peninsula, as well as ~
<,....ts......l 81. pnon xs<t,t~.