The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-08-28

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 Almost since the beginning of the Aar. in August of 1914. 1t has seemed likely that Italy would one day be at war with both her former allies, Aus ltria ana Germany. Since her declara- ton of TIT upon Austria Hungary Tn ;Nav of 1915 it has seemed inevitable.
 When the war began, with Austria Hunxarys menace of Serbia. Italy de- rlared her neutrality, giving as her reaso0s that the terms of the Triple Alliance did not necessitate her enter dng the war.
 This alliance. consummated in 1882. was one of strange bedfellows. Ii bound together Italy and Austria. as deadly enemies as France and Ger many ever were. Italy was drawn to Germany not by afnnity, but by tenn porary antagonism tow8rd France be- cause of French intervention in north srn Africa, where Italy had ambitions. Tt wac said that Italy had either to Asht Austria or unite with her. and chose the safer course.
 ItaIy,s reasons for refusing to aid \ AuStria and Germany were that Aus triA. In her u1*imatum to Serbia, acted with out consultitry Italy. as she was bound to do by the treaty, and men aced Italy,s interests in the Balkans. The Triple Alliance, Italy maintained, was defev we, and none of its three cohpcnents could involve the others in war without previous agreement. { Until May g. 1915, Italy remained neutral. but then popular agitation and Austria's refusal to cede the Tren- tino and part of Trieste, Italia Irre- denta. aa we'll ~ Austrian delays in aeeotiatfons which Italy mistrusted, led her to declare war upon the dual monarchy. Italy lad previously de- pclared 1t no longer binding.
 A. Peace wifk Germany.
 This gave rise to o peculiar state of affairs Italy wased war upon Aus tria, invaded Aust. ian territory and became grax1uaIly closer and closer to Great Britain, France and Russia, who were lighting Germany. Yet Italy was at peAce with Germany.
 Another anomaly was that Germany and Italy, although at peace, had sew cred diplomatic relatio1s On the day Nfollowing Ita1y's declaration of war upon Austria, Prince von Buel-w and fh1s san departed for Rome. Prince von Buelow had been sent by Ger many as a special envoy to Italy to Germany or Austria Ty-~ days after he left Rome for Berlin, Ricardo Boi- lati, the Italian .mbassador there, vent back to Rome It was because 4cf this that ItAly, having no diplo- T1atjc representative at Berlin, asked Switzerland, a neutral. to transmit her declaration of war. .
 Ar the war went on and Italy be- came indebted to her allies for assist encc of many kinds in her war against but one of her enemies their claim upon her became stronger. At the same time the Allies were becoming continually closer knit. were becom- 1rs more and more d union of powers 10 crush Germany, less and less d rather loose alliance
 Italy had d place in their counsels. yet she was not truly one of them. for she had not declared war upon the rreatest of their enemies, Germanv. last February when the Allies met in council in Paris 1t was said that Italy vas asked why she was not at war with Germany. She had already sub- ecribed to the same agreement as the < IrSty HUI CO 7SDHA&SAuUG a Sc P1Idlc pcdSc, hut her position among them was seeming1y half-henrted.
 Itnly selzes Ger,an Ships.
 Very soon after the confererc. Italy began that seriee of more or less overt acts that he who ran could read as signs that she would go to war with Germany whenever her Alliea deemed best On Feb. % Italy re Guisitioned 34 of the 37 German Fteamships interned in Italian porta The object was ayowed1y to help meet the Allies need for ships The total value of the interned ships was estf. mated at $30, ,00o. 900.
 Germany expressed indignation and called attention to . special treaty tha, Prince von Buelow had succeeded 1T Anegotiafing with Italy before she de- c1ared war on Austria This treaty was mutual pledge to respect the subjects and property of either in the 'boundaries of the other.
 # This agreement was abrogated by