The Washington times., 1917-12-14
SECOND ITALIAN
ARMY IS CALLED
UNPATR|OTIC UNIT

According to an acquaintance who
has just arrived here from Italy.
the second army surrendered without
shot being fired. says a Paris cor
respondent in the Chicago Herald.
The Germans came up the valley un-
der cover OF a heavy mist. killed the
outposts and caught the men in their
dugouts. the dispatch says.
The second army was notoEiously
poor. For one reason or another
some say through paDal suggestion.
others through German Vaccinations
all the unpatriotic soldiers and Of
ficers were put into this one army.
The Socialists. defaitists. anarchists.
and pacifsts were put together on
the principle that IL they were al
lowed to mix with good units they
would corrupt them. Better to have
all the rotten apples in one barrel
Commander Is Helpless.
General Capello was in command,
having been removed from Gorilla
As the conqueror OF Gorilla he seems
to have developed a case OF sweIled
head. and 1t is said he tried by vari-
uos political tricks TO get Cadorna's
job. As a punishment he was re-
moved from his conquered city and
placed In command of the second
army. He had a nervous breakdown
and was removed. Another general
was appointed who only stayed eight
days and then either was transferred
or resigned. My informant was not
exactly clear on this point. His rea-
son for leaving. however. was given.
II harlmGa he
were OF such poor material that he
could do nothing with them"
An imminent attack was feared and
Capello was put back in command. He
was still a nervous wreck and, OF
course, could do nothing. The whole
spot in the line was known to the Ger
mans. who had the easiest battle OF
the war.
This, In effect, Is what the English
man told me. He said that the church
influence was greatly suspected as the
Pope is more of n politician than Il
churchman, and that the orders the
church has sent out the last two days
for priests and abbes to stay at their
posts, even in the case OF a wide Ger
man advance, is not without reason.
Brief Report OF COwardIce.
The reports OF the cowardice and
practical treachery of the Second army
are borne out in General Cadorna's
official report, which was censored
here In France. Only his remark, "be
cause OF insufficient resistance of the
second army. was allowed to be
printed. And only one paper here has
indirectly referred To his later an
nouncement that men not returning
to the army within nve days would
be shot. Clemenceau, too. was the
only man to be allowed TO say that
whole regiments ran out of their
trenches crying: "Vive la paIxm
An unusually generous number OF
troops has been sent from France TO
Italy' ana only three divisions of Eng
llSh' understand. 1t seems that
whenever troops are needed in a hur-
ry to stop break, TO buck up a wear.
led line, the French are sent for They
are sent to Salonica, Russia,
north on the English front and down
to Italy, and they go as cheerruIly as
II they hadn't been doing II since the
beginning Of the war.
Some Papers PeeYIsh.
Some OF the papers, little pro
voked, perhaps. at the small English
contribution. are encouraging the
women in their discomfort at having
their men sent so far awav. Leon
Bailly writes: only a strict necessity
W ny shouId We weaken our from?
Let them stay here and advance
II this policy were followed il
might prove disastrous. II Is all !
question or mathematics. Better send
3oo'oOo now and stop the advance than
nave 10 SEND the same number 10 |
guard the italian frontier II Italy
were crushed and forced to make |
separate peace.
But what all the papers are unapi
nous in demanding is an int.raIIirJ !