Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-09
ITALY IN WAR UNTIL
PEACE IS ACHIEVED
Minister francesca Uitti Says
Her Principles Are Liberty
and Justice.
TO SACRIFICE everything
BY JOHN F. BASS.

(,sAle<ram to The Sunday Star and
chicago Daily News. Copyright 1917.
PARIS, France, December S.-Fran-
cesco Nitti, Italian minister of finance.
dictated for me the only statement au-
thorized by him for an American paper.
Itsfollows:
Il think that the judgment of what
ha1s happened in the Italian theater OF
was canno. be made with accuracy
without facing the real situation. Italy
had long front line of about $50 kilo-
meters (2I0 miles,, while the battle
front in France is 100 kilometers( 4'2
mifes). Italy has been alone up to the
nresent time in fighting on her long
front Even now. although the aliles'
with a spirit of fraternity for which we
are grateful, have sent help, these
troops are not vet in the line II is the
Italians who. in spite of great losses
due to causes of which We are still is,
norant have alone resisted and stopped
the Austro-German drive
France has been heroic ana great y,
her struggle against Germany, anu
among all the belligerents has been me
one who has suffered the greatest hu,
man losses. But france a!1erwaru
was able to count on the help OF d.
least three million allies. She has had on
every kilometer of the front two or
three times as many soldiers as italy.
Italy has had thin veil OF soldiers on
ap. overlong front Perhaps 1t Is me
fault of the method, but who can give
the real explanation of the disaster! II
iscertain that Italy up to these events
alone and successfully held her own
against Austria. During two years she
has been able to achieve a real victory
q New Situation Has Arrived.
.<3ut now a new situation has come to
pass The hughest of the belligerent
countries, Russia, has reduced its mil
itAry action to a minimum For Two
months the larger part OF the austrian
asmy and strong contingents of Ger
man forces. impe1led by the one pur-
pose, have sought to destroy the ltal-
i&n power of resistance.
.Germany has followed a logical mil
itary policy while the entente is car
rying on the war with other ideals and
often with aims of a political char
acter. Germany makes war with aims
aid methods exclusively military. War
is-war. 1t must be accepted as 1t is;
Germany having cruShedf Serbia and
Humania. and having corrupted Rus
STA. making the huge colossus Feeble
real resistance. realizes that the war
Will in great measure be decided in
the valley of the Pc.
Zone can foresee that in the end Ger
many will concentrate all her forces
on Italy. This is consistent not only
with German propaganda and method,
but also with the most evident mill
tery needs.
the negative action of the socialists
and little on the positive action of the
CAtho1ics after the note of the Pope.
Perhaps We might conclude that the
cAnses are other when We consider the
the thin line of soldiers. as / have al
ready said, and the fact that the troops
which first gave way belonged in gen.
eTal to the regiments which had in the
aryyina nd hot
came from certain large cities.
s Moment Of Surprise.
s"Perhaps the reason may be discov-
eyed- 1t was moment of surprise oc-
curing at point of weakness where
Pc hans trickery played an important
Part. In what degree trickery or fraud
or:surprise were the deciding factors
! aan not in a position to tell. We will
md out later. But that does not pre-
army conducted itself deplo-ably and
de9erves the severest reproof. at least
1nAfespect to certain portions of it. 1t
1s useless to deny disaster. or even to
make light of it. We must look the
trtfth in the face.
But after the catastrophe how many
proofs of courage. sacrifice and hero
1snas have the soldiers of the other
armies given, and especially those of
the third army. which has written
pages Of true moral greatness?
SThe incident at the bridgehead of
Panzano would suffice to show this
Here few regiments held back the
enemy. which was greatly superior in
numbers. from October IS to the night
off November /. Reduced to few
hundred men, these valiant regiments
blew up the bridge. They stayed east
oE.the river, and those not killed fell
into the hands of the enemy after
barring his progress for such a long
time and thus covering the retreat Of
our army.
Enemy Admires Defense.