New-York tribune., 1918-11-30
Let Us Consider ItQZv
By Caspar Whitney


, moral welfare was served, saved, and are
grateful for the timely, unselfsh help
America gave them.
Why should not Italy be trusted entirely
and her wish TO establish ordered prosper
Gus life along the Adriatic receive sane
ton? Italy favors league OF nations to
carry out the judgments and agreements of
the peace conference, yet believes that
whatever organization is set up now must
necessarily be in some respects of
perimental nature National issues must
have time to readjust themselves to new in
ternational requirements; meanwhile, the
practical political problems of the world
press immediate solution.
For time the care of peoples liberated
from autocracy into democracy must be con-
tided to the stronger organized nations.
Efficiency demands that in the common in
terest of mankind such tasks be assigned
to those best fitted and situated to accom-
plish them.
And such work can not be on the order
of the old international intrigue that -four
ished in the capitals Of all small! states be-
fore the war, but delegated task given
with confidence and undertaken with whole
hearted faith in the interest of the whole
free world without fear of encroachment
and with sympathy and cordial moral sup
port of ALL
On such basis italy appears eminently
eligible to the trusted role of helping the
Jugo-Slavs to stable government and pros
porous, united life.
Italy is q country of limited resources
Including all the territory recently recov-
cred she is smaller than California, while
her population is fully oYe-third as large as
that OF the United States. Her total national
wealth was estimated before the war at
about fourteen billion dollars, or one-thir-
tleth Of the estimated wealth of the United
States. Her total ilw,ebtedness, counting
internal and external obligations, as we'll
as treasury notes and uncovered paper cur
rency, reaches q sum at least equal TO
her national wealth
Before the war the italian government
ral7ed $o50O0O,000 year for current
penses, of which $170,0OO,OOO was paid for
interest on the public debt. Now Italy will
have to raise at least $SO0,00O 900 year
solely for interest and sinking fund, q sum
equal to one-third of the total income Of
the itallan naClOn, lncludlng all agricultural :
industrial and mercantile activities. And
there will be the increased government ex
penditures to meet besides.
America, England ard France have xnent
very large sums for the war, yet these rep-
resent only relatively small part Of their
national wealth. Italy for the same cause
had expended her all in accomplishing
task very much greater than the one oriei-
rally assigned her.
Is it too much for italy to ask that she
now be helped to become again "paying
concern" from an economic point of view
One way to help her is to develop her
resources and SO increase her productivity.
New capital wisely invested in the develop
ment of the country will make her solvent
and thereby save her the too severe hard
ships which 20 often lead to disorder
The land of Italy can and must produce
much more than it now produces. At pres
ent IL does not support it's own children.
Machinery, technical knowledge. intensive
farming. irrigation, railroads and highways
can bring about the needed Transformation.
Large estates should be better utilized
and developed. especially In Southern ITALY.