Arizona republican., 1918-08-18

Mir. Chairman. ladies and gentlemen, ! l should like to talk about just one ! little episode over there,'' which came | under my observation. because it is rather interesting, and because we have had very little information on it on this side. and because it bears di- rectly upon our American problem at present: that is. the Italian break at Caporetto last October the break in the Italian army l was present at that time As a matter of fact. I was with the Italian army for some time before this hap pened, and rather expected just what did happen. I was there afterwards and know little about it. and l know that it was never put clearly to the people of the United States.
 l must bore you with a little bit of history and geography about the early part of this war before l come to the point
 You know that the northern part of Italy, in the days before the great Ital- ian movement. was held by Austria. and the middle by two Papal States, and the south by two extremely incom- potent kingdoms. When, in 1S60 Gari- baldi began the Italian movement, the hardest fight was against Austria, but the south never had Austria to hate as the north knew it. Italy has been a nation only since 1860: she is the oldest people, but the youngest nation in this war. While she has made miraculous progress in pulling together a nation out of adverse elements with which she formed herself the patriotism of the average Italian was 40 years ago, and is still to a certain extent, more for his village than it is for Italy.
 Someone said, when a united Italy was formed, We are just as collection of marbles in box" That was a lit tie true 40 years later. when Italy en- tered this war She came nearer en- tering it for idealistic motives than most of the nations that went into the war, because when you have counted up the nationalists of Italy. that old lmperialistic lot that I regret to say lnfest every nation. but which is in the minority on our side and the majority in Germany. even that old nationalist element was not the thing that dragged Italy into the war It was sympathy for democracy, particularly for French democracy, because the cul- lures of Italy are the French
 Now, time went on and the Italian army performed miraculously in the north. I have always considered the | Italian army to be by far the best or ganized army on this side. Their sue l cess was especially remarkable because they did not law a single level foot of i territory to fight over. It was all , mountains or high desert hills. You know, Napoleon once said, God made l Italy so that Austria would have some one to beat" The shoe is really on the other foot. Italy has always seemed to have the Indian sign on Austria l since Garibaldi's time.
 It was across country where there | was no water. no place to dig trenches i they had to blast them with blasting powder. Italy had forced her way l through to the point where she had only one more hill to conquer.
 I stood three or four days before this 1 break came and looked across a, moun- tain risnP just in front of me. with the Italian trench line running over the head of it, and the Austrian line just below the summit, and beyond that, as | far as the eye could reach. clear out to the horizon. as I saw the horizon from 9000-foot peak, there lay per fectly level plain. not a river that in terfered with the open route to Aus 1 Der of last year occupied that position One more gathering of force, and that summit of San Gabriel would be won and they would spill over into the eastern plain, leaving the way open fol the allies to get to Vienna
 Germany prepared to meet that.
 l 1 could have it in my heart sometime to be sympathetic with Austria. Pool old Austria is so tired of this thing When I was in Austria last August ant early in September. I did not see ar Austrian of any class who was no willing to weep Ul anybody's neck to peace The Austrians had the saying that it would be five years after thi: war before a German would be re ceived in Rome. 10 years before h' would he received in London, 15 year: before he would be received in Paris and 50 years before he would be re ceived in Vienna But Germany cam down to oppress her vassal, for Aus tria is her vassel: Austria cannot qul because Germany has the grip on heI Germany came down to press her UT and to relieve that situation. and Ger many prepared this thing, worked it II
 for two or three months by wonderful preliminary bombardment.
 But here is the point: If was a pre- 1iminary bombardmcnt of propaganda
 am going to tell you what kno\ about ii from unimpeachable sources To begin with, the majority socialist: or rather, the official socialists c Italy. a body of 50 men. body of yer clever men, the one cohesive polltics body in the Italian chamber of depu
 ties. had been against the war fror
 the first They were formed undo
 German patronage in the days of tn i Triple Alliance. when Germany wa
 considered the little father of Ital.
 They had great admiration for tn
 German political machine. and the
 took their stock by the principle (
 international deeds, the principle of in tcrnationalism, notwithstanding th
 fact that the Germans had appeare
 to be the friends of the French an
 the English.
 Against the war was the old premit
 of Italy. for 10 years the king make
 whose connection with Germany wa
 extremely close. He had begun as
 partner of a Jewish German bankt
 and mixed up now with the ruin
 bank of Italy. in every way Connecte
 with Germany. He tried to stop u
 movement to enter the war and WE
 sulking In his tent. Possibly he w.
 good then. 1 do not know. but eel
 tainly the socialists began it. It b.
 gan. very likely. when some of Il
 Russia.r matters had come up in Il
 days before. and Russia was going
 get down to Italy and hold a confe
 once with these socialists. It was fo
 lowed by propaganda among Il
 peasant women of Italy.
 Now here is where we come to
 varv- oIIrioic tbinp I ron ta1 iev
 about curiosteS of this war. Here
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