Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-09-21
PERFIDY
CENTRALP POWER
Lieutenant of Royal Italian Army
Speaks to Large Assemblage
Last Night.
POINTS TO ENEMY BETRAYAL
Warns All Against Work of Prop
ganda Spreader-PrO-Ger-
mans Do Harm.

Scathing denunciations, wherein
added proof of the perfidy of the
central powers and especially of the
German nation was cited, were ut
tered by Lieutenant Bruno Roselli
of the Royal Italian army and an
attache of the Italian embassy at
Washington, who spoke before a
large assemblage at the Empire
rink last night.
The address is the first to be held
in this city in connection with the
fourth Liberty loan drive, and Lieu
tenant Roselli, who is a college pro-
fessOr as well as soldier, graphical
ly portrayed existing conditions in
the great world struggle today as
well as at the time when Italy was
drawn into the vortex of the Strug-
gle.
Italy" he said, was a member
of the triple alliance at the opening
Of hOStilities and we were betrayed
directly before the outbreak of the
conflict as well as on occasions pre-
viOus to that time.
''On the day that Austria sent the
ultimatum to Serbia the British
ambassador in Rome Immediately
upon hearing of the action, inter-
viewed members of the Italian gov
eminent to protest with Italy as a
member of the triple alliance, and
to warn of the seriousness of the
ultimatum. The Italian officials
knew nothing of the action taken by
the Austrian government, and the
British ambassador Immediately in
q nd n
ambassadors in Rome. These Of
ficials at once admitted knowledge
Of the action of Austria, but re-
fused to discuss the situation ser
iously. Thus was Italy betrayed"
declared the lieutenant.
MANY persons" he continued,
seem to believe that Italy entered
the war on the side of the allies for
the selfish purpose of gain. After
three years of fighting, what has
Italy gained? Italy has upheld her
honor, but nothing in the shape of
conquest has come her way. Italy
did not enter the fight for gain.
Italy was not forced into the war
like many other nations. Italy was
at perfect liberty to join either
side if she so wished. Italy chose
the side of right as against might
and Joined the entente allies.
German propaganda was one of
the most formidable tasks we had
to cope with during the fore part
of the war, and you in America
must stamp out this propaganda
within your country if you are to
win with the least amount of dan
-
Americans of German descent in
this country on the whole are alb
BoluteIy loyal. but others are not
and the citizens of the United
States must know that a pro-Ger-
man is German sympathizer who
might be found in any walk of life
and who is not in many cases of
German descent. Many schemes and
cunning tricks have been traced to
Opagandists who have been of
vast harm to the allied cause.
Germany'S Peace Talk.
Germany is now attempting to
stop the allied victory by talk of
peace. When Germany is hard put
she talks peace and then later on
when she is more prepared she
makes DdTDdTlOuS war. DUA WIIL0
the word peace to the boys in Eu-
rope unless you surround it on all
sides by the word victory. No
army will fight with the dove of
peace lowering over it.
The part that Italy is taking in
this war SENS to be not well known
by persons in the United States,
but we are fighting at some places
1900 feet above sea level. In per
petual ice and snow we fight the
invader. Climbing glaciers under
machine gun fire and the digging of
long winding tunnels to our OBJ
jectives is our work along some
parts of the Italian front, which is
500 miles long.
Lack of material, lack of help re-
ceived by some, and work of prop
uganda spreaders has hindered It
ally to some extent, but let the en-
envy now attack the Italian army
and see what happens"
Two enemy weapons of war were