Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-02-08
Soldiers Strike Caused
ItGJ5Um Army's DebGcJe
Peasants in Trenches Deceived
by PIOtterS Who Announced
Peace, According to Herbert
Corey
ARTICLE II
BY HERBERT COREY

military defeat. 1t was a strike. The
men of victorious army "downed
tools"
That it could not have been success
full without a most comprehensive and
well-organized scheme of treachery is
evident. But this treachery does not
smirch the honor of the greater part
of the very men who threw down their
guns and deserted their posts.
The treachery was higher up" Sto-
ries are told of bitter reproaches ad-
dressed by private soldiers to their
officers. You taught us to be cow
ards" they cried. Officers were shot
by their men. In many cases-perhaps
in a majority of cases-this was the
paying out of a private grudge, for
some of the Italian officers of today
have not distinguished themselves by
considerate treatment of the men. But
i'm many other instances it was tardy
realization that through certain officers
Italy had been betrayed.
II did not kill him l executed him"
is the statement attributed to a peasant
soldier who was drum-headed for the
murder of an officer. "He told Us to
run when we should have fought"
Before the story of the strike is told
rather, as a preliminary to that story
emphasis must be laid on the fact
that, as the minister Of war said in
his unfortunate statemnt, the Italian
army is sound at heart" But the
meaning is not the meaning that he gave
il.
An Army Of Peasants
The Italian army is a peasant army,
so far as it's private soldiers are con-
cerned. There is no Drawer, more pa
tient more enduring soldiery in the
world, in my opinion. The dark story
of the October debacle is frightened
! by instances of heroism no army could
have bettered. After such defeat as
no other army in the war has expert
enced. always saving the Russians, these
gallant men have held Impossible lines
| by sheer heroism.
They are emotional, like all Latins
They are perhaps tickle, as their crit
/ les say. There are absolutely anthem
| ticated tales of the days Immediately
/ following the debacle when the Italian
government covered the blank walls
with posters calling upon the thousands
/ upon thousands of deserters to return
! to duty. They did, without officers,
marching gayly through the streets, inn
provised flags flying, wearing the mien
Of conquerors:
Yesterday we were deserters," they
sang, in the CHEEKY Italian way. ITO
day we go to take our vengeance"
But they must be we'll led, and they
have not been we'll led of late. This
and other phases of the military con,
ditions in Italy during the latter half
| of the year will be gone into in time,
but for the moment the actual mechan-
ism Of the collapse merits first atten-
ton I have said that it was a strike
and not a defeat. That statement chal-
lenges inquiry.
The bulk of the Italian army are
peasants, as 1 have said. Mingled
| through it is a percentage of men who
| have worked on contracts In North
and South America or at home, and
of workmen Socialists who are IA
: miliar with the mechanism of indus
/ try. For reasons which will be made
! clear later, the war had become in
/ tensely distasteful to the army. To
/ these men, ignortant beyond our Ameri-
can understanding, the natural way &c
escape an unpleasant contract or to
better conditions was to go. on strike.
| Negotiations were opened with Austrian
regiments which fronted the disaffected
| elements.
When the Strike Began
1--WE will quit and so home if you
will" is the naive manner in which
the proposition was voiced.
The probability is that the first sug-
gestion came from the Austrian side
for there is abundant evidence not
only that the Austrians we're aware
/ through their secret agents of the
| conditions existing in the Italian
army, but that the plot was actually
devised in and behind the italian lines.
1t is rather obvious that the italian
soldiery would respond more quickly
to such a proposition coming from an
enemy than if it had been framed by
| a comrade. At all events the response
was forthcoming.
For weeks, perhaps for months, the
men of the second army and of GER
tain elements of other armies openly
! discussed this plan to throw down
their rifles and go home, thus bring.
ing the war to an end. 1t is incredi-
BILE that general headquarters should
not have known of the existence OF
this strike propaganda. That Cen
eral Cadorna and other leaders were
aware of the disaffection of their troops
is certain. 1t must be they did not
realize the danger. During this period
of meditation the pro-peace traitors
behind the line used every means OF
propaganda possible.
''Peace has already come. DO not
throw away your life" was the cry
in thousands upon thousands of let
tiers written by peasant wives tC
peasant soldiers. Some one had told
the women that peace had been made
They were obviously sincere. The
peasant Soldler was as ignorant Of
world conditions and Of war condl-
tions as his wife. His government
has carefully and efficiently seen q
that. The effect Of such letters Is
obvious.
Then there is what is called in italy
the vatican propaganda" This must
be gone into in greater detail later on
For the moment it is sufficient to say
that while the unbiased observers ir
Ifa1w that fba him self {
truly neutral and has not consciously
sought peace which should benefit the
central empires. some mem bers Of his
! entnnrag e are known To be nro-Gerrnan