The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1918-11-15
.ITALY'S PART IN THE GREAT
WAR DESERVES RECOGNITION
With Small Population and Com
paratively Poor She Yet Played
a Glorious and Consider
able Part

Out w bOli olIOiiNtChS PtfS -
a deserved tribute to the descendants
of the Caesars. As national wealth
is reckoned Italy is a poor nation. Two
years before entering the great war
Italy was at war with Turkey, and
her finances were badly crippled when
she entered this war. Italy has not
been advertised and war exploited,
yet her part in bringing Germany to
her knees was not inconsiderable.
The tribute Mr.. Jones pays to Italy
may be a bit late but is well merited,
and is worth reading.-Ed Echo.
The fall of Austria-what tri-
un1ph! From the point of view of
Italy's victory the story is all the
more miraculous. The congratula
tions showered upon Count V. Macchi
di Cellere, Italy democratic embas
sador, were many and real. The ltal-
ian embassy has become the center of
about the livliest interest in Washing
ton, and there are no indications that
there were times in the past when
Italy's contribution to the allied cause
were not accorded as great apprecia-
ton as now. Now that the arms of
our gallant southern ally have been
crowned with victory, and her great
General Diaz has received the surren
der of the Austrian forces, we are
paying a deserved-if somewhat be-
lated-tribute to the sacrifices, cour-
age and withal, magnificent prowess
in the arts of war.
Though prosperous when the war
broke out Italy had the smallest pop
ulation and the most limited re-
sources. Her manufactures were ex-
panding. Her army was not well
equipped. The country was short of
mineral resources, especially coal and
iron. Despite these limitations Italy
has occupied a place of first import
ance in the struggle from the outset.
Even before she entered the war her
declaration of neutrality permitted
the withdrawal of French troops from
the Italian border, and thus contrib
uted to the strength of the French,
and helped to make possible the first
battle of the Marine.
Italy's Sacrifices
Italy has called to the colors not
less than 5,500,000 men, and has suf-
fered the loss of almost 100000 of
them. Of that loss nearly 35O,0OO
died in battle, and 100000 from dis
ease. Over $4,000 are totally inca
pacitated, either by blindness, loss of
limb or tuberculosis. At the present
moment the strength of the Italian
army is 4,025,000, including the class
of men born in 1900 who have been
called to the colors recently. 1t may
be said, then, that the nations man
power has suffered permanent loss
of nearly a million. Serious as is this
loss, Italy has inflicted an even
greater punishment upon the foe. In
Austrian prisoners alone she has
taken 174,385, of whom 4,489 are of
ficers. The Austrian loss in killed and
wounded is, of course, unknown to US;
but even the most conservative esti-
mates make it far greater than ours.
In the last offensive on the Piave
alone over 100000 Austrian dead were
left on the field. It is a piece of we'll
merited good fortune that Italy has
been able to strike one of the most
spectacular, decisive blows of the
war. The debacle of the Austrians
capped one of the climaXes of the
war. The surrender of the Austrians
to General Diaz on the battlefield
carried with it an even greater sug-
gestion of complete defeat than the
request of the other Hun allies for an
armistice. Even going back further
than this, we are reminded by a mil
itary reviewer that the retreat of the
Germans on the western front really
began with the retreat of the Aus
trians behind the Piave before the
bayonets of the intrepid Italians.
Overcame Serious Difficulties
Let us not forget that out of &c.
100000 inhabitants of Italy at the
beginning of the war only 17000,0OO
were males, of whom only 100000
were adults economically productive.
After the army was modified only
100 adults remained in each town OF
village to provide for some 800 chill
dren below the age of fifteen. Fran
els H. Sisson, vice president of the
Guaranty Trust Company, of New
York, points out that the preeminence
of Italy in the product of certain ar
ticles of commerce made her the chief
source of supply for similar products
of a war-like nature. The Italian
arfoy,oo obila aarOnlana turhine and