Cottonwood chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1917-current, 1918-02-15
italy IS MAKING
SLACKERS Fight
Minister of Treasury Routs Out
148 Officers and Sends
Them to Front.
SEARCH IS ON FOR OTHERS
Great Disaster to cadorna's Army May
Be Blessing in Disguise-Volun-
teers in NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Are Shot.
BY PHILIP r. MACKENZIE.

hOme.-On the eve of the great war,
while General Cadorna was hard at
work creating the italian army des-
tined to unite Trent and Trieste with
the kingdom 14S officers of all ranks,
from colonies to sub-lieutenants, were
given special work. This work con-
sisted in finding out how much money
was wasted during the Tripoli war.
A corridor in the ministry of the
treasury accordingly was set apart for
these officers, who during the last three
years have been auditing accounts and
taking their time in doing it, while
their comrades fought the Austrians
and were wounded or killed in action.
There is every reason to believe that
the great task of auditing the accounts
of the TripOli war would have been
prolonged indefinitely, but the new
minister of the treasury, Signor Nitti,
discovered the 149 officers hidden in
the corridor.
Royal Decree Is Issued.
Signor Nitti was disguised at the
sight Of so many professional officers
calmly working on the four simple
rules of arithmetic, and in "a hours
he had the case brought before a cab
met council and royal decree was is
sued pOstponing the work of the 148
officers, who were ordered without de.
lay to the front.
No figures are available as to the
number of men physically fit yet eX-
empted from active military service.
Cases of so-called Endorsements"
meaning literally "hiding in bushes"
to evade military service, have been
frequent in Italy.
The socialists, who oppose the war
and whose peace propaganda contrib.
uted toward the recent military disas.
ter, repeatedly told the masses that in
Italy the war was being fought by the
peasants. The rich people do not fight,
said the socialists, as when one has
money he can easily "hide in the
BUSH"
The sons of well-to-do tradesmen and
farmers as a rule, are drivers of motor
lOrries and ambulances, and those of
upper middle classes and nobility, who
should be officers, often prefer to drive
staff officers automobiles unless they
succeed in getting clerical work in Of
fees away from the front.
1t is true that many young men vol
unteered for active service as officers
in infantry regiments and sacrificed
their lives for their country, but they
were a minority.
1t must be admitted that up to the
present the mistaken impression pre-.
vailed that the hardest share of fight
ing was borne by the peasant and la.
boring classes, who suffered most of
all from the war. This impression in
creased to such an extent that a great
proportion of the men who returned on
short leave from the front felt discour.
aged and dissatisfied when they real
lied that every city and town in the
country was crowded with young men
who evaded military service or who
even If called to the colOrs succeeded
in remaining away from the front and
saw no actual fighting.
Some Deserters Are Shot.
AS result, besides those men who
returned to fight when their short leave
expired, others felt justified in desert
ing. Some of the latter were arrested,
cOurt-martialed and shot, and their
comrades were not impressed with
such exemplary punishments, which,
instead of serving as a warning, had
the opposite effect of exciting pity and
provoking dangerous comparisons be-
tween the fate of those who evaded
military service and that of others who
had done their bit and yet paid with
their lives for moment of weakness.
There were, no doubt, other concomi-
tant causes that contributed to weaken
resistance on the Italian front when
the well planned Austro-German often.
sive was timely initiated. Thanks to
their superior intelligence services at
the front and their espionage system in
this country the AustrO- Germans knew
where and when to attack with sue.
cess. They resorted to propaganda
among the Italian troops holding posi-.
lions where no fighting had been going
on for long time.
1t is known now that after the riots
at Turin most of the munition workers
who were socialists had been sent to
the front and attached to the units
holding these positions. 1t was among
these men that the enemy propaganda
was successful, and the deficient resist
ance, due to weakness or treachery,
that rendered the invasion of Italy pos
sible originated at point which could
be easily defended by a handful of
men, as it was naturally strong and
formldably fortified because it afforded
the shortest way for invasion. Un-
fortunately the men who held this
Doint gnYe Wnv