Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1919-01-15
Wednesday, Jan. Is


war, the position of
Italy was such as to engender
tne gravest fears in France that
the Peninsular Kingdom should
JOIN the Teutonic Powers in their
war again France and Russia, in
accordance with the pact of the
triple Alliance that bound italy
20 Germany and Austria-Hun-
gary. We say against France
and Russia, for Great Britain
did not enter the war until five
days after it had begun.
Article III of the Treaty of
Alliance said textually:
If one or two of the contract
ing Powers, without provocation
on their part, are attacked by
two or more Powers and engage
in war with these, the 'casus
foederis' arises for all the con-
tracing parties"
The people and the Govern
ment of Italy did not hesitate to
discover the aggressive nature
. OF the war that was initiated by
the Central Powers. Italy's dec
Iaration of neutrality came with
an tv anty-four hours of the dec
laratlon of war, This declara-
ton powerfully aided the Repub-
Tic OF France, permitting the
troops that were guarding the
Alps to be withdrawn from the
fontier Of Italy with all their ar
tlllery 1t also attested the char
acter Of the war, showing to all
the world that Germany and
Austria were the aggressors and
throwing, therefore, the guilt of
war on the Central Powers.
=
in the month of December, 1914,
tie former German Imperial Chan
cellor, Prince Won Buelow, arrived in
Rome as Extraordinary Ambassador
70 the Quirinal, for the purpose of
Keeping italy neutral.
Then began five months of armed
alert neutrality" as Premier Salan-
dra characterized Italy's attitde, Won
Buelow tried to tempt Italy by the
offer of negotiating between Italy and
Austria what territorial compensa-
tons the latter would render the for
mer In order to perpetuate the neu-
trality Of the peninsula. Italy was
also tempted by the offer Of French
colonial possessions in North Africa
70 De taken away from France after
4 victory of the Central Powers.
But italy was not to be bribed, nor
20 be cowed, She had seen, and seen
clearly, and seen at once, that the act
Of the Central Powers was an act of
brutal aggression to which no decent
nation could be a part.
italy saw also that from the tur-
MOL OF war, and siding with the pow
ers that represented justice and de-
mocracy, she could gain the realiza-
ton Of those national aspirations that
the political conditions Of Europe
from 1870 to 1914 had inexorably
prevented.
The long struggle for Italian unity
had not made the entire nation free
and united. 1t had not given to Italy
the salty Of her Alpine boundary and
OF her Adriatic shore. Outside of the
political boundaries of the kingdom
there were provinces as clearly ItaI-
ian as Lombardy and Venetia, where
ITALIAN was spoken, where Italian ira
dition roigned supreme where the
Inhabitants longed to be united to-
the Italian nation politically as they
were united to it racially and Iingu-I
istically
The first months OF 1915 passed inI
lta in a turmoil of excitement.
Prince Won Buelow, the willy dipIo-I
mat that Germany had sent to ap-I
pcase Italy, organized in the PENN
sula net Of propaganda not unlike
that which Count Won BernstorT
spread in the United States The
Italians were cajoled, threatened,
bribed in order 10 keep their neutral
lty, all to no avail. The impctuous
popular movement Ras forcing the
+ hands Of the Italian Government, not
200 unwilling Itself to enter the fray
On the gard Of May, 1916, the
I italian Ambassador at Vienna CONF
! munieated to the Imperial Govern
ment of AuBtriG-HuDgary that Italy
proclaimed Gnnulied ana heaccforth
without eject her treaty Of alliance
with Austria-Huugary." Tho mo-
uentous document terminated de-
:lariRE that "Bis Majesty tho King
Of Italy considered himself IN n state
81 war with Austria-HuRsary