davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune., 1920-09-19
premier GIOLITTz a0hose problem it is to meet the
crisis IN Itay

full consequences. Cadorna's army
fought itself forward to the Balm
zizza Plateau north of Gorilla, and
seemed about to break through the
Austrian front, but instead, German
troops, released by the Russian sur
render, came south and won the
victory Of Caporetto, which was en-
tircly Of German planning and due
mainly to German contribution. As
result Of this disaster, with diff
Guilty checked at the Piave, the
fight to take Trieste was trans
formed into desperate defense of
Venice. In addition, a wide area Of
Ncnetia was occupied by the enemy
and devastated as consequence of
the passage of armies.
Loss Of Morale
The disaster Of Caporetto had
been the result in the first place Of
the break in Italian morale. The war
had now exceeded all the expecta-
tions of the Italian people, and the
defeat Of the Russians and the revo-
luton had combined to give every
promise that the war would be long,
even if 1t we're not lost. Suffering in
Italy as result of the struggle was
becoming very general, and there
was a strong feeling in the Penis
sula that the French and the British
had been responsible, in part at
least, for Caporetto, because Of their
failure to support the Cadorna offen-
slve with men and material at the
moment when it seemed about to win
a decisive victory on the Bainzizza
Plateau.
From Caporetto Italy rallied splen-
.lldly. The whole nation seemed sud-
New-York tribune., 1920-09-19

other, and didn't feel that it was
my place to give her homilies on tn,
wisdom Of the law. I wasn't sc
sure of it myself just then.
Then" l said, "the judge
couldn't issue any kind of order that
would divert at least SIS of that
stores weekly profits to-
He could not" said the man;
and, indeed, the Judge had told US
SO. "Not 81 cent. The laws there,
and there it stays. If he could do
that we'd have nothing but liens on
the property of convicts."
On the way up in the subway |
didn't have a word to say. It was
Laura who was doing all the talk
ing and it explained that bcwilderea
look in her face. She wasn't even
talkins-tEe sound poured forth
from her in a shrek.
But | always thought the law
stood up for women, that it pro
tected them. And it's the law. that
very law, that strikes me down. It's
not the judges fault, nor the Do
mcst!c Relations, nor the Parole
Board; its the wicked. wicked law
that I've always thought so good.
And what am 10 DO when they turn
me loose? Oh, III never say a word
against prostitutes, never, never.
Why must woman starve because
her husband has done something
wrong? Ia never be one of them
poor creatures, but I'd never again
say a word against them; and its
50 much worse for me than for them,
and I've never done harm to any,
body. And nobody's 10 blame; only
It's the Jaw. And I've always
though. the Ia" was for US, and in
this last hour I've found it's wait
ing to Jump down on Us aud do Us
dirt. Oh. know the law now, and
never knew it before. I've had
a reverence for it until this hour.
The law-the law-I hate it. Oh.
how hate it,"
But I knew, as I said at the be-
ginning, that since her deadly
troubles began, Laura had lost some
Of her balance.
New-York tribune., 1920-09-19
By Charles Willis Thompson
NV rs ENOUGH to make me
n a bad woman" she walled
as we came out of the
courtroom. she clinpino to

AOQA VI OOill, Slo CllIRluE &C
my arm. II won't be, but-but III
neVer feel mean toward them that
are, them that I saw in the court
room to-day"
She was a married woman in cs-
tate, woman in years, child in
experience and view Of life. Lest
you think | am writing fiction, I will
inform you at the outset that what
am writing happened on Thursday
afternoon of last week and that if
L wanted to | could give every name
and address. Also, that I have no
bricks 70 throw at any official or
bureau-only at the law, and at the
law IN its most bcneficent aspects.
This woman or girl, more girl than
woman, IS married and about to be-
come mother. Her husband is
serving sentence-what for if is
OF not the slightest interest to in
quirc. With one month cut off for
good behavior he will be out in about
live weeks. His wife by that time
If all goes we'll, will have a child
three weeks old-his child. no one
doubts th"t-she is a good girl.
She has not, however, any money
WAerewith to bring this child into
The world or to keep il going until
Nike gets through with those five
SeeN}. She has fine and splendid
'!d mother. who has all she can do
% get along herself. And the i'm
nlnent approach Of those two weeks
las driven Laura nearly mad. She
las been to one bureau or court after
mother trying to explain her situa-
Ion, but she always had had an in
New-York tribune., 1920-09-19

own and investing them without Civ.
ing her dollar?"
Not a cent" was the cheerful
response. But he next time she
goes over to see her husband she
can get him to give his partner an
order to give her so much a week
and if her partner wants to he can
DO it,
Unfortunately, Laura and / both
knew that partner. "Thcn," said I
the situation is that if a man COM
mIts q misdencanor his partner can
temporarily appropriate his profits,
ana his wife must bear their child
as best she can
"Wc-cI!,' said the man there, du-
hiou,iE, she might go to the Living
II Hospital, or the Sloane, and let
them soar, the husband for her care
VIE" he gets out. He'll probably be
busy trying to get a straight ac
counting from his partner, if the
partners the kind You say, but one
lawsuit moro or less won't matter
10 HIM"
"Ihcn there's 10 remedy for here"
/ asked.
Under thc law" said the man,
none. lis unprofes,ional, but |
don't mind saying that I'm sorry for
yov, lady. But you see the law
wasn't built to cover cases like
yours
| didn't look at Laura, at least
not more than once. The anguish
on her face disturbed NE too much,
and with it there was a bcwilder-
meNt, as if shc was trying to un-
Gors.and something. / heard her
saying IL ali unhuman voice
Laura's voice gets ike that lately
AID why, th2r, J.. the law so good
20 prostitutes when i.'s so hard 20
married wonen4'
"Thats another law" said the
man there. 'And maybe, if you
asked the prostitutes, you'd find
they didn't think the law was SO
good to them"
/ agreed with him internally. But
Laura was D cnilo. soon to bear an
New-York tribune., 1920-09-19

| denly to react, and the resistance at
the Piave had something Of the he
roic character Of the French stand
at Verdun. In the summer Of 1918
the final Austrian offensive was
broken at the Piave; and Italy few
weeks later passed to the offensive
and smashed the crumbling Austrian
army forever at Veneto-V Victoria. All
Of a sudden victory without limit
was achieved, the rewards sought
after too long effort appeared at
last only to be asked for. Unrest
there had been in Italy, sullen and
ever-growing discomfort, but for
moment, in November, 1918, with the
success, the danger at home seemed
avoided.
But the Paris Conference proved an
even greater disillusionment for the
Italians than the war itself. In
1915 they had signed treaty with
WIZ SAtSIl 3llu bIlLlSI Ut 1JO[lOOn.
extended by certain private under
standings afterward which insured
Italian possession of the Trentino
to the Brenner Pass, Of the Austrian
shore, with Trieste, to the Julian
Alps, and of all of the northern half
OF Dalmatia, with most of the Adri
attic islands. Added to this was the
promise Of a wide sphere of interest
IN Asia Minor, including Smyrna.
Wilson Their Enemy
But no sooner had Mr.. Wilson re-
turned from his memorable visit to
Italy than the Italian representa-
tive at Paris became aware that the
President was to prove a determined
enemy to most of their hopes. His
fourteen points bore heavily upon
Italian hopes and claims in the Adri
New-York tribune., 1920-09-19

N'0" |oe Iile'c AciiidAileU Cn0 QueS-
ton Of when sho should enter. Most
Of her politicians, like Giolitti. the
heir Of Crispi and a frank friend Of
the Germans, opposed precipitate
entrance. His contention was that
the war would be long and that Italv
would be wiser to wait than to
plunge in too promptly at the cost of
prolonged effort. Given the state Of
Italian finances, the great expenses
of the Turkish War still recent and
the conquest of Tripoli still in
complete, he reasoned that a long
war would risk the very stability of
the Italian structure.
But, on the other hand, it was
equally essential for the Italians not
to wait too long. For if either side
won the war while Italy was still
neutral then there was an end Of all
hope of regaining Trieste and the
Trentino, and the frank possibility,
if the Austro- German alliance won.
of some retaliatory attack as con-
sequence of Italy's failure to stand
with her allies and her subsequent
demand Of Austrian territory as the
price Of bare neutrality.
Now, in point of fact, it seems un-
mstakable that Italian observers in
correctly gauged the situation in
the spring of 1916. They placed too
great reliance upon the expectations
of the Anglo~Frcnch- Russian alli-
ance and therefore took the fatal
plunge at the precise moment when
Russia was reeling under the defeat
at the Dunajec, which proved to be
the first step in the series Of re-
verses which was to lead to the
revolution. AS a consequence, by
the summer Of 1915 Italy, a new
conner in the war, discovered that
Of arriving in time for the
victory march she was actually only
an early arrival at q party which
was just beginning.
Three Years of War
AS it turned out, the war, for
Italy, lasted more than three years.
The defeat and retreat Of Russia
abolished all hope Of a swift advance
upon Trieste or up the Adige val.
ley. Italian troops were pinned
down just at the Austrian frontier
and from the outset condemned to
the glorious but not less restricted
advances which carried Cadorna's
troops through Gorilla and within
sight Of Trieste, but had no decisive
character. By the opening of the first
winter it became clear that Italy
would have to make q supreme ef-
fort. 1t also became equally clear
hat a terrific strain was going to
DO placed upon the political as we'll
as the economic framework of Italy.
In the spring of 1916, while the
Germans were hammering at Ner
1un, the Austrians suddenly burst
'ut of the Trentino and Italian soil
vas occupied. This invasion was
hecked, and the Brusiloff offensive
promptly drew Austrian attention to
he eastward, but the effect of the
'low was to weaken the weight of
he Italian offensive a few weeks
ater. Italy, having taken Gorizia,
lsed up her resources in ammuni-
ion and in material and lacked the
leavy artillery and other machinery
lecessary to so on.
With 1917 came the total COLLAPSE
f Russia. For Italy this had fright ,
New-York tribune., 1920-09-19

! such as to be unmistakable to every
Italian and impressive enough to
stand comparison with the sacrifices
of the long war.
But instead, Orlando, having long
pleaded the Italian case at Paris,
had finally to quit the conference
and, empty-h handed, return to his
own country to appeal to his fellow
citizens for their sanction Of claims
far inferior to the minimum of ex-
pectation. Italians saw Great Brit
ain acquire practically all the
German colonies, take new title to
Egypt and assert unchallenged su-
premacy in the valleys of the Eu-
pirates and the Tigris, as we'll as
that of the Nile, seize the greater
portion Of the German merchant ma
rino and successfully establish q
claim to 25 per cent Of the German
indemnity.
Much Territory for France
AS for France, they saw her ac-
quire Alsace-Lorraine in Europe, to-
gether with the ownership Of the
Saar mines, under conditions which
at least held out a promise Of ulti-
mate annexation. Moreover, to this
was added the occupation of the
Rhine barrier for a period of years.
and the climax was capped by the
Anglo-American-F French treaty Of
insurance, which has since persisted,
but in the days Of the conference
seemed vital fact to French anG
Italians alike. Outside of Europe
France acquired half of Togoland,
almost all Of kamerun, in Africa,
and Syria and Cilicia, in Asia. AS
to indemnity, France established her
claim to SIS per cent Of Ger.nany's
total war payments.
BY contrast, Italy, which had been
invaded, as Britain had not, discov-
cred that from German indemnity
she was to profit by only per cent,
while her claims against Austria
and Hungary automatically fell with
the approximate destruction of these
two Kingdoms. If her title to
Trieste and the Trentino was recog-
nized, her claims in the Adriatic
we're impatiently thrust aside by
President Wilson without protest by
her British and French allies. In
deed, these seemed frankly to sup
port the President in his champion
ship of the rival claims of the
Southern Slavs, who, in the case of
the Croatians, Slovenians and Bos
mans, had been Italy's opponents on
the Carso for three years Of des
perate fighting.
Greeks Given Precedence
In Asia Minor the Greek claim
to Smyrna was held to overbear that
Of Italy. In Albania Greek claims
we're equally honored, while to
American and Allied opposition to
Italian purposes there was present
y added the decisive circumstance
If an Albanian uprising. England
and France had bound themselves
% make compensation if their gains
n Asia or Africa were beyond the
New-York tribune., 1920-09-19
By Frank II. Si1nonds

~ BSCURE as are many Of
the details Of the latest
Italian disorders, which
New-York tribune., 1920-09-19
ty Victory One Reason for Present Unresf

attic. He conceded them the Trentino
rs they claimed it, allowed them Tri-
este and the Istrian peninsula, but
III the matter Of the Dalmatian
coast, which had been promised them
by the British and French, and Of
Fiume, which was Italian in its pop
ulation, the President was obdurate
Thus Italy, far from finding her
self welcome ally at Paris, had
tinally to choose between withdrawal
and surrender Of some of her dear
est projects, and, as a result, with
lrew.
Allies Against Her
But even withdrawal could not
solve the difficulties. Encouraged
by President Wilson's championship
Of their rights, which were unde-
niable, the Southern Savs extended
their claims and sought to enforce
them by arms. Italy was on the
point of a new war with the Jugo-
Slavs, and the daring gamble of
'Annunzio, modelled on the exploit
# Garibaldi and his Thousand,
brought Europe to the edge of
new struggle while the peace con-
ference was still in session and the
pending war as yet unliquidated. In
addition, Britain and France, Italy's
recent allies, far from standing
with her, accepted President Will
sons decisions, advised Italy to yield
and even disclosed their sympathies
with the Southern Slavs in the Adri
attic and with Italy's Greek rivals
in the .Egean.
In sum, then, by war and by the
peace which was to close the strug-
gle in such fashion as to make war
impossible for the future, Italy was
placed in position of financial
weakness almost beyond hope. Her
debt, heavy enough before the con-
test, had been expanded to colossal
proportions. Her own territories
had been invaded and ravaged; she
had lost more than 100000 of her
best manhood; she suffered from
lack Of food and Of fuel as a conse-
Quence of the blockade and the sub
marine depredations.
Wars Inevitable Result
Domestic suffering, moreover, in
Italy as elsewhere, had had it's DO
litical and economic consequences.
Even during the war there had
been unmistakable menaces from the
of the Socialists, strikes at
the moment when munitions were a
matter of life and death, and open
defeatism at the hour when the dis
aster of Caporetto threatened the
very life Of the country. The war
had brought in its train exactly ,
those circumstances which we now
recognize are inevitable if war be
too long protracted and the strain
upon the population is thus weIlnigh
Still, given all these circum-
stances, it was possible that the
peace might in some measure save
Italy from the evil effects of her
ong trial. But it was plain, even
'efore the Paris Conference met, that
he Italian phase of the peace nego-
,iations would have to possess
brilliant character; that Orlando
would have to bring home to Rome
some impressive fruits of the con-
est, not alone peace with honor. but
'cace with profits which would be
New-York tribune., 1920-09-19
After Three Years of Desperate
Struggle the Nation I Has Little
to Show for 1t

held out for all Italians the promise
OF one more opportunity TO join
with a foreign nation in its war
upon Austria and acquire, as a re-
ward. the still unredeemed fractions
of the Italian race.
But if the Austrian was for the
Italian the hereditary enemy and the
question Of the Irredenta was an.
other Alsace-L Lorraine. Italy felt no
corresponding antipathy for the Ger
man. On the contrary, the German
had become a mighty influence in
Italian finance and industry. Genoa
was southern Hamburg or Bren-
en-, the home port of vast German
fleets; the banks of Italy we're, many
of them, merely the subsidiaries Of
German institutions; all through
Northern Italy, where the Industrial
life Of Italy ccnters, German in
huence was tremendous, and the
Germans were found everywhere.
That the Italians liked the Germans
personally was not true, but that
Big business in the two countries was
closely allied and that Italy, in many
ways, was an economic dependent of
Germany, was clearly the case.
Germans Not Surprised
Italian neutrality angercd but did
not much surprise the Germans in
August, 1914, but when their cx-
pcctcd victory did not arrive and the
six weeks timetable to Paris had
to. be abandoned, following the de-
teat at the Marine, the Germans real
lied that they had not merely to
reckon with Italy as q neutral. but.
a. consequence of the Austro-Ital-
IAN issue, to count upon Italy as an
eventual enemy unless there could
be some settlement of the issues be-
tween Rome and Vienna. On the
other hand, it always was clear that
# such a settlement could be arrived
at Italian neutrality was assured.
Moreover, as the British blockade
grew tighter and tighter the Ital-
lah ports became the chief avenues
Of importation for the Germans and
Italian neutrality as important on
the economic as the military side.
All the winter of 1914-'15 and
we'll into the spring Prince Won
Bulow fought to hold Italy neutral.
Presently Berlin even went to the
length Of putting pressure upon
Vienna to make territorial con-
ccsslons; Vienna, on its side, with
characteristic sluggishness, delayed
the debate, and while consenting to
certain sacrifices in the Trentino,
out not including Botzen or Meran,
5tcad1astly refused to cede Trieste
Or any territory beyond the eastern
frontier of Italy.
New-York tribune., 1920-09-19
Nav Return to Germany

This sp:ri. shows itself to-day !
Italian recognition Of the reSO'a
t;onary povcrnmen, in Russia aA'
in association with Britain, in oF
position to all French policies S''
claims whenever British and frenCI !,
views diyergc, !, may show IlssD
Tomorrow IN a return to the va
man alliance il Germany pulls H.
self together and again becomes .
force in Europe. For il IS unln.
taxable tnat the Italians fee! s!lh''
as hcea,y as the Germans that w.
were betrayed in TIC peace se'',
ineat and, while the German emo'S.
is without any bass in fact, " u y. :.
no means as easy 20 dispose Of To-
Italian allegation, even if one rec0.
nlzes that most of the Italian ~
haps WI. accidental and roae =
result OF - mal,volence.
And /. $ 70, the .os,, serious j" ..
tor n Tie European situation W.
three great peor.es--'Ae Ra''''
the German aad tne ltal.an-a's
this moment hostile to the syS'' !,
created at Paris and not unlikely
the remoter future, 10 drift so'N y.
an association which migns w.
perilous to the peace of the w0f'D'
Copyright, 1890. Mcclure N'"'
paper Syndieate)
New-York tribune., 1920-09-19
Only a Question of Time

Given the Italian purposes, the
determination to complete the re-
dcoming of Italian lands and peo-
pies, there then could be no doubt
as to where Italy would fight In the
New-York tribune., 1920-09-19
There Is a Feeling That France an
England Reaped Richer Re-
wards Than Their .AlIv

- AAOAA All v
limits reckoned in 1915 as n-o..,.
but these concessions took the Il.
Of desert tracts in the sab.s
adjoining Abyssinia.
To establish their claims :,
Minor tire Italians had to sc..s. e. Ss'|
new war with the Turks. Tot,
Albania meant a war on the e,,..' W.
shore of the Adriat:c, sim. e
whole Of the Inhabitants Of - II
stormy land had taken m
against Italian occupation -
driven the Italian troops to fl.
coast TO realize the gains p,on;,.
by the AngIo-F rench-I:ahan T,.''
OF London a war With the IN.
SIaFs was necessary, and tb;s T.]
carried with it tie perils dp. j
w. at,,..: ''.' possibility u
Wv, '.S ''' - american loan !
thua,, ~ ~ - ~ '''N'' coa'' finally u
through the Near East, Italian .,l
pirations encountered Greek o,,.H
sition, and behind the Grset t'f1
Smyrna at Constantinople, ev,rl
"here, was the substantial form 4
John Bull.
$o,b;n,,o Sh
"' '''e'o was 10 De found =
New-York tribune., 1920-09-19

u OOSOAE rs are many o
the details Of the lates
Italian disorders, which
have begun to draw worlc
attention away from the Polish cam
paign, it is not less plain that thu
whole economic structure Of tn,
Italian monarchy, and its politica
editice as we'll, is endangered BY
disturbances which must, at the
least, recall certain details of the
Russian revolution Of three years
ago. Nor is it reassuring to note
that labor in Britain is manifestine
a determination to act violently
which gives promise Of acute indus
trial crises in the near future in
the British Isles.
The case Of Italy is, however, far
more serious than that of Britain
because Italy has emerged from a
war in which she shared the honors
Of the victors, but is stricken with
not a few Of the disabilities Of the
vanquished. Underlying all else in
the Italian disturbance is the un-
mistakable fact that the war, which
promised so much for Italy, has
proved the gravcst disappointment
since the rise Of the Savoy mon
archy, the final circumstance Of
which was The entrance cf italian
troops into Rome just a half CEN
turv ago.
Political and Economical
Politically and economically the
World War has brought to the
lta!ian pecple few Of the rewards
.7hich zero hoped for. In brief
revic f tie circumstances and
purposes of Italian participation n
he recent struggle It may be posi-
bic to SC. forth the political and
economic causes Of the present up
aoaval.
Italian entrance into the World
War was rot, as in the case Of
France. Russia. Belgium and Serbia
in 1914 and the United States in
1917, the result Of any direct and
hostile action Of Germany or Aus
tria. On the contrary, at the mo-
Tent when the conflict broke Italy
was allied to Austria and Germany,
and when the Italian government
declared its neutrality it was the
policy of Germany at no time to
permit any overt act on the part of
the Central powers which could sup
ply the Italians with even pretext
for taking up arms. Prince Won
Bulow, former Chancellor OF the
German Empire and unquestionably
the ablest German statesman, spent
months in Italy striving to persuade
the Italian government to remain
neutral.
Price Not Concealed
The price Of Italian neutrality
was not concealed from either the
Germans or their foes. From Aus
tria Italy demanded the Trentino,
including Botzen and Meran and
Trieste, with the surrounding Istri-
an regions. The demand was solid
~ based upon the Latin character Of
the inha abitants Of all OF the regions
claimed, save the Botzen- -Meran
fraction Of the Trentino. What Itolv