Evening star., 1926-12-05
BY FRANK H. SIMONDS.
n HE tension between France and

IN HE tension between france ana
Italy, which has been devel-
| oping for many months and
| L has already led to a number
| of attacks upon French con-
sulates on Italian territory, both in
Europe and north Africa, is the more
! diff1cult both to explain and to deal
with officially because 1t has no real
basis in fact which can he eliminated
| by negotiation or compromise.
There is no outstanding cause of
dispute. France does not hold terri
| tory to which Italy has any claim.
such as would explain the difficulties
on the German Polish frontier or the
| old causes for strife between Italy
and Austria. There Is no portion OF
French population which desires to
| be Italian. And while 1t Is true the
| linguistic frontier between the two
countries in Europe does not follow
that of political separation. the
French speaking areas in Italy are
! actually larger than those of Italian
speech in France.
The fact that Nice and Savoy.
which were once Italian. passed to
France in return for the French aid
given in Sardinia in the war of liberia
ton in 1859 does not supply basis
| for legitimate national dissatisfaction.
for the people Of Savoy have always
| been French in race and language.
and both the province of Savoy and
| the country of Nice voted for reunion
| with France by enormous maJor1t1eS
at the moment of italian cession. As
| for Corsica, the people there are ltal-
+, ian by race and dialect. but the Cor
| sican association with France reverts
to 1868. and there is not the smallest
pro-Italian sentiment on the island.
Goes Back to Peace Farley.
The real basis for the existing 1tal.
| ion bitterness and even expressions OF
violence-for the whole affair ia uni
| lateraEgrows out of two circum-
stances-first. the firm Italian convic-
ton that France was chiefly RESPONSE
| bile for Italy's failure to acquire at
the peace conference larger henehts
| for her wartime sacrifices. and. sec
ondly. that French colonial expan
| sion In north Africa and her Medi-
! terranean n policy are obstacles to legit-
| innate Italian aspirati There Is.
E! too. a certain irritation because GER
| tain anti-Fascisti leaders have taken
refuge in France and the French re-
fuse to expel them or turn them over
| to italian authorities.
! Had France not established herself
in Algeria. Tunis and Morocco. Italy
might now hope to follow in the foot
steps Of Rome and re-establish her
own Latin civilization and power in
the regions Of Africa nearest to her
! own metropolitan area. But France
| went to Algeria nearly a century ago
| and there are today at least half
million French citizens In that colony
! As for Tunis. It is nearly half a CEN
| tury since French troops occupied
this protectorate.
It is true that italian comment now
| is mainly limited to Tunis, where
there are more than 10000 Italians
settled. against less than $4,000
French, although the Italian numbers
have long been stationary while the
| French are increasing steadily. What
! the Italians are seeking is some form
| Of permanent Franco Italian treaty
which would guarantee the continu-
ance Of Italian schools and language
But this would. Of course, in French
eyes. mean opening the way to the
in the population and might open the
way for an Italian colonization.
Britain in Background.
| Thoughtful Italians see that. even
II France could be disposed of. Britain
would not consent to italian posses
sion of Tunis, because when holding
both the Tunisian and Sicilian shores
| Of the narrow strait which connects
the eastern and western portions Of
| the inland sea and acquiring the great
naval base Of Bizerta. Italy would be
in a position to cut the lines of COM
munication between Britain and its
eastern dominions and colonies. What
such Italians manifestly hope for Is
the ultimate independence of Tunis.
and thus the creation Of field for
| italian colonization and commercial
expansion. although 1t is doubtful II
Tunis could absorb much of 1taly's
vast surplus population.
| Nevertheless, Italy sees France.
with an actual shortage Of people In
Europe, holding vast territories In
north Africa and preventing them
from absorbing italian population or
acquiring an italian character. More
over, the French naval bases Of Tou-
Ion. Ajaccio and Bizerta dominate
| italian coasts to a degree, just as the
british at Suez and Gibraltar guard
| the doorways by which Italian COM
merce can reach the open seas.
Possession Of Tripoli is not COM
| pensating advantage. because 1t has
little strategic Importance and less
value as a colony, either for trade or
for settlement.
Again, while the European popula-
ton of France Ia today inferior to that
Of Italy, from a military point Of view.
the balance Is redressed by the pos
session Of the African colonies with
their millions Of Arabs and Berbers.
| who make excellent soldiers, as it is
further improved by the other millions
Of blacks in west and central Africa
in other French colonies. While
France and Italy hold in Europe about
i0, ,OO0, 900 apiece, French colonial popu-
lation approximates 60.000,o00 the
Italian less than 5000, 900. And eco.
nomically and commercially the dis
proportion between the two states is
at least as wide.
The fact that, at Paris. France and
not Italy obtained the mandate for
Syria has never ceased to rankle in
italian minds. Moreover. the Italians
| feel that they were defrauded of those
territorial gains In Anatolia which
were promised to them by their allies,
but having actually been invaded by
the Greeks under allied inspiration.
have reverted to Turkey. which has
again become a considerable military
power. There have been recent re-
ports that France was going to trans
fer the mandate Of Syria to italy. but
while the French experiment in Syria
has been a ghastly and costly failure
to date, such transfer Is unlikely, and
1t is the less likely because of present
| tension.
There Is another element which must
he considered. The Paris peace confer
ence in the main supported Jugoslav
rather than Italian aspirations in the
Adriatic, and although Fiume ulti.
mately fell to the Italians. Dalmatia
was lost, and there arose on the east
ern shore Of the Adriatic a powerful
| Slav state. For this Italy blames her
allies and. of course, France in par