Evening star., 1926-04-08
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

the map OF Libya were laid upon our
Atlantic Coast. az IL Hes alons the
Mediterranean, IL would cover all New
Engle nd and all coast States south
! to the boundary OF Florida. including
New York and Pennsylvania.
Tripoli ID the most fertile part OF
Libya, consisting OF level coastal
plain dotted with many fertile GA ses.
| and a range Of fertile hills. East Of
plateau; Fezzsn and the Libya n
Desert are aria. sandy deserts with.
here and there. limited oases.
All OF this vast region Is claimed
by Italy, not az ma ndated territory
derived from the League of Nations.
but as the fruit Of previous conquest
OF arms in the Italia. Turkish war OF
1911 and later diplomatic bartering
With France and Great Britain. as.
signing Morocco for France and
Egypt for Great Britain. Long prior
to the Turkish war, Italy coveted
I.ibya. Aven before Italy had become
a United Kingdom. and her ambition
had no reference to the consent OF
the governed The population. ac-
cordins to the census Of 1911. mum.
bered 623.176 natives Ara
bians and Turks, with between 5000
and 5000 European ns, mostly Italian
and Maltese.
Back in 1888. the Italian patriot,
Mazzini, declared, INorth Africa be-
longs to Ttaly." When In 1855 the
Suez Canal was about to open. and
turn shipping into the Mediterranean
instead of around Cape OF Good Hope.
Bismarck wrote TO the venerable
Maazini: Italy and France cannot be
| fnSA hAi
In the Mediterra mean. The empire of
the Mediterra mean must be the con-
stant preeeenpation Of Italy. the
funds mental thought Of the Floren-
tine cabinet
Even then there we're thousa nds OF
Itelia ms in Tunis nd Egypt. and when
the triple alliance of Italy, Germany
and Austria was formed in 1882 there
were provisions linking Italy's rights
in Libya to Offset certain contingen.
cies In the balance OF powers in the
Balkans.
In 1881 the Italian premier, Crispi
made diplomatic agreement with
Great Britain, recognising British
sudan. In consideration of British sup.
port Of italy in Libya: and in ISL.
when France won over German
claims to Morocco, there was excite
ment throughout Italy, demanding
immediate occupation Of Libya, to of
set Fra nee in Morocco. Germany and
Austria threatened to support Turkey
against Italy, but nevertheless. In
August, 1911. Italy declared war on
Turkey to maintain her rights to
Libya, which war was settled by the
treaty Of Lausanne, October 1S. 1912,
by which Turkey evacuated Libya.
and although the treaty did not spe-
cifleally acknowledge 1taiy's SOW.
ereignty, italy has asserted and main
tanned 1t aggressively ever since.
The World war broke out two years
later, and the Arabs OF Tripolita mia.
FeazAn and Cyrenaica. instigated by
tho Turks and led by = religious or
ganiMtion Of Moslems - the senussi
Fraternity fought the Italians and
oompellsd them to aba ndon all but
the coast towns. The Ssnussi sheik.
Sayyla Ahmed. believing he had dfiv-
en- out the italians, even plotted to
ovsrrun Egypt ana drive the British
ont OF Africa. Turkish and German
efi1oerA aided In the fight, but were
eventually defeated by the British,
ana the italians succeeded In divid.
ing the Moslems and inducing two
Moslem forces to fight each other, ur-
I'll Sayyid Ahmed fed to Oonstahti-
nople shortly before the close OF the
World War, leaving. Great Britain in
possession Of Egypt and italy In pos
session Of Libya, with their agreement
OF mutual support.
No italian premier has ever visited
I.ibya, and the proposed Official visit
OF MussoIini, with q great naval dem.
onstrAtion, 10 declared to be indica-
ton of the Italian policy OF immediate
active development or that vast region
for overflow Of italian population Ind
commercial enterpftse.