Evening star., 1935-02-17
BY EDGAR ANSELL MOWRER.

another nation going TO break
l. its promises under the League
Of Nations and embark upon
a program Of unbridled expansion?
Are the Italians going to try to wipe
away the Shame of Adua," when in
the 90s their troops were decisively
defeated by the dark Ethiopians?
These are the queries Europe is
facing today. Their answer will be
.ital not only for the League Of Ma
tions, but also for the general Euro
pean development.
The fact is that Italian soldiers and
armed Abyssinian warriors stand fac
ing each other along a row Of wells
which constitute the unique riches Of
what figures on the maps as Eastern
Abyssinia.
$4,000 Modified.
The fact is that Premier Benito
Mussolini has mobilized considerable
number of soldiers, possibly 10000 or
sc, 900 men, and there Is talk Of rush.
ing them to Italian Somaliland where
it touches Abyssinia.
1t Is unquestioned that Italian
newspapers are talking frequently Of
the need for eliminating the last
barbarian zone in Africa" or estab-
fishing an Italian zone of influence" I"
For, excepting the none too sue
cessful Negro republic of Liberia.
Abyssinia is the last spot on the dark
continent which is not governed by
Europeans Therefore it unquestion-
ably appeals as prize to a man like
Mussolini. whose hold on Italy rests
remilitarized Italian nation with "a
new Roman empire"
In the early 90s, when, under
Premier Francesca Crispi, the Italians
were feeling the first twinges of the
thing that was later to emerge as
Fascism, Italy in the quest for COL
onies. made an unsuccessful attempt
to subdue the sturdy EthiopianS, who
have rarely, or never, been conquered
Frontier Loosely Indicated.
The result was the unpublished
agreement of 1897 and the regular
treaty of 1898. The frontier between
Ethiopia and italian Somaliland was
loosely indicated Virtually all maps
in the world indicate the spots called
Ualual, Wardair and Abdul as so miles
within Abyssinian territory. But actu-
ally the line was never in this section
fixed on the ground.
Meanwhile attempts are being made
to exploit Abyssinia, which was placed
under the joint protection Of Great
Britain. France and Italy. One Ameri-
can attempt collapsed early in the
current depression, and more recently
the japanese started cotton planta-
tions and, 1t is claimed, vast fields Of
opium poppies.
Furthermore the Ethiopian, Ras
Tafari, while regent. and later as Sui
tan Halle Selassie, king of Kings
Lion of Judah" and lineal descendant
Of the Queen Of Sheba, started to mod
ernize the place Last Autumn COM
mission appeared tc fix the frontier
This apparently provoked the crisis
For during the last few months OF
years the Italians. by process of quiet
infiltration, had placed small garrisons
at the wells Of Ualual, Wardair and
| Afdub.
Admitted to League.
On the other hand, Abyssinia, against
Italian protests, had been admitted to
the League Of Nations. On December
there was a fight at Ualual between
Abyssinians and italian native troops
, in the presence of British officers of
| the frontier commission. The commits
sion was withdrawn Each side accused
the other of attacking The Italians
| virtually controlled the news sources
! but the Abyssinians announced their
intention of appealing urgently to the
League Council.
Alas! No single member of the
Council cared to hear AbysSinia's plea
for action against Italy, since the
Italians had proudly announced that
| it was beneath 1taly's dignity to sub
NIT to a charge by anything so bar
barous and insignificant as Ethiopia.
/ When the representative of the
King Of Kings" approached Secretary
General Joseph A. Avenol with his pa
pers neither he nor his papers were
even received.
Since September it had been said
| az 1C1lCNd lAldI DOlAl tllC oAAOAoAI civ
the French had given Italy a "free
hand in Ethiopia" and many be-
lieve this agreement was confirmed
more recently by French Foreign
Minister Pierre Laval at Rome dur
ing his conversations with Mussolini
| Ultimatum Given.
Anyway Abyssinia, advised by the
British to negotiate directly with the
Italians, met with an ultimatum from
them. Instead of offering satisfac-
tion, the Italians claimed 1t and
ssked for apologies, a cash indemnity
of 50,0o0, 900 lire lover S4,000,000) and
a new mixed commission to settle the
frontier.
The Ethiopians, their eyes bulgine
at this example of civilized diplomacy
gulped and apparently refused. The
next news was that Of trouble be-
| tween the French and Abyssinians or