Evening star., 1935-07-07
decided on Struggle, Will
Not Turn Back" He Cries
Before 5000 Black
Shirts Headed for Africa.
AMERICANS ADVISED
TO LEAVE ETHIOPIA
Most of U. S. Missionaries Living
in Troubled Zone to Stay at
Posts Despite Warning-Selas.
sic, Spurned by State Depart.
ment, Turns to Britain for Aid,

Copyright. 1885. by the Associa TED PressJ
ROME, July Ga ringing battle
cry from Benito Mussolinis lips
| echoed through Italy tonight as the
country turned heart and soul TO
preparations for the war with Ethi-
opia now believed inevitable.
Before nearly $4,000 Blackshirt VOL
unteers destined for service in East
Africa, who gathered at the Salerno
today, II Duce, cheered TO the echo.
declared:
We have decided upon a struggle
in which we as a government and a
people will not turn back. The de-
cision is irretrievable.'
Speaks From Cannon Top.
A cannon top, significantly, was II
Drce's rostrum for his fighting speech.
and the throng of eager-faced youths
roaring approval of his words included
four of his own kinsmen. They were
of the battalion from Forli, the pre-
mier's home town. IN Rome the Lead
er's two aviator sons. Vittorio and
Bruno, signed up for African service.
T
Blackshirt and two regular army di-
visions, went over equipment tonight
in expectation of speedy departure
for the African adventure.
Meanwhile, the steamer Cello left
Naples with % officers and 600 men
aboard, while the Principessa Maria
/ began loading 40 officers and 1850
Total Reaches 100000.
| The Naples sailing. together with
/ the troops scheduled to put out from
Salerno. will push we'll past 10000
men the army Italy has concentrated
| in her African colonies for hostilities
expected to begin after the rainy sea-
son ends in September.
/ Special transports have carried
| 100000 soldiers and workmen, who
may be converted into soldiers. About
/ 10000 more have gone on weekly
mail boats
They carried with them the most
astounding military equipment Africa
has ever seen-fiame throwers, gas
outfits. the latest thing in tanks and
airplanes and equipment for covering
vast areas with chemicals designed
| to burn bare feet of Emperor Halle
SelaSsie's soldiers.
Mediation Rejected.
| While Fascists rejoiced at Mussolinis
escape from harm when lightning
struck the wireless antennae of his
big three motor airship while it was
! fighting its way down through an
electrical storm TO the little West
Coast town. authoritative sources here
reiterated that Italy neither wanted
nor would accept mediation of her
conflict with Ethiopia
Once again they declared the matter
one to be settled-and settled once
/ for all-directly between Italy and
Ethiopia Italy wants no half settle
ment such as territorial concessions.
! they said.
! If Halle SelasSie is willing TO ask
! Italy 10 assume an armed protectorate
over his country. these sources said.
then war may be avoided. If not,
war is certain.
Italy Always Victorious"
Nothing daunted by his near
/ disaster, II Duce was in top oratorical
/ form as he told his masSed fighting
men the die was cast.
Remember" he said. that Italians
have always defeated the black races.
Adua (where an Italian invading force
was badly beaten by ill-equipped. but
numerically superior. Ethiopian de-
/ tenders in 1896 was an exception
only because of the difference in pro-
| portion between the forces. There
were only $4,000 Italians against 100.-
900 Ethiopians"
| Declaring the earlier Ethiopian
conflict unfortunate for Italy because
| she was less concerned about her SOL
| Giers than with miserable questions
of Parliament"-an institution his
Fascist regime has "irtually aban-
doned-MusSolini continued:
Italy today is rewriting an heroic
page of her history
He asserted the entire nation was
behind her sons who are leaving
for Africa" and paraphrased the
Continued on Page S, Column g.