Evening star., 1935-07-21
African War Perils Europe
of Central Nations
Dark

But, H1uScOIAIl1 1lOPC ICIhdA1
should the hospital ships
Eegin coming back carrying thou
sands of young men incapacitated by
topical diseases; should the ships
carrying thousands OF coffins put into
the Italian ports without Abyssinia
having become the pearl on the crown
of the King Of Italy, it will be another
story.
The economic conditions in Italy
have not been too good for the past
~ months. The heavy expenditure
required by the preparation Of an ex-
peditionary force Of 100000 men and
the increased expenditure on the
Italian national defense forces have
not improved the situation. AS long
as the war hySteria lasts, the brass
bands and speeches, plus the hope OF
obtaining Abyssinia's wealth, may
make people forget their hardships
But these things wear out quickly and
If instead of seeing riches come from
the Ethiopian empire, the population
sees merely incspaciated, crippled
young men and long funeral process
sions, nobody will be surprised to see
II Duce, rise against MusSolini'S S
dictatorship
And this may be the signal for q
general European war.
Despite the close relations existing
at present between France and Italy,
relations 70 k,oH
brought about a better feeling be-
tween Italy and YugoSlaviS, there Is
no doubt that the latter is watching
The situation carefully. Gen. Jivko-
witch, the arch enemy Of Italy, is still
minister Of war in Yugoslavia and still
nolds the whip hand in the govern
ment of that country. 1t is true that
specifically the relations between the
two antagoniStic nations have i'm
proved by Italy's having torn down
the tariff wall between the two coun-
tries. She needed Yugoslsvia's raw
materials and especially YugoSlavia' S
food.
Two Ports Convicted.
But there Is not q single Serb,
Croat or Slovene who does not covet
the ports of Fiume and Trieste, which
they consider to have been stolen
from them by the Italian government
after the World War.
As long as Italy is a powerful mill
Gary force, it is natural that the
Yugoslavs should keep quiet. But if
Italy meets with set-backs in Ethiopia
or If the burden of q prolonged
colonial war creates internal strife in
Italy there is no force in the world,
neither France nor Great Britain,
that can prevent the Yugoslavs from
taking by force what they consider to
be theirs.
Austria. over which Italy has ac-
cepted the overlordship. Is another
sore spot. As long as things are quiet,
as they are today, there is little likeli-
hood of another Nazi movement in
that republic.
But the day Italy is in trouble, the
day the Austrian people who still re-
sent the annexation of a part of the
Tyrol to Italy feel that II Duce is
slipping, Nazi move is inevitable IN
Austria as Is q revolution in the
italian Tyrol.
There is no doubt that at present
Italy is the stabilizing power in Gen.
trail and Eastern Europe. With Italy
in trouble, complete anarchy in that
section of Europe appears inevitable.
And once the Balkans start fighting
there is no saying how far that fight
will spread.
League Is POwerless.
The League of Nations, which has
been on its last legs ever since the
japanese entered Msnchuria in 1881,
does not even pretend to be able to
stop such a free-for-an fight.
But the consequences of an Italian
setback in AbysSinia may have serious
repercuSsiOns in the British and the
French colonial empires.
If Italy cannot conquer Abyssinia or
has to abandon the adventure because
of complications in Europe. the ma
tions subjected to Great Britain and
France in Asia and in Africa might
take courage and rise against white
domination. The diminutive Halle
Selassie might become, overnight. the
great leader of the subject dark races
Ever since the end of the World
War there has been trouble in Mo-
rocco. India, Algiers and Arabia. A
handful of white soldiers equipped
with tanks, machine guns and air.
planes were able to cope with those
| troubles. But these races lacked an
inspiration. Their fight against the
white rulers has been without CO.
heSion. And, what is more important,
every time the machine guns and the
airplanes start their deadly songs they
have admitted the superiority of the
whites.
Should, however, q black race de-
feat or keep in check the army of a
leading white country, it is feared in
London and in Paris that such set
back might light the fuse which would
/ blow up the colonial empires of France
and Great Britain.
And it is for this reason that Mus
solini expects these two countries to
lend him their unequivocal support
from the moment his armies begin
their move against Abyssinia.
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