The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-10-17

would seem to be advantageous to all
concerned to maintain a spirit of
friendly cooperation. Italy has at
tempted TO do this and Ethiopia has
pretended TO.
Before Halle Selassie became en-
peror-when he was known only as
the Regent Ras Taffari-and needed
Italy's friendship TO become ruler of
all the chieftains, he was welcomed
by Fascist Italy, whose sympathy lent
support to his cause just as it had TO
that of Menelik at an earlier time.
Halle had dispossessed Lii Yasu, the
rightful heir to Menelik's throne, Ital-
ian moral support was of real impor-
lance in gaining recognition for the
man who is Ethiopia's present king
of Kings"
Long Record of Attacks.
Halle Selassie as emperor declared
his intention of undermining his coun-
try in 1923 and signed a treaty with
Italy which was to allow Italy to CO.
operate in performing works necessary
to such a program for Ethiopia. Sub
sequent events disclosed that what
Halle was really doing was arming
Ethiopia with modern and distinctly
anti-Italian arms. His objective was
the eventual conquest of an Ethiopian
outlet to the sea through one of the
Italian colonies. Under the cloak of a
desire for peace and harmonious CO.
operation he was pursuing the militant
policies of his predecessors.
To review a few of the facts: When
the Italian senate was discussing its
colonial budget in 1912 it was re-
vealed that a dangerous anti-Italian
campaign was being fostered in Adds
Ababa, reminding the Ethiopian tribes
of the opportunity for an offensive
which was awaiting them because of
the trouble Italy was having at the
time subduing its two Libyan colonies.
In March and April of 1914 a chief
tain, Woldo Giorghi with $4,000
men, marched on the Eritrean from
tier, knowing the Libyan war had left
it virtually without protection. Hur-
ried telegraph messages frantically re-
called the Eritrean battalion from
Libya, and forces were sent down
from Italy itself to meet the threat of
war
The following year the Negus Mikael
attempted TO attack Eritrea with three
times as many men, after conducting
a campaign of political propaganda
among the natives living there. In
1920 Italy again had TO resort to mill
tary methods to quell an uprising led
by the Mullah along the frontier. They
had to do it again in another three
years to set back an expedition led by
the DejaZmach Wake and Woldo
Selassie.
Ethiopia was known to be sending
arms and munitions to the rebels in
the Mijjertein area when Italy was
preparing its occupation of northern
Somaliland. The beginning of the last
anti-Italian expedition was in 1881,
when the Dejazmich Gabre Merriam
threatened attack along the Italian
Somaliland frontier on the Shibeli; it
was this expedition which came to
head in the attack upon the Italian
garrison at Ual-UaL
What Italy Concludes.
The conclusions which Italy has
reached from these experiences of the
last 80 years is summed up by Rober-
TO Forges-Davanzati, member of the
Italian senate and editor of the Tri-
buna of Rome, in Current History
Magazine:
81. Italian penetration in East Afri-
ca has over half century of political.
military and commercial history. 1t
is therefore not at all improvised. but
represents vast. essential problem.
the solution of which cannot be fur
Their postponed.
80 Italy in 1889. as in 1923 by Mus
solini's initiative. attempted TO carry
out a policy with ETHIOPIA of good
neighbOrliness and of direct co-opera-
ton, from which Ethiopia would have