Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-07-10
Italy's Little War.

italy has been promptly plunged into
one Of those little wars" which almost
invariably must be waged by alien powers
essaying the conquest and subjugation
of colonial territory. At the very mo-
ment the Fascists are seeking interna-
tional recognition of their annexation of
Ethiopia, they are discovering that the
task of establishing themselves as over
lords of country spreading over $4,000
square miles and embracing an embit-
tered population of 100000 is fraught
with grave difficulties and dangers. On
June 26 ten Italian aviators were am
pushed and slain by Ethiopian tribes
men in Wallega western province, after
the party had alighted in the course of
a reconnaissance flight. Three of the
victims were among Italy's most famous
airmen-Gen. Magliocco, who was as
sistant chief of aviation during the re-
cent East African campaign; Maj. Lo-
cateln, member of the Balbo squadron
which flew to Chicago in 1888, and Col.
Calderini 1t is reported that mass re-
prisals" have been ordered by the
italian authorities in the region of the
so-called massacre"
While Roman off1cialdom is at pains
to minimize the true significance of the
incident, describing it as the work OF
bandits" and stresses that 1t does not
denote organized or armed Ethiopian
opposition to the new rulers of the land,
the affair is designed to bring home
wildly both to the government and to
the popular mind that the job of absorb
ing the conquered territory within Mus
solini's empire" is by no means finished.
The Wallega ambush happens to CO.
incide with news that guerrilla bands
have been attacking the French owned
Adds Ababa- Djibouti Railroad at vari-
Gus places, including Modjo, Hadam and
Arba, blowing up bridges and killing sew
eral persons Guerrilla warfare is re-
ported to be spreading in the unoccupied
territories of the southwest. These de-
velopments lend some color to the re-
cent assertions of Halle SelasSie before
the League Assembly at Geneva that
Ethiopia is not yet supine under the
conqueror's heel, even though nothing
has yet happened to justify the de-
throned exile's contention that with the
aid of s50,000,0O0 of League money a
defensive resistance could be organized
which would harass the invader to the
point of making his occupation of doubt
full value. That such plea has little
justification in fact seems to be mani
tested by current plans to furlough 10O,-
600 italian troops now in East Africa,
whereby the army in Ethiopia and the
contiguous area would be reduced to a
force Of 100000.
Nevertheless. italy is almost unmistak-
ably foredoomed to pay that price of
empire which various European nations
have incurred in the pursuit of African
territorial expansion. Britain's inces-
SAINT little wars" throughout the dark
CoIltlleliI ouIiIiS Lie S1CtofAdi1 CID, tIie
more modern campaigns Of France and
Spain in Tunis, Algeria and Morocco,
along with the experiences of other coun-
tries in imposing their rule on native
populations, are GRIM reminders to II
Duce that empire building is a serious
and sanguinary business. He is prob
ably only at the threshold of some ex-
pensive education on that score in
Ethiopia.