The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1936-05-22
Philippians Resist

tan revolutionaries Of the 18th
century accorded the troops Of Ma
polean at the stern admonition Of
Toussaint POuverture, Haitian lib
orator, to burn the cities, destroy
the harvests, tear up the roads
with cannon, poison the wells, and
show the white man the hell he
comes to make
Emperor Halle selassie, who
rushed to the capital a week before
to organize its defense against the
Italians advancing from the north.
suddenly left on the night of May
/ for Djibouti, French East Africa.
Before leaving the capital. the En-
psror held series of conferences
with British, French and Americao
diplomats here. It Is understood
that he vainly appealed for con-
crete aid from their governments
for Ethiopia in its defense Of its
independence and the principle Of
collective peace against an enemy
branded by the League Of Nations
+ as an aggressor.
Emperor Worn Out and tiaagard
Worn out by his arduous activi-
ties In the field and discouraged by
recent defeats and the betrayal of
Ethiopia by the imperialist powers.
the Emperor quite suddenly came
to his decision 70 leave the country.
At Djibouti, he bearded a British
destroyer for Palestine where, It is
reported he win seek refuge. There
is some speculation here as to whe-
Their he win go to Geneva for the
League of Nations Council meet
ing to plead the cause of Ethiopia.
Reports that the Emperor took
large stores of treasure with him
are as false as the general run of
stories that are being sent abroad
by foreign correspondents here.
With the Italian occupation Of the
capital. these correspondents are
already referring to the Ethiopian
guerrilla fighters as bandits.
Ras Nasihu. Governor Of Har-
rar province and commander Of the
Southern Ethiopian Army. has also
entered French territory with the
memhers Of his general staff. With
them by wehib Pasha, the Turkish
/ general who volunteered his serv-
ices to Ethiopia shortly after Italy
launched It's robber war in East
Africa.
Nasibu's Men Continue Fight
The Southern Ethiopian Army
had conducted a successful defense
at Harrar, second largest Ethiop-
ian city and main objective of the
Italian forcer under General Graz
lana. Hever, with the collapse of
the Ethiopian forces in the north,
the Southern Ethiopian Army was
in danger of being trapped between
Graziana's forces and the northern
Italian army under Marshall Ba-
doglio.
The rank and file of Ras MASH
bus army are reported to be main
tanning their military formation
and discipline, although splitting
up into small bands the better co
harass the Italians by guerilla tao
tics. Throughout the entire coun-
try mass resentment against an
enemy which resorted to every bar
barous device to break down Ethi-
opian resistance, including the use
of poison gas and deliberate bomb
ing Of Red Cross hospitals in VIC
lation of international conventions
is swelling and finding outlet in
guerrilla warfare. Thousands OF
Ethiopian civilians have fled to the
hills rather than submit to italian
rule.
All along the now greatly ex-
tented Italian lines, both in the
north and in the south, guerrilla
fighters are reported confronting
the invaders with serious threat
to their lives of communication. Il
was such guerilla tactics, it will
be remembered, that the Ethiop-
ians kept the Italians at bay foi
the greater part of the seven
months that the war has ragged. II
was only after the unfortunate a.
abandonment of guerrilla tactics OF
lightning attacks and disperal that
the Italians were able to make any
roadway to Ethiopia.
The Ethiopian commanders, a.
hardening guerrilla tactics and re-
sorting to mass battles and frontal
attacks, soon found that their poor
| ly armed troops were no match for
troops equipped with modern ar
tillery, tanks, bombing planes and
other lethal weapons. TIE decisive
| factor in the Italian victories, how
ever, was the intensive use of poi
son gas by the Fascists which, in
turn, was given increased effect
iveness by the mass action which
followed.
Revival of guerrilla tactics at
this late date will hardlv Ice as eff