Evening star., 1936-05-07
''Satisfed'' Italy.


a conqueror, Mussolini, victory flushed,
proclaims that Italy can now be num-
bered among the satisfied powers.
Having thundered to the frenzied
Romans assembled to celebrate the fall
of Adds Ababa that Ethiopia is Italian"
he proceeds to give assurances that
triumphant Fascism harbors no designs
on any other territory. The dictator is
specific In declarations that he has mo
political interests" in Egypt, the Anglo
Egyptian Sudan or Palestine, pledges
which he obviously expects to serve the
purpose of obliterating widespread fears
that conquest of Ethiopia might be the
forerunner of new Italian ventures at the
expense of Britain's colonial empire in
Africa and the Near East.
While diSavowing additional expansion
ambitions. Mussolini affirms that Italy
will not shut the door in the conquered
country against the economic enterprise
of friendly nations" He may we'll sub
scribe to this not altogether altruiStic
DTOSIdHly
state in which the African campaign has
left the Fascists they could not family
approach the herculean task OF exploit
ing Ethiopia for economic purposes with
out foreign capital aid. II Duce claims
the world would be surprised to know the
truth about Italy's financial strength,
limiting that it has been grossly under
estimated, although there is undeniable
evidence that the nations gold has been
dangerously depleted, while the late cam
paign is estimated to have cost not less
than s75O,OOC 900.
Pending consolidation of Italy's posi-
ton as master of Ethiopia, Mussolini
says he will now turn his attention to
Europe. On this score, too, he pitches his
talk in the key of conciliation, promising
italian help in bringing about stable
understanding among the western
powers. IF they 60 to war" he asserts,
"the consequence will be the crash of
European civilization" To avoid that
calamity, which Italian aggression
against Ethiopia all but precipitated, the
urgency of reorganizing the League is
advocated. In glorifying the achieve.
ments of Badoglio's army and of the
Italian people in Surmounting sanctions
Mussolini refrains from denouncing the
Geneva powers, clearly with an eye to
the peril that sanctions may be pro-
longed. His whole bearing at this hour
of intoxicating glory is designed to con-
vince the world that Italy is bent upon
regaining the repute she forfeited in de-
stroying Ethiopia and by her cynical con-
tempt for international law and collec-
tive peace machinery.
What has happened in Africa and to
the League cannot, unfortunately, be
undone. The peace of Europe still hangs
precariously in the balance. An Italy
vastly more powerful in consequence OF
the Ethiopian conquest is predestined to
play correspondingly greater role in the
policies and councils which will order the
Old Worlds fate. Mussolini will have
early and ample opportunity to demon
strate whether the grandiloquent accents
in which he is now Illuminating are trust
worthy-to show by deeds that Fascism is
entitled to recover the respect of civil
ization which it has so recently shocked
and defied. Reports that Italy is already
moving to make herself "the greatest
power in the Mediterranean" will not
generate confidence in II Duce's conten-
tion that he is satisfied" with the
blood-stained laurels his legions have
Just won.