The daily independent., 1937-06-04

-
terranean is basic European
Trouble; Germany Was Ready
To Quit Spanish War Till Her
Warship Was Shelled; Duce
Getting In England's Hair All
The Way From BalearicS TO
India; War Hinges On His De-
cision Whether To Clash Now
Or Wait Till Later.
Washinguon-The nation to
watch in the European situation
is not so much Germany but Italy.
The Germans have been in the
headlines, bur actual fact is that
had it not been for the bombing
of the Deutschland, they were
about ready to quit the Spanish
war.
Not so with the Italians, how
ever, MusSolini considers Spain
his meat. He wants a govern
ment at the western mouth OF the
Mediterranean which will be un-
der his thumb. This is a parS OF
his plan to re-create the old Ro-
man Empire.
The basic trouble in Europe
right now is the increasing con-
flict of interest between GreaS
Britain and Italy. Some day they
are going to clash.
Mediterranean War
The conflict is not in Spain,
bur in the length and breath of
the Mediterranean-even beyond.
Here are important instances IN
which the Italians recently have
got in the British hair:
l. The Fascist radio station at
Bari, southern Italy, sends out a
constant stream OF antl-BritlSh
prOpaganda-in Arabic, Egyptian,
Hinustani and Jewish.
To get an audience for this,
Italian statesmen have virtually
given away radio sets in the Near
East, specializing on cafes, at
which the average Arab loves to
sit. The effect on British prestige
has been deadly.
2. Not long ago Indian tribes
on the northwest border of India
appeared with modern rifles and
machine guns. where they had
been armed with old-faShioned
musketS before. The arms were of
Falian make.
3. Mussolini has continued for
tifying the Libyan border ada
cent to Egypt and has built
concrete highway over the desert
to reach II. On the other side of
Egypt is Ethiopia, which he also
rules.
4. The BaleariC Isles, strategi-
cally placed near the mouth Of
the western Mediterranean, are
now an Italian armed camp.
5. The Italian port of MaSSaua,
in Eritrea on the Red Sea, and
the island of Pantelleria between
Sicily and North Africa, are now
as well fortified as any British
naval base in the Mediterranean,
are a very real threaS to the EN-
pire trade route to India and
Australia.
Chief factor on which war in
the Mediterranean hinges is the
decision of one man as to Wheth-
er II is better to clash now with
the British. while they still un-
prepared or wait till later.
That one man is the never pre-
dictable Benito Mussolini.
Kentucky Gentleman
New York's brilliant, conceited
surgeon Congressman, William I.
Sirovich, had just concluded an
address on the Supreme Court, in
which he referred TO the late
Justice Samuel F. Miller, of Ken
lucky.
Kentucky'S Congressman John
M. Robson immediately rose to
extoll Miller "a native of Robsion's
town of Barbourville. Whereupon
SiroviCh, speaking without notes,
produced this:
Il am reminded that all great
events have responded to the
mystic number 3. The ancient
BrahminS had three gods, Bra
hma. Vishnu, and silva The He
brew patriarchs were Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. The Egyptian
deitieS were Osiris, Isis and Hor-
us. Christianity has Father, Son
and Holy Ghost. Masonry has