Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1938-05-12
International
News Review
BY GEORG sTRANDyOLD

| W." = 1OON1O"
By GEORG sTRANDvOLD
According to reports, it cost the
italian taxpayers between twenty and
thirty million dollars to entertain
Adolf Hitler, their prime minister and
dictator Benito Mussolini's guest,
during the six days he spent in Rome,
Naples and Florence; that is about
four and half or five million dol
lars a day. More royalty, more ex-
penSively, no modern potentate has
ever been entertained, and were one
audacious enough to ask about the re-
turns of that investment, the obvious
reply would have to be that MusSo-
lini put on a grand show, intended
to impress his guest with the fact
that Italy would be a pretty sub
stantial friend to rely on in case
of an emergency.
There were celebrations galore,
banquets, speech-making, parades
that glittered, music, flowers, torches,
special illumination and there were
displays of the mighty army, navy and
air force built up by Mussolini.
During intermisSionS there were
some quiet heart-to-heart talks be-
tween the two dictators; as to their
real contents, the world is left merely
to guess.
Agreements.
Men of the Hitler and Mussolini
type do not feel that they have to
report on their doings and sayings;
if they do so, it is of their own
volition; they are not-and do not
want to be-subservient to a thing
as tickle and as feeble as public
opinion. They, very literally, have
things their own way: In some of
the speeches of host and guest, and
in couple of very inadequate public
statements-issued, it seems, merely
as a matter of courtesy-they did
intimate that they had not been
discussing very seriously the question
of formal military alliance to offset
that between Great Britain and
France. But they agreed that no
Italian interference in affairs between
Germany and CZecho-Slovakia should
be attempted, and that, on the other
hand, Hitler would make no demands
concerning the supposed rights of the
German Austrians living in Italian
South Tyrol. That appears to be the
only actual and concrete agreement
arrived at between the dictators; there
may be others, but the public hasn't
heard about them-if there are any,
they are not considered ''ripe" enough
for publication:
Some observers have noted what
they consider certain GOODNESS pre-
vailing between Hitler and Mussolini;
how accurate the observations are,
one cannot tell; the only thing that
does appear to approach a fact is
Mussolini's alleged dissatisfaction
with Hitler's precipitate annexation
of Austria. He likes Hitler all right,
but as for having German soldiers
garrisoned right inside the Bremen
Pass, that's different story.
Great and Little.
While Hitler was in Italy, Great
Britain and France found an occa-
sion to let the government at Prague
know that it might be wise to submit
to some of the German demands con-
corning the rights of the Sudeten
Germans in the Czech country. That
means, in effect, that the two great
democratic powers have put the final
stamp on their decision not to come
to the support of Czecho-Slovakia in
case of German aggression. Piously,
the British government a short time
ago promised what it vaguely called
moral support" of Czecho-Slovakia
in an hour of distress-and that's all.
1t means precisely nothing if Ger
man guns begin to roar. And now
London and Paris present to Prague
plea for humble submission to
Berlin!
That, of course, is in line with the
case of Ethiopia. On Monday of this
week the League of Nations Council
meeting opened at Geneva to discuss
the question of recognizing Ethiopia
as an Italian compassionate is, as
rightful spoils of conquest. The Brit
ish government had pledged itself to
obtain the Leagues recognition, but
became timid when Halle Selassie,
still considering himself emperor of
Ethiopia, made it clear that he would
protest; that he might even try to
appear before the League Council
in person. At first, the British gov
ad for the cement makers: if it had