The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1939-02-09

Adolf Hitler plucked territorial
plums at the other end of the Rome
Berlin axis. Mussolini has always
given the Reichsfuehrer his moral
support but in return Italy has re-
ceived nothing. If Mussolini wishes
to retain his dictatorship he must
soon begin asserting himself for new
colonies.
Germany is willing that this
should happen. It would be advan-
tageous for Hitler to have world at
tention focused on a Mediterranean
conflict during the next few years
while he proceeds quietly to carve
Nazi-dominated republic out of the
vast southeastern Ukraine. Mean
while Berlin could conveniently send
Nazi volunteers" to aid Italy with
out risking official involvement.
Italy's campaign thus far has
been very crude. 1t began last No
vember 80, an especially bleak day
when France was quaking in fear of
a complete labor strike and when
Premier Daladier was clawing tooth
and nail to stay in power after
France began feeling the disastrous
backwash of the Czech crisis. For
the first time since 1886 a French
ambassador was in Rome, Andre
Francois-Poncet having been shifted
from Germany to Italy after Paris
belatedly recognized Mussolini's
Italian conquest
'Tunisia! Nice! COrsica!'
M. Francois-Poncet celebrated his
arrival by attending session of the
Italian chamber of deputies where
Foreign Minister Count Galeazzo CT
ano (Mussolini's son-in-law) was to
make a speech. Hardly had his adj
dress started before two deputies
jumped to their feet and began yell
ing "Tunisia! TUNISIA!" From the
galleries came cries, too, not only
for ''Tunisial" but also for "Corsi-
ca! Nice! Savoy!'
Though he sat quietly through the
demonstration, M. Francois-Poncet
lost no time demanding an explana-
ton. Italian officialdom disowned
all responsibility but the controlled
Fascist press picked up the echo
from the chamber of deputies and
has been simplifying it ever since
under direction of Propaganda Vir-
ginio Gayda.
There have been daily threats;
there have been insults, such as
that in the Rome newspaper, II Te-
we're, which pictured 10000, 900 Ital-
ians splitting on France while ''the
Third Republic (France) is patient
ly wiping her face with newspa-
pers." There have been well SUBJ
stantiated reports of Italian troop
concentrations on the west frontier
of French Somaliland.
The net result has been to defeat
Italy's purpose. France, only few
months ago torn by strikes and
ready to GUST Premier Daladier, is
today better united than at any time
in the past five years. Desperately
proud, the French now dislike to
discuss the settlement proposals
Paris first made last summer, be-
cause such discussions would leave
the impression that France yielded
to force.
France May Yield.
These proposals, incidentally, are
substantially what many observers
think Italy is limiting for today in her
undiplomatic fashion. They include
Italian participation in administra-
ton of the Suez canal, Italian con-
troll of the railroad leading from It
aly's Adds Ababa to Frances Dill
BOUT on the Red sea, and more
privileges for Italian residents of
Tunisia.
But if Mussolini presses his adj
vantage after Barcelona. and if
Germany wins not only the Ukraine
but her African colonies lost during
the World war, the Mediterranean
will almost positively be the scene
of Europe's next fireworks. Britain
would be drawn in because she could
not afford to have her lifeline"
broken by Italian capture of Tuni-
STA. This would enable Mussolini
to throw a blockade from Tunisia to
Pantellaria island to Sicily, COM
pletely controlling traffic from Gil.
braltar to the Suez canal.
Such possibilities are admittedly
more theoretical than practical. But
within few weeks the story of
peace or war on the Mediterranean
may be told.
Western Newspaper Union.