Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1939-02-16


Great Britain would rush to the aid
of France with every means at our
command" in case of Franco-Italian
war.
But although little attention for the
moment is paid to what amounts in
practice to two definite alliances,
they are there; they are there as con-
crete facts, ready for use whenever
the need arises.
Dead POntiff.
Tuesday evening of this week Pope
Plus XI was laid away in crypt
in the basilica of ST. Peters, Rome;
he had died last Friday, and during
the days between death and burial
hundreds of thousands of persons
filed past the catafalque upon which
his body reposed in all the splendor
characteristic of the Roman Catholic
church. The late pope, starting life
in a small Lombard town as the son
of fairly well-to-do parents, became
intensely interested in theology at the
age of ten when he entered SEM
mary; later on he studied at various
ecclesiastical colleges and universe
ties, and for a while was librarian.
In 1919 he was appointed archbishop
and at the same time Pope Benedict
XV's nuncio to Poland, becoming
a cardinal two years later. When
Benedict died early in January, 1922,
Achillei Ratti, as his name had been
until then, was elevated to the papal
throne. During the seventeen years
elapsed since his election he endeared
himself to all branches of the church
in all lands, and commanded the re-
spect of millions of non-Catholics.
Although Plus was modern and
liberal in many of his views, he de-
plored what he considered the pagan
trend of Notwithstanding life; he
was an outspoken champion of the
international peace cause but did not
succeed, despite his tremendous in
fluence, in averting wars and pre-
parations for new wars. The pope'S
death did, it would seem, cause brief
halt in the further development of
pending crises.
Spanish War.
On the Spanish civil-war battle
front the demise of the pontiff did
not cause any intermission, for even
during the hours when pious Catho-
lies were filing past his bier in Rome,
the filters of General Francisco Fran
co.'s rebel armies subjected the cities
of Madrid and Barcelona to violent
bombardments.
Manuel Azana, the legitimist presi-
dent of the Spanish republic, has
sought refuge in France. He is out
of the picture, for the time being,
chiefly because he was firm in his
insistence that the war had gone far
enough and that it's continuation
would be futile and cruel. But his
prime minister, Juan Negrin, still
believes that he and his generals
will be able to stave off the onslaughts
of Franco and therefore, is preparing
to defend to the utmost the last posi-
tons of the government.
| At this distance the decision seems
desperate one, for Francois forces
are superior, and Negrin can expect
no help of any kind from abroad;
what he now wants to defend is a
territorial fraction of Spain, and,
based on whatever knowledge is
available here, it seems so useless.
What Next?
Europe is holding it's breath, for
the outcome of the Spanish war may
be of great Importance to the i'm
mediately future fate of the Old
World. 1t seems clear that Italy is
merely waiting for Franco to be firm
ly established in Spain, and that as
soon as that has happened, Musso-
lini will press his demands for French
Tunis.
Italy wants Tunis; Germany has,
through Hitler, declared that if war
results from this claim, Italy can de-
pend on German help. On the other
hand, France has declared repeatedly
that Italy must not and shall not
have Tunis, and Chamberlain has
stated in the House of Commons that
should Italy resort to aggression in
this connection, France will not be left
alone. So, there is the constellation.
There is said to be possibility
that if Great Britain will restore the
war-lost overseas colonies to Ger
many, Italy may abandon its Tunisian
claims and Germany declare its will
ingness to preserve peace, but there