"Italy in the Coming War."

Evening Star, Issue 7831, 12 February 1889, Page 3

" Italy in the Coming War."

The ' Esercito Italiano,' the military organ at Rome, has published an article in the form of a letter to an hon. deputy and ex-officer, under the above title, signed by ity editor, Signor De Luigi, himself an officer who went through the last war in which Italy was engagod, and who is regarded as a high authority in military matters, and to whom, as editor of the organ of the War Department, grave attention is due. The letter was suggested by the published interview of the Deputy with the correspondent of a French newspaper. The Rome correspondent of ' The Times ' extracts the most significant passages, which may, he thinks, hi: taken as the military opinion of Italy :—" The Italians protest that they have no intention of attacking France ; the French, on the other hand, allirm that they are animated by no warlike intentions towards lis. I believe that both the parties who repeat almost daily the same declarations do so in perfect good faith. The Wt<r will, nevertheless, break out on the lirst occasion which presents itself, since it is the natural and inevitable result of the series of event;; which has created the present position - ("e.| the constitution on the frontiers of France of two great States, united and thoroughly nationalised, which limit her influence and restrain her power of expansion, and on which rests the new political equilibrium of Europe. France cannot do otherwise than direct all her efforts to changing thi.i state of things. She would disown her splendid past, and would not do honor to her name and nkiture, did she not attempt sooner or later to burst the iron circle in which the unity of Germany and Italy have bound her ; and sho will do so. Let no one blame her for the effort. Let us speak frankly. What is the good of deceiving each other reciprocally? France will never, not even after 1592, be able to count on the neutrality of Italy, Italy is led by the instinct of self-presorvation to unite without hesitation her forces from the very beginning of the struggle to the forces of those who intend to keep Franco in that iron circle which is the surest guarantee of peace ; and France knows it well. A success of the French arms, facilitated by our neutrality, would be soon and bitterly felt by Italy. After a victorious war with Germany, war against Italy; after Berlin, Rome; this is inevitable. The Italian statesman who in this emergency should hesitate an instant to take the only possible resolution would betray his country and expose his name to the well-deserved vituperation of future generations. He would have led his country to certain destruction. I fancy that I hear a chorus of protests, more or less sincere; but the future will prove that I am right, for the truth connot be averted."

No one here (adds the correspondent) who is in tho way of gathering tho ideas that float about, or who has examined the situation continuously for the past year or two, will doubt that the above is the purport of what is thought here, or that it is substantially sound. Moro than this, there is a growing feeling that unless the forces that make for peace are soon shown to be overwhelmingly superior to those that mako for disturbance, tho crisis will not be long waited for, Silent arming and nervous preparation are the order of the moment.