The North Otago Times TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1916. ITALY AT WAR WITH GERMANY.

North Otago Times, Volume CIV, Issue 13658, 29 August 1916, Page 2

The North Otago Times TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1916. ITALY AT WAR WITH GERMANY.

More than a month ago,, the military correspondent of The Times stated that his view of the war on tlio Italian front was that Italy was in it with her whole heart and had both tlio will and the means to exercise increasing pressure on Austria, whom she was subjecting to a serious strain along 400 miles of difficult country. "If I have not answered, the-, question why Italy is not at war with Germany," the correspondent concluded, " it is because 1 do not think that the matter has much military importance. For all practical purposes Italy is at war with Germany. All political relations are suspended* and, as the Italians have already met aud fought the Germans in this war, so they iwiH-ineet and fight-, them wliercver tlicy appear. One formality more or less is of no military consequence, and as things are well' we can all be content to let well alone." The one formality, however, has been complied with, and this morning we aro.iufoj'jned that Italv has declared war with'Gormauy. In submitting the declaration, the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Baron So'miino) states that "Germany's acts of hostility against Italy succeed each other with growing frequency. It is suflicient to mention' the regular supply of liiilitaiy and naval arms and war equipment to Austria-Hungary; the uninterrupted participation of ollicers, soldiers and 1 sailors in the different operations directed against Italy, It is only due to the lavish assistance afforded Austria (by Germany) that Austria is able to concentrate .her most extensive efforts against Italy.' Tjie Royal "Government of Italy can- no longer tolerate such a state of-affairs," The-declara-tion of war with Germany is "the 'first important development of tlio forcigii' policy of the new Italian National Government which took the oaths of uflicc at' the end of June. . There .was,' no shadow of doubt as to- the work it was expected to do. The new cabinet came into power iu order that it may prosecute the war to a victorious conclusion with all the energy and all the resources

of united Italy, Never has she been so truly united in any cause as in this. The formatioii .of, this. really "National Ministry '' showed how uttorly all lesser aiins liavo be'en .subordinated to tin; one fixed purpose of lighting out the great, struggle of. civilisation against Teutonic, barbarism'side by side with her Allies. It was with that 'object, Qiicl that ■ object alone, that Siguor Boselli summoned men of all parties aud all schools to his aid 1 , and that they have responded to li'is call. The veteran' Prime Minister'himself, who has undertaken the eare3 of office at the age of 78 years of age,.and four of his colleagues are Liberal Conservatives. The most conspicuous figure, perhaps, in the .whole combination, Signor Bis■solati, is a Reformist Socialist, Signor Orlando, who took the important portfolio of the Interior, and three, more of thiß new Ministers, arc Liberal Democrats. There ire two Radical Ministers, there is a Republican,, and—for the Grst time in the history of the kingdom "-there is a- Roman Catholic. Five of . the . Ministers-of the Salandra Cabinet are. included in'the National Go: vernment, including the Ministers ...of War, Marine, ,md-ritiost important of all—iueludiug Baron. Sonniuo, who continues to, conduct foreign affairs upon the same principles a» before It was expected that the foreign policy of the new Cabinet would have been hampered by' the pro-German iullueiico in the Italian Legislature, and' like the Salandra Government, it had to deal with a Chamber which was elected under Giolittian auspices and by Giolittian uiothofls,' and' although the Giolittiau Deputies had rallied in- numbers from the pro-Gcriiiau: to the Italian cause, v they. might not have failed to note that Sjgnor Boselli had allotted them a somewhat scanty share of the ioaves and fishes. The strangest development of Italian, politics.since the;outbreak of the war, however,' is " tlie remarkable speech of. Signor Giolitti reported in.j tlxis morning's messages. Surely when Signor Giolotti (the friend and fellowconspirator of. Prince Bulow) becomes a convert to tlie Allied cause, the position of Germany is hopeless indeed. In declaring' war , with Germany, Italy is not acting contrary to the spirit of the Triple Alliance.' ' When the lire lighted on the banks of the Danube leapt cast and west, Italy was able to hold back from the flames, She had already made her position perfectly clear to the other members of the Triple Alliance. She pointed out that'the casus foederis, which would have placed her in the field with Germany and Austria-Hun-gary had not arisen. Austria-Hungary, with Gehnany behind her attacked Serbia, aud the disturbance of the equilibrium struck not only at Article VII, but at the whole Treaty of Alliance. Italy held that the day on which Austria should claim to upset, in any way or to any extent the equilibrium in the Adriatic or the Balkans, the Triple Alliance would cease to exist, It might be said with . some measure of truth that the sinking of the Lusitania brought Italy to her senses. On May Bth, 1915, the news came to Rome that tliq Lusitauia, had been sunk. The effect upon the populace was quite extraordinary. For the first time a note .'of: real anger was heard in the streets aiid- the shops. The tragedy of Belgium had been told to the people and had begun to sink in. ' But all Belgium was onveloped in a fog of war and there might be exaggerations. But here was a crime committed in the sight of all the world, upon the peaceful seas, against a. helpless multitude in which were included 1 , many women and children. The feeling against Germany, which had been slowly growing, came, to a blaze, Then followed the "Week of Passion" and the failure of the Bulow-Giolittir intrigue. ■ The nation .'was hot for on.May 23rd, the 'bukc: d'A'varua' delivered the formal declaration of war against' AustriaHungary. Since that day Italy has fought valiantly and to-day there is intense v eiitliusiasiii throughout Italy and with,,the declaration, of war .against Germany the spirit of the Garibaldian hymn awakes again throughout'the land of the CiDsp:, tfn fuori d'ltalia, va fuori' strauier." : '