The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 1914. THE WAR.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 97, 14 August 1914, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 1914. THE WAR.

Tlio heavy hand of the censor is now on all news from the seat of war and! j lunch as we feel the anxiety of wait- ; ing, it is probably preferable to be ■ in S surfeited with highly garnished land unreliable stories built up to-day t to be knocked down on the morrow. I Special efforts are being made to ini sure that what news is allowed to I come through is reliable. The most important news received to-day is undoubtedly that war has broken out between Britain and Austria, another step having been taken in the great conflict upon which the Empire has entered. Exactly what Italy will do is, of course, highly important to the world at this juncture. It is quite understood that Italy’s union with Germany and Austria in! the Triple Alliance has been more or less artificial from the beginning, and has been compelled by the exigencies of the moment. Italy’s sympathy is undoubtedly politically with Britain, and racially with her neighbor France. A year or so ago Italy’s position, in the evenfc of such a war breaking out as now unhappily has come about, was very freely discussed, and both French and German writers at that time seem to have taken it for granted that Italy would remain neutral. The domineering ; tfitude of Germany, and flip threatening of Austria, ■ coupled with Hie disquietude in the Balkans is not likely to make Italy anxc.ii.to take up arms with her old associates in the Triple Alliance, an mere is the greatest chance that this Alliance having bro om down tl ‘ t Italy if she cannot keep out of the fighting altogether, will throw in her lot with those nations that are peeking freedom from the crushing militancy which Germany has been allowed to impose on Europe. A few days ago a London cablegram stated that notwithstanding pressure that is being exerted upon her, and promises of aggrandisement, Italy persists in refusing to break her neutrality, while Renter’s Rome correspondent a week ago stated R,hat Germany and Austria were threatening Italy, if she maintains neutrality contrary to the obligations of the Triplico, and that if

she persists, they will consider themselves free to declare war, and Austria will invade Venetia and Lombardy. If these vainglorious Germans and Austrians take this rash step, it will be to their own more speedy undoing.