ITALY AND GERMANY.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 August 1916, Page 10

ITALY AND GERMANY.

"Tin-: STRANGEST PEACE." IX ITALIAN RF.VIKW. Following on mi editorial sirtk-lo in the New York Tillies nuclei- the heading •'Tin- Strangest Peace." dealing with the non-declaration of war between Italy mid Germany, Dr. Vittorio Hacea, a weliknown Italian professor, sent in a long letter explaining the position from an Italian point of view. Some extracts from the missive follow:

First of all it is asked, "Why did not Italy declare war on Germany?" It is very easy to answer this question. The treaty of the Triple Alliance did not consist of a single document, but of three separate treaties; one of Germany with Austria, one of Germany with Italy, and one of Austria and Italy. When the European war broke out Italy saw in the conduct of Austria a violation of her trcatv with Italy. Therefore she started negotiations to have the treaty respected, or to receive, some compensation. The treaty with Germany was out of question. Furthermore, at least as far as it was possible to see, Germany stood by Italy against Austria, and up to. the last -moment order" to °, "! ,l I,ressUrc °» *<* i» sio to Itol" u-f a,lt mora «>»««• Mons to Italy. When Italy saw that A«*tr.a was not willing J surrei, er i 'n t nM l War °" A " Stria - It»ly J t then follow a similar course as e„ ~ ; W " y ' bl r" ,s " sllc did not ' "7 «.7»»«.f«T».K-l. nn action. wtl, f ~w d'l'l-natic relations »tli both Germany and Austria. And I ;S, tlUt . ,l ™r "'ouldde(■'■in hhi on her, since It-ilv w-i ■ if wi|h he,- dearest a,ly,>d si ne'e The si 1-r 'r? r\ S • V " i<l for tLe verjr '7 "J?' ]t ™«"«1 not have any u lll( ' aftCT <»ie of them had stated '" ,lu " '"»". that >t did not want to I, ve any more connection with one of n 'tlier two, and Germany was the pivot of tluit alliance. It was Germany then ) vk > '!» dto declare war o, 111. ' 7 U '' ;;-,^ofthefa, ttllati /t,,mn: ' , cal( ' d Italy s course ••treason" i cntl, C M a r i , tio ",-? f W " r - t0 *° *»»«• went of Italy, did not come. It is Ger--1.W...V w-1,0 tried to be devilish sI r< wl but it ,s Italy who is blamed. '

GERMANY'S GAME

This and no other is the reason why A Hiesdid not declare war upon Germany. All other explanation is wrong, mm £. ranted or malicious. The fact is, as I ™„V ' at / , Wils (; «' m »»y who did not 'V ..- ? llre war "I ,on Malv. Not u»ly this, but since Italy entered the war Germany lias refrained from declaring war. in spite of any kind of provocation on the part of Italy. She did not con" * r ,?.f »"'«ent reason for casus belli ?" y °L factsi-The breaking oil of diplomatic relations with herthe fact that Germans are treated in Italy like the citizens of other "enemy" countr.es; the destruction of German stores all over Italy by the infuriated populace; the sharp reply of Premier .Salandra (in his famous speech delivered at the Capitol in Rome) to the Vulgar insults uttered against Italy by Beth-mann-Hollweg in one of his speeches before the Reichstag; the fact that Italy Is at war against all the allies of Germany; the more and more intimate relations between Italv and her allies for the prosecution of the war to a complete and speedy victory; the AngloItalian commercial alliance (to begin with) aiming at destroying the German dominate in Italy, and last, but not least, the requisition of German merchant ships, notwithstanding the fact that that same action on the part of Portugal was immediately .followed by a declaration of war from Berlin.

THE SECRET REASON. | But what is the sen-rot reason why Germany clings so desperately to her peaceful relations with Italy? Tt is very simple. German investments of every kind in Italy are estimated to bo about CCoo.floo.nflo. Sooner or later this enormous amount of money would he lost if Germany were at war with Italy. On the contrary, if by a miracle of equilibrium it wore possible to preserve it till after the war, not only Germany would be that much richer, but, if not politically, she would be able to still dominate Italy economically; and we must never forget that it was because Germany had been shrewd enough to take Italy by her side and to make her do what Berlin-wanted through the complete economic domination of Italy, that Germany was able to dominate Europe anil the world during the last forty years.

Finally, Germany is not in the least inconvenienced by the fact that she is not at war against Italy; the two countries are not contiguous, and Germany can perfectly well use Austria anv time that she deems it necessary to strike at Italy n spite of this, she cannot conceal iha; in fact she is at war with Italy. In March 17, Dr. Karl Hellfferich, ■Secretary of the Imperial Treasury, spoke before the Reichstag of the "daily war expenditure of the enemy, inclusive of Italy." ....

It is perfectly true that onlv recently Italv broke off' her commercial relation's with Germany; but only the form of the measure, and not its contents, is important. Italy has long done all that she could in order to prevent Germany from having, through Ttaly, any goods necessary for the welfare of the population or the prosecution of the war. Having learned months ago that many of the goods exported from or passing through Italy, and apparently directed to Switzerland, were in fact transhipped to Germany. Italy stopped that evil, in spite of the energetic protests of Switzerland, which at a certain moment threatened to sever her relations with Ttaly. As for the direct commercial relates between Italy and Germany, though expressly not prohibited, they were reduced to almost nothing by the several depositions of the Italian Government forbidding the exportation of all goods needed at home-either by the nation or by the military administration.