ITALY-ETHIOPIA: With, Without or Against

A full million men, the greatest European army since 1919, moved last week at Benito Mussolini’s orders, 500,000 on Italy’s Austrian frontier, 300,000 training for action against Ethiopia, 200,000 already in Africa.

Since enemies of the Dictator industriously hint that he and the Royal Family do not see eye to eye, its members last week were thoroughly tarred by Fascist brushes with the expected war. Mincing-mannered Crown Prince Umberto was hoisted aloft on banners as an inspiration to the troops. Out of his Quirinal Palace bustled King Vittorio Emanuele III. His $250,000 Fascist-built private train, far more modern and luxurious than that possessed by any of the world’s emperors, waited with steam up and all blinds down to speed the Little King northward for maneuvers. Next day His Majesty was at Trento, sham war base of the “Blue” army, and Benito Mussolini arrived later at Bolzano, base of the “Red.”

The ensuing mimic struggle of 500,000 Italians was pitched in Il Duce’s characteristic vein of irony. His “Reds” succeeded in keeping the King’s “Blues” from invading the Fascist Kingdom.

Son-of-Wolf. Eight-year-old Romano Mussolini, wearing the militant gear of a “Fascist Son of the Roman Wolf,” invaded his father’s office before the Dictator left for Bolzano. Coming to attention with his wooden musket, Moppet Mussolini cried: “Papa, I want to go and fight with Bruno and Vittorio.”

Grasping Romano’s shoulders with a soldierly grip, Il Duce said: “You have spoken well, but your military class has not been called!”

From Naples aboard the Saturnia sailed tubby Air Sergeant Bruno Mussolini, 17, trim Air Second Lieutenant Vittorio Mussolini, 18, and baby-faced Air Captain Count Nobile Galeazzo Ciano, husband of the Premier’s daughter and favorite child Edda. With these kin of the Dictator doing their bit, Cabinet members were informed that they are not exempt from answering when their military classes are called, will “fight as privates” unless previous war experience entitles them to higher rank.

Interviewed by the United Press last week, Premier Mussolini pledged that Italy will completely respect “Britain’s local interests in Ethiopia,” referring to Lake Tana and the Blue Nile. Continued the Dictator: “England in the protocols of 1891 and 1894 recognized that almost the whole territory of Ethiopia is included in the sphere of Italian influence. These protocols are still in force. . . . Italy will pursue her aims— with Geneva or without Geneva or against Geneva. … A nation on the march, as the Italian nation is today, cannot be stopped by the static conceptions of the life of peoples.”

Child of Jesus. Also on the march last week, and in drill formation for the first time in their lives, were thousands of Ethiopian troops called up by Emperor Power of Trinity. Short of rifles, famished for cartridges, many drilled with sticks, encouraged by U. S. Negro World War veterans with such martial commands as “Give ’em the works, boys!”

This drilling the Emperor kept up only in Addis Ababa, presumably to impress white observers, for he well knows that his wild legions will fight best in savage skirmish formation under the Ethiopian rule of every fighter for himself.

Power of Trinity, who continues to hope that President Roosevelt will help Ethiopia, was installed last week in an office with U. S. furniture resembling the President’s and on the walls autographed photographs of every White House occupant from Theodore Roosevelt to Franklin D. In this setting His Majesty worked himself up for the Associated Press until large tears trickled down his dark cheeks and he moaned: “We have had little more to help us fight Italy than the weapon of publicity.”

A royal virtuoso, Emperor Power of Trinity revealed on another day last week that his fighting coffers are stuffed with every sort of treasure wherewith to buy munitions, including some 10,000,000 gold lire ($2,000,000) paid by Italians after their 1896 defeat at Adowa and hoarded ever since by Ethiopians. That there is plenty of money at the Emperor’s command appeared from the fact that huge quantities of munitions have been unloaded and spread over several acres at Djibouti in French Somaliland, terminal of the one & only railway to Addis Ababa. By order of French Premier Pierre Laval these constantly growing acres of munitions continued to be withheld from Ethiopia last week, constitute a major trick up the French sleeve which can be played either for or against Dictator Mussolini.

The fact that His Majesty is a usurper, the rightful Emperor of Ethiopia being dusky Lij Yasu (Child of Jesus), came again to the fore when imprisoned Child of Jesus was rumored to have been put to death by Power of Trinity who last week denied the deed, claimed that Child of Jesus remains safe in jail.

Residents of Addis Ababa were informed that the first air raid (real or for practice) will be announced by three cannon shots. At this the entire populace, some 100,000 black and white souls, are to flee into the environs. When they hear six cannon shots they are to return home. Finding that many foreign correspondents new to Addis Ababa were queasy about the lepers lounging in the streets, His Majesty ordered lepers to “get out and stay out.”