Salt Lake Tribune | 1919-10-05 | Page 1 | Serbs Prepared to Fight Italy

SERBS PREPAID to m w Clash With Jugfo-SIavs Looms Up as Fiume Is Held by d'Annunzio j By JOHN H. CLAYTON. j (New York Times Cable, Copyright.). FIUME, Oct. 4. Every day that i Gabriclc d'Annunzio remains in Flume 1 brings Italy and Jugo-SIavla" nearer the probability of war. 1 While both nations officially declare a deslro for an amicable settlement of tho question of Flume, neither Is leaving uny- J thing to chance. . Both ths Italians and tho yeros arc massing largo bodies o troops along the frontiers. Thn; daya ago I counted two brigades of field artillery from Trieste and ono brl- j gade of six -inch howitzers from Abazzla. proceeding to the frontier in the vicinity of San Ptetro. Troops and cjuppliej are constantly being sent from Triesto toward the Croat and Slovene borclei-s. Italy docs not intend to be caught napping. Perhaps tho most ominous of all signs are the closing of tho frontier and the remobilization of Serbian classes of ISSo to 1806, bringing back into the held, practically prac-tically tho entire Serbian army. These men, from the ages of 24 to 39. recalled af.er a brief period of deniobllizallon, will be held ris reserves to tho younger men now being jaenl toward Ifaly. It isn't to bo conceived that a warlike nation such as the Serbs will sit quietly by and let Italy taJo by might what the peace confcroncc refused. The feeling is general in Serbia that war with Italy is inevitable, and most of the military leaders lead-ers believe it would be better to strike uuv than at any other time. T have talked with t-everal . British, Frmeh and American officers of rank, and all declare the Jugo-Slavs have a beUer army at th is- moment than when l he Jihji'oocan war bc-an in- 10W. Among th'-; Serbs themselves there is nothing bul fonlkioneo. They will go into the si ru ffgie. if it cornea, with confidence in LlK'i;- ability to deteud their rights. They are an dc.-piy convinced ay tne Italians that. Finnic is their properly. Thy hae also every assurance of the support of the United State;'., which their leaders ciceiare, In official proclamation, has been ;:;:?.! rcJ i'iodi hr tbo president, even if armed intervention is necessary.