Negroes v. Blackshirts
Negroes v. Blackshirts
That a Negroid nation should be menaced by spectacular Dictator Benito Mussolini highly excited the world's Negroes last week. Not only Harlem but every other darktown was on the qui vive at news from Rome that for three nights running II Duce had sat up secretly with His Grand Council, contriving who knew what against the African Majesty of cocoa-butter-colored Haile Selassie I (Power of Trinity), Emperor of Abyssinia and Conquering Lion of Judah, whose somewhat Jewish features support his boast of descent from Biblical King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Clarioned the Negro New York News: "Colored America demands that civilization does not permit Italy to precipitate a world race war by invading Abyssinia. . . . Let civilization beware." To acting General Secretary A. W. Berry of the League of Struggle for Negro Rights occurred the idea of an organized world struggle by Negroes against Italy's white blackshirts. "The African masses look to the Negro people and toilers in America to give support and leadership in the fight [of Abyssinia] against imperialism," he manifestoed in The Negro Liberator. "Demand hands off Abyssinia." If correspondents who sought to approach His Majesty Power of Trinity in blistering Addis-Ababa last week expected to hear him exclaim "I is right glad to see you all ! Now I is gwine tell you how this all is" they were abysmally mistaken. The sharp-featured, politically cunning ruler of between five and ten million savage and uncounted blacks is emphatically the suave cream in Africa's strong coffee. If the accustomed garb of Power of Trinity is particolored, gorgeous and outlandish, if His Majesty finds a real lion's mane appropriate headgear in his role of Conquering Lion of Judah, the reason is that he profoundly understands his people. But, in their private apartments, the Empress Menen takes dictation and pounds a typewriter, thereby assisting the Emperor to turn out a newspaper complimented some years ago by the London Times for its "powerful and incisive" editorials.
It was as Abyssinia's Great Editor last week that His Majesty turned out an able, world-copyrighted declaration to United Press. The adroit lead sentence: "I am anxious to carry out the recent Geneva agreement as quickly as possible."
Europe had forgotten and will quickly forget again that there ever was an Italo-Abyssinian agreement, sponsored at Geneva this winter by the League Council. "My interpretation of the agreement is," continued Abyssinia's Great Editor, "that Abyssinia and Italy recommence direct negotiations forthwith, with the sole purpose of arranging prompt arbitration of various matters in dispute. These include :
"i) Responsibility for the clash at" Ualual," (TIME, Dec. 24).
"2) Exact position of the Abyssinian-Italian Somaliland boundary."
"It was recognized at Geneva that the first essential preliminary would be to fix a neutral zone between the opposing troops. . . .
"I ordered withdrawal of all my soldiers from the vicinity of Ualual immediately after the clash occurred. These orders were implicitly obeyed. Allegations that my troops recently attacked or occupied Afdub [Jan. 20] are without foundation. "The action of the Italian Government in mobilizing troops in Italy as a precautionary measure causes me extreme regret, as it undermines confidence and fails to allay suspicions among my people.
"The League Council desired that resumption of direct negotiations with Italy should lead to arbitration and my Government desires this too--and will not be coerced or intimidated into acquiescing to negotiations following any other course."
Since Benito Mussolini, too, is a Great Editor, the Italian people read in their papers last week nothing about Abyssinia except references to the "arrogance and provocation" with which Power of Trinity I continued to make no reply to II Duce's demand; for a $44,900 indemnity, apologies and Abyssinian salutes to the Italian flag.
The name of Power of Trinity's Charge d'Affaires in Rome is Negradas Yassou (which means Jesus). All last week Charge d'Affaires Jesus kept repeating to Romans "Abyssinia wants peace. We are willing to submit to arbitration. If Abyssinians are found guilty, all right, then we will salute the Italian flag, but not before."
Charge d'Affaires Jesus called only last month on Premier Mussolini, then on King Victor Emanuel. Neither has contradicted his announcement at the time that both told him Italy had no bellicose designs on Abyssinia (TIME, Jan. 21). Last week, after a division of Fascist Militia had sailed for Italian Somaliland with full war equipment, having been first inspected by the Crown Prince at Naples, the choler of Charge d'Affaires Jesus got the better of his Christian calm. "With 6,000 years of independence behind us," he cried, "we would fight to the last man, woman and child, if Italy declared war." Immediately thereafter, two more di visions were inspected by II Duce in Rome, later sailed from Naples. Presumably Italy, observing Japan's success in Manchukuo, will fight without declaring war to "punish" Abyssinia and turn her into an Italian puppet -- to which project Britain and France this week con tinued to give tacit consent, also keeping quiet the League of Nations. Stopping in Manhattan last week was a knowledgeable Egyptian mining engineer, Oxford educated G. Saleh Bey, just back from the big job of surveying Abyssinia's mineral wealth, for her Great Editor & Conquering Lion. "In 1896 the Abyssinians ate 1,800 Italian soldiers, don't you know?" drawled the Oxonian Bey. "My word, it will take Mussolini's soldiers at least a year to reach Addis-Ababa. They will have to march 300 miles across an arid plateau, infested with deadly insects and snakes. Mussolini will have to set up water and food stations as he goes and fortify behind him. In the end I suppose Mussolini will triumph, but only after an enormous cost in life and money." Saleh Bey added that Power of Trinity's Palace and indeed the whole city of Addis-Ababa is mere "junk," not worth the cost of blowing it up with Italian air bombs. As for the Emperor, the Bey thinks His Majesty will be as hard to catch as Nicaragua's General Sandino. But Saleh Bey, who up to this point seemed to have made out Dictator Benito Mussolini an utter fool, then grudgingly admitted that Abyssinia's untouched mineral wealth, just surveyed by himself, is something stupendous, well worth the while of the Fascist who is trying to keep Italy on the gold standard.
"Gold!" cried Saleh Bey. "To give you an idea how untouched these resources of Abyssinia remain, in three hours of washing alluvial sand in the Blue Nile we obtained no less than 2,800 grams of gold. We also proved the existence of platinum, silver, petroleum, copper, lead and mica in gratifying quantities. When I reported to His Majesty as his Commissioner of Mines, the Emperor was astonished to learn that he is, in my opinion, the ruler of one of the richest countries of its size in minerals. Any country that succeeds in establishing a protectorate over Abyssinia will be rich indeed."
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