New-York tribune., 1916-02-06
VaIona and SaIonica All
That the Allies
Have Left in
the Balkans.
Copyright 1916
THE TRIBUNE ASSN.


German attack, only to find that the Ital-
ians had turned Greek victory TO new
profit and plundered Greece of more isl
ands or provinces.
By her policy toward the Southern Slavs
Italy raised up the Slav resistance which
has so far defended Austrian frontiers
from Italian attack. BY her invasion OF
Greek islands and her interference with
legitimate Greek aspirations in Albania
Italy did much to help King Constantine
defeat the efforts of Venzelos to enlis.
the Greek nation on the Allied side in the
recent critical months, when the Germans
and Austrians were coming south.
The Problem.
The problem of the Adriatic and the
Egean is one Of the most perplexing the
adherents of the Allied cause have to face.
1t is easy to defend the Allied proposals
so far as Belgium and Northern France
are concerned The liberation Of both
these conquered regions is easily proved
to be desirable on ethical and national
grounds. But what of Adriatc lands?
If the Allied victory, which means the
liberation of France and Belgium, also
means the destruction Of the Slav national
and racial claims if the Germans are to
be driven out of Belgium and the Italians
permitted to do in Dalmatia what the
Germans might do in Belgium. could they
annex it, then there is a confusion.
Again, if it is good logic that the Bel
gians are entitled to choose their own
King and their own country; if ii is sound
doctrine that the French should remain
free and France should not be mutiIated
again, by the same token why should the
Italians be permitted TO destroy the Hell
lenic inheritance and rule in Rhodes or
deny to the people Of Argyrocastro and
Santi Quaranta that freedom which for
them means reunion with Greece?
In point of fact, the Italian aspirations,
except so far as they apply to the Trentino
and perhaps TO the city Of Trieste, are no
more legitimate than those Of the Serbs
to regain Bosnia and their ancient front
age on the sea- The Austrians have quito
as sound a claim 20 Dalmatia as the ltal-
= ians, and both are offenders against the
> law Of nationality, actually or in their
: desires, along the whole Adriatc coast
= from Pola 70 Corfu.
d Returning to the military aspects Of the
: situation, it is plain what the Austrian
: operations mean. Austria IS now at last
doing the work she had in mind 20 do
when she served her ultimatum upon
Serbia in July, 1914. She is getting ready
to complete the conquest Of the eastern
shore of the Adriatic by taking Valona;
she already has Scutari and Durazzo. II
she can take Valona the work Is done,
the whole eastern coast is closed to Italy,
and the larger fraction of what Italy has
dreamed Of taking for years is lost, at
least temporarily.
Valona and Salonica.
If the Quadruple Alliance, the sea
powers as contrasted with the Central
Powers, can hold Nalona and Salonca they
will still keep bases from which they can
resume the conflict in the Near East
whenever the Austro-German resources
begin 10 fail, granting that exhaustion
and attrtion prove to be the forces that
they have been estimated to be. Tho
Allies will have still such bases in the
Balkan Peninsula as Great Britain held
in Cadiz and Lisbon in the Iberian Penn-
sula century ago.
But if these bases fall 10 the Central
Powers, then the control Of the Near East
will pass absolutely TO the Central Powers,
the task of reconquest Will be difficult
and the fate Of the Balkans will be de-
cided on other fields. This is perhaps not
wholly undesirable. It would be wholly
vicious thing from the point Of view OF
those who believe that races and peoples
should be allowed to follow their own as
pirations that the Italians should replace
the Austrans and the Hungarians as the
: masters of the Slavs or should repeat In
> Greece the offence which Austrian rule
G in the Trentino constitutes.
>. The only solution of the Eastern ques-
l.. ton that will make for permanent peace
a will be founded necessarily ON the recog-
e milton of the independence Of the various
e Balkan peoples. ltaly's policy in the Near
), East Is a policy Of aggression, as plainly
i as that of Germany in Belgium. The de-
& feat of both schemes should be welcomed
z by those who believe in the Allied doc
: trine that the rights of the little peoples