Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-06

The eastern shore of the Adriatic.
with its immediate hinterland-that is.
the country stretching back as far as
the brave and the Danube-forms a
solid block of Slav territory on any
chronological map. In Serbia, Montene-
gro, the Hungarian provinces of Gro
tia and Slavonia. the Austrian prov
inces of Dalmatia, Istia, Carniola and
Syria and the Austro- Hungarian prov
inces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, live
some 100000 people. more than TO-
900, 900 of whom are Slav. They belong
to three branches of the southern Slav
family-the Serbs, the Croats and the
Slovenes. Collectively they are known
as the Jugo-Slavs.
The differences between the Serb and
the Croat are exceedingly slight, save
only in religion. the Croats being Ro-
man Catholic and the Serbs Greek
by more considerable differences in
language. but are still really of the
same stock and are included in the
southern Slav propaganda.
OF these three divisions the Serbs
were Independent and self-governing
through a very long period of years
prior to the coming of the Turk, and
for many years since he retired. In
districts that did not acknowledge the
Turk. Again, the little Serbo-Latin
republic of Ragusa for long years kept
alive the intellectual tradition Of the
Serbs: Bosnia: Montenegro; Serbia. as
Macedonia, Albania and much Of Bull
garia and Greece have at one time and
another been included in this southern
Slav state.
The southern Slav problem has been
growth
agitation communicated from the free
Serbs of Montenegro and Serbia to the
Serbs and Croats subject to Austria
and to Hungary for reintegration OF
on the eastern shore of the Adriatic of
a strong and united Slav state. That
the Slovenes, who inhabit the country
back of Trieste. have ever had any
doubtful: their political activity has
been restricted to strong anti-Italian
movement, which has been encouraged
by the Austrian government.
Effect of Agitation.
Southern Slav agitation and aspiration
have naturally run counter to Austrian
policy, for reasons which will be set
forth presently. but are obvious on the
map But they have similarly conhicted
with Italian aspirations and have led to a
rivalry which is regarded by many as ex-
planning why Italy sent no troops to help
defend Serbia, and even permitted Monte
negro, the homeland of her own queen, to
fall before the Austrian invasion.
The whole eastern shore of the Adriatic
is old Latin territory. Nowhere in Eu-
rope are there finer monuments of Roman
greatness than on this coast. The cities
preserve an italian flavor and italian
names which recall the long centuries
when Venice ruled from lara to Cattaro.
The Italian dream has been to conquer,
not merely the Trentino and the wholly
Italian cities Of Trieste and Pola, but the
entire shores and islands from the Isonzo
to the Drin. From an Italian point of
view it was better to permit these prov
inces to remain discontinued possessions
of Austria until Italy could take them
than to encourage the outburst of a
southern Slav renaissance which would
end by creating a state nearly as large as
Italy and a certain rival on the other side
of the narrow seas.
On the Italian map. which has been
drawn to indicate what Italy is to have
when victory comes, Dalmatia is Joined to
the Istrian and Trentine expectations. and
the Italian color is to descend the Adriatic
from Trieste to Cattaro. making a Latin
foreshore which suggests in small way
the Chilean outline on the South American
map.
For such an ambition there Is no war
rant in race or in the desire of the people
who live on the eastern shore Of the
Adriatic. The Slovenes, who dwell in all
the region outside and behind Trieste for
many miles and have been steadily crowd
ing the Italians out, have been loyal sub
iects of Austria and are certainly with
out any desire to become the subjects of
the latest Romans.
As for the Slavs. such a plan would
simply rob them of more than a million
of their own race and practically exclude
them from the sea Dalmatia is quite as
Serbian as the country back Of Belgrade.
despite its Italian names. 1t is largely
with Slovene, Croatian and Dalmatian
troops that the Austrians have been hold
ing back the Italians along the 1sonZo,
and Italy is paying the price for her un-
just aspirations in advance of any possible
realization.
ustro-Hungarian Interests.
If the southern Slavs completely real
ICED the dream which has been born
among the free Serbians and has
spread among the Croats and the SUBJ
ject Serbs, Austria and Hungary would
both be deprived of their windows on
the sea; Trieste and Fiume, the two
gateways to the Austro- Hunga rian
country would become Jugo-Slav; Aus
tria would be an inland country like
SWlIZeTldHu, anu hungary would be
dependent upon the Danube, which
empties into the Black sea, dominated
by the Russian siavs, or upon the rail-
roads leading to the Adriatic which
would be in the hands of the southern
Slavs.
Unfortunately the mere geographical
questions have been greatly compli-
Gated by the political problems. Had
Austria permitted the Bosnians to fol-
low their natural destiny and rejoin
their fellow Serbians Of the free king
dom, and had Hungary showed even
ordinary. intelligence in her treatment
of the Croatians, there would have
grown up a southern Slav state, neces-
sarily under Austrian influence and
naturally sympathizing with Austria
rather than Italy. But this was be-
yond Austro- Hungarian Craftsmanship.
BY annexing Bosnia and Herzegovina
and insisting upon the retention of
Cattaro and Ragusa, Austria deprived
the Serbs of their natural outlet upon
the sea and of their natural racial
unity. In consequence the Serbians
pushed southwark; in the first Balkan
war they Joined with the Greeks and
the Bulgars in conquering Macedonia.
and in the second, by defeating Bull
garia, raised themselves to . dangerous