Imperial Valley press., 1917-06-15
NEW FLAG ON
ALLIES FROM 7
REPUBLIC OF SkIPETAR BORN
TO THE WORLD.
HAS ARMY OF $50 MEN
OF MOUNTAINS De
CLARE INDEPENDENCE.
Decide to Throw Lot With the Entente
and Unfurl Their Own Ban
ner to the Breeze.
Correspondence of Associated Press1
Eo.la.a. Albania. guue IA new


Kogit1a. Albania, June ia new
1'a.. lie flag oil ,a- new Republi,
Of Ssinetars. mas made it's appear
anco 4meae The Standards Of the En-
le.-a ...e Il. ---.&.lan- Mace
CONAN font 1t S ,ha old standard
Of t1z 1ca.le-t s=#z. u red wieh =
black two-headed eagle and the little
army of $50 men of the Republic
Of the Skipetars, composed of SIX
companies, are fighting under it at
front by the side of the Sengalese
and colonial cavalry, that compose
the French occupying force in the dis
tlict. The new banner already has
received its baptism of blood. Five
hundred men of the new republic aid
cd the French to repulse a sharp at
tack by Albanian tribes cooperating 2
with the Austrian regular troops at
Moscopol.
Thus far the new republic includes
only the city of Koritza, with popu-
lation of $4,000, and the surround
ing region, comprising altogether
about 10000 inhabitants. 1t is lo-
Gated in that part of Albania in
which the longing for liberty and
:. anquility has been most developed
through repeated pillaging by neigh
boring Albanians and continual op-
preston by foreigners
The Albanians, accustomed to sum
nary and primitive means of admin
lgtration and justice, are taking to
republican ideas and the parliament
tary regime, and considerable unsus-
fected oratorical talent has been dis
covered in this land where powder
only has talked heretofore.
The idea Of forming the Skipetar
republic is due to Colonel Descoins,
commanding the French forces sta
toned here. When he assumed COM
mand of the post he called all the
notables of the town together and
talked to them in this vein:
''Skipetars, my friends, until De
oember, 1912, you suffered under
Turkish regime; in May, 1913, it was
the Greek army that mistreated you
then until March, 1914, you became
familiar with the inconveniences Ct
Greek civil administrations; in July,
i914, it was the noXious buffoonery
Ct Prince de Wied thai was imposed
upon you; in December, 1915, at was
again the Greek military occupation;
in October, 1916, it was the Greek
rcyalist civil administration, and in
November, 1916, the Nenezelist, fol-
lowed in December by the French mil
itary occupation with Greek civil au-
thorities. You ought to have enough
Of all these experiments, and | have
u very simple suggestion to max
to you. Why don't you govern your
selves? You are Albanians. Be Al
ranians, then, and nothing else. Cease
all intrigues and occupy yourselves
With your own acf-Covernment.
French troops are mere 70 defend the
territory that's III L- honest men.
I'll se eae gen 1,
appealed to The
SLge5aga who q. once formed a re-
public a5.A Ii gsr..aaar. Of lou tecs
romJes4 and q president whose ten
IRE ot ofiice is a fortnight
Prosperity has come in with the re-
public. A coal mine at Koutza is
heing exploited and, aided by the mil
itary authorities, the Ekipetar govern
r1ent is preparing to develop copper
and iron ore deposits, declared by
engineers to be rich and extensive.