The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1917-08-31

CORFU, Island Of Corfu, Aug. 81
Correspondence OF The Associated
Press. Just across this narrow strait
lies Albania, that no-man's land over
which Italy has just proclaimed a pro
tectorate. One can see plainly from
here the barren grey mountains OF Al
bania, making a ragged line along the
sky. They lie very near, hardly more
than ten miles Off, and an optical illus
ion makes them seem nearer. Many
Albanians are seen on the streets here
the men big-bodied and rather fierce
looking, wearing picturesque native
costume. With Albania so near at
hand, this is good place to look into
the Albanian question at close range
Italy's proclamation of protect
crate over Albania has thrown one
more problem into the European
patchwork which will have to be set
tied at the peace conference. Just now
the question Is boiling here, and ut
Paris, Rome and Athens. There are
three distinct currents-the Italian,
which supports the protectorate as q
measure Of self-defense for Italy's ex.
posed front on the Adriatic; the Greek,
which looks upon Albania as northern
Greece and calls it Epirus; and the
southern S1avs. that powerful and
growing union of Serbs, Croats, Slo-
walks and all other Slavs Of the West
ern Balkans. These latter, the Slavs,
look upon Italy's protectorate as a
move to encircle the Adriatic and close
out the Balkan people from ever get
ting to the sea.
Aibanians Not Considered.
What Albania herself thinks of 1t no
one seems to have considered. This
seems rather singular at time when
the great powers are talking SO much
about the principle of nationality and
the right of all people to determine
their own political destinies. The AL
banians are never heard from on this
question as to who shall rule them,
and apparently they care nothing
about how It is settled. These Alban-
ian men and women who come here
are looked upon as docile peasants, in
capable Of having any political aspira-
lions or Of the desire to form a nation.
Albania appears to be the one coun-
try abandoned by nature f1as so poor
is resources as not to be worth de-
velopment or progress. 1t has lain
here for centuries, alongside the great
centers Of ancient culture, midway be-
tween Rome and Athens, and yet 1t Is
as backward today as 1t was centuries
ago, and the people are as primitive
and uncivilized as some Of the wild
tribes of central Africa. In northern
Albania the people are savage noun
taineers. There is nothing like organ
lied industry or agriculture anywhere;
no gathering in towns and cities and
the development Of society.
There is no such thing as bank in
all Albania. There is no railway.
Roads are the foot-patchs of ages, or
the old military highways Of the Ro-
mans Although Albania has an
Adriatic front rivalling Italy's, yet she
hasen't a port or harbor from end to
end. And yet the Albanians are dis
tinct race, with their own language,
but without the ability through all the
ages to life themselves into an organ
lied state
ltaly's Position Told.
It is this Indifference of Albania It.
self, that has brought the rival inter
ests clashing from three sides. Com
ing through Rome, the Italian position
was explained to the writer as fol-
lows: Italy has geographical rela-
ton to Albania much like the United
States has to Cuba, Porto Rico or the
Panama canal That is. 1t is the great
Moreover, Italy has an exposed