Norwich bulletin., 1917-09-04
ALBANIA AN ALMOST BARREN LAND
Resources Not Worth Developing is No Such Thing as a Railway-Its Roads Are the FootPaths of .sses-The Inhabitants Are Primitive and Uncivized a. Some of the Wild Tribes of Central Africa.

move to encircle the Adriatic and close out the Balkan people from ever getting to the sea.
 What Albania herself thinks of it no ne 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 righ. of all people to determine their own political destinies. The AL banians are never heard from on this question as to who st all rule them, and apparently they care nothing about how 1t is settled. These Albanian men and women wko come here are looked upon as docile peasants, incapable of having any political aspirations or of the desire to form a nation.
 Albania appears to be the one coun- try abandoned by nature, As so poor in resources as not to be worth develop ment or progress. It has lain here for centuries, alongside the great. centers of ancient culture, midway between Rome and Athens, and yet it is as backward today as it was centuries 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 ized industry or agriculture anywhere; no gather ing in towns and cities and the development of society.
 There is no such thing as a bank in all Albania. There Is no railway. Roads are the footpaths of ages, or the old military highways of the Romans. riva1ing Italy's, yet She hasn't a. port or harbor from end to end. And yet the Albinians are distinct race, with their own language, but without the ability through all the ages to lift themselves into an organized state
 It is this indifference of Albania it. self that has brought the rival interests clashing from three sides. Coming through Rome, the Italian position was explained to the writer as follows: Italy has a geographical relation to Albania much like the United States has to Cuba, Porto Rico or the Panama canal. That is, it is the great power nearest to Alfania, and naturally hay ing the most intimate concern in it's future. Moreover, Italy has an ex- posed coastline on the Adriatic inme- = diately gross from Albania, and only sixty miles away at the Strait of Ot ranto. Italy's eastern coast is exposed in the sense that it Is a low marshy front incapable of having a fortified port iron. one end to the other.
 Naturally therefore. with Albania just across the way and very near at hand. Italy's action was one of self with Italian military lines stretching across Albania from Valona to Salon iki. Military necessity as well as self defense made the protectorate neces-
 
 pirations over Albania, beyond the de- fense of its own interests. The pro- tectorate, therefore, Is merely tempo rary, and Italy will leave to the powers to settle at the close of the war what shall be done as to Albania.
 This Italian view is not accepted by the Serbian and Slav element one finds ere. They look upon the protectorate as a move of conquest directly opposed to the high aims procla imed by the en- kAr, o11 ,%1 ,1,{~ . L., tinguished head of the southern Slav explained this Slav view point. Dr. Trumbfc is a former mem Der of the Austrian parliament, where he represented the SlavCroats of Dal- natia. He looks upon this whole re- zion along the eastern Adr1atic as es- sentially Slav, with Slav population at III the ports and towns, and with prac- ically no Italians. Why, then, he asks, should the upholders of the doctrine of nationality seek foothold where they lave no nationals, no citizens?
 The Slavs resisted the Austrian ef- ort to dominate the eastern Adriatic, md they see no particular difference tead of the Austrians. The natural sea outlet for the Yougoslav state, em'brac- ng Serbia, Croatia and all the south 'rn Slav territory, is toward the Adri- tic, and while this outlet is north of yet the Slavs look upon the
 
 me move in tn general plan for Ital- an extension along the whole eastern Adriati making 1t in effect an Italian ake.
 The Greek side Of this Albanian i question was explained by the Greek minister of public domain, MT. Michael copoulos, on the way through Athens Albania is essentially Greek territory, le points out, and is represented in the sreek parliament by twelve Albanian delegates. Greeks and Albanians have ong mingled together in this territory lntil the two races are practically merged. From the standpoint of na- ionality, therefore, the Italian pro- ectorate cannot be justified. But the minister feels that all countries hav- ng the cause of the entente allies at eart should seek to reconcile their differences. Therefore he believes a compromise or entente could be made, 'ased on three principles, namely:
 First, no territory to be acquired in he spirit of territorial extension or onquest. Second, Greece would be disposed to recognize Italy's right of 1ilitary self protection on the Albanian ] oast as long as the doctrine of na- ionality is not violated. Both these l bjects could be secured by an Italian 1 treek commission which would strictly