New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-26
The Adriatic Slau
An Anpcr TO the Director Of the South Slave Ndonal N0u"

resnondent Of June rs most are open TO re-
vision on the very basis OF Austrian oHieia
data. let alone the 'vox populI and nluhiei-
cal returns. However, We will pass them LOT
the present.
As for a plebiscite-well, could the Italians
return TO their homes from the interhmen'
camps which Austria took good care 10 s.oeN
with the best Latin blood in her dominiohs
when the war broke OUT could their oro'h-
ers come from the Galician regiments where
they have been decimated, not always by the
opponents' shots; could the untold and un-
named dead or missing rise from lhei,
graves and sneak their word. and only II all
the Slays who within the last ten years nave
descended by order upon the Adriatlc shores
did 90 back TO their own inland homes, there
would be some chance of Justice and fairness
about a plebiscite. Otherwise IT would oe
much the same thing as If the East Side pop
ulatior Of New York were encouraged 20 claim
full right OF ownership 20 that part OF the
city in which il swarms, and mpeacn 'he
American national sovereignty because there
happened TO be more Russians or Italians TO
the square foot just there than representa-
tives Of the United States Federal Court.
The Case of Alsace-Lorraine
Nobody except the Germans or pro-Ger-
mans has ever discussed the rights OF France
20 AIsace-Lorraine. Still, according to mere
statistics, in 1910 Alsace-Lorralne's popula-
ton was Of 1.634.260 Germans. against 2O',-
667 French. which proves conclusively, II II
were needed, the fallacy OF demographle
standard based on the returns OF AT artlhcial
immigration, fostered for political purposes
by interruptions government action. lstria
and Dalmatia are to Italy what Alsace and
Lorraine are to France, and, though II may
seem saying a good deal, even more: Inc list
Of Italian martyrs Of the national ideal under
Austro- Hungarian rule is longer and more
tragic than that of her great sister, France,
for Alsace Lorraine.
italy has no unwholesome desire for other
peoples possessions or for the homestead
rights Of other nationalities and therefore
holds no grievance against the Southern Slavs
EXCEPT inasmuch as they claim too hastily Tor
their own the racial and ancestral seats OF
Italy on the Adriatic. Let them go back and
stay conten. with what they had before Aus
tria let them loose on other peoples homes,
and Italy will certainly not grudge them the
coveted outlets on the Italian sea, or let them
stay as guests and immigrants among the
Italian homes the Italian cathedrals, the ltal-
ian "loggie" and "municipii" of the Venetian
Adriatic, and Italy will prove hospitable to
them on that same land and sea where the
centuries have witnessed the powerful friend
ship extended by Venice to the little Slav re-
public Of Poglizza nesting in the mountains,
and the request of the Serbian King-hero
Dushan, namely. that Venice should grant
him the rights of citizenship. so that he
should not feel a stranger when coming TO
the Venetian shores"
The trouble is that Austria has carefully
and painstakingly educated these rudimental
Slavic forces to hate and dread the name OF
all that is Italian; has aided and abetted and
whetted them against Italy for her own pur-
poses, and still now is trying to use them as
a tool to make dscord between the Allies
But history and the Allies can be relied upon
TO set these things right. A. A. b.
New York, June II, 1911