River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-10-31

IA banians have Joined forces
~ with the soldiers of democ-
racy From the pan-Albanian
Federation of America, Vatra, which
has its headquarters in Boston, comes
word that the 10000 Albanians in the
United States have purchased nearly
$1,000,000 worth of Liberty bonds
through the organization. The news
Indicates that a most ancient and
hardy nation at last has made the
proper choice, observes the New York
Sun.
Albania stretches along the eastern
coast of the Adriatic sea, opposite
Italy having Montenegro on the north,
Serbia on the east and Greece on the
south. Albania has a commanding
place upon the landlOcked sea, and
her harbor at Avlona, one of the fin
est in the world, is considered by mill
tary critics an Adriatic Gibraltar. The
country is a rugged, wild, heavily
wooded mountain, complex, undevel-
0ped and unpathed.
Albania became nOmfnally prov
ince of Turkey in 1863 and remained
such until 1913 when the London con-
ference granted a national independ-
ence under prince chosen by the
great powers. The Albanians bitterly
complained at that time about the bOr-
ders delimited for them on the grounds
that many purely Albanian districts
had been given to Montenegro, Greece
and Serbia. Albania was in a Sulky
mood at the outbreak of the great
war. However, it's isolation was char
ncteristic, for Albania has stood alone
throughout its history.
In this time of flaming national
prides the Albanian, or Shkypetar, de-
serves a fleeting notice. He has
fought the longest and the hardest of
all historic struggles for native land
and independence, but wild, inhospit-
able and untutOred in the uses Of
propaganda, his heroic story has at
tracted rare and scant attention. I'm
supported by allies, sympathy, song or
story, the Shkypetars, a "little ma
tion," with their backs to their bar
rem crags, war for freedom v0iceless
throughout the centuries.
1000 Years Struggle.
Serbia's or Montenegro's endurance
Is pale compared to that which has
preserved this remnant of a race
against all Corners through truceless
ages. For more than 1000 years the
Albanians have stood their ground,
yielding their patrimony foot by foot,
but guarding the fragment of their
native land SO well that it today re-
mains the least known region in Eu-
rope. They are the Oldest race in
Europe to survive upon the land
where the morning light Of history
found it and this stubborn tenure of
their fatherland has been possible
only by a longer, drawer and more in
domitable struggle than that waged by
any other Balkan people. The taciturn
and dour Shkypetar, however, has
fought silently, with mOrose and IN
broken spirit and at lone venture. All
other Balkan peoples have continuous
ly clamored for the sympathy of the
world.
Today, however, their hills, swal-
lowed up in the overwhelming mael-
Strom of world war, their land crossed
by the battle lines of great powers,
they are living the last chapter of
their troubled history. Whatever turn
the great battle in the Balkans may
take, it apparently can only mean that
the time has come at last for Albanian
Suhmergence. Italians, AustrianS aud
SerbTans are contending bitterly for
the last strip of the Shkypetar herit-
age, xnd it seems that the measure or
their existence has been reached. They
viii emerge from this world shock
Italians, Serbians or Austrians, and
the ancient nlyrian will vanish into
She limbo of forgotten things.
Fought Without Complaint.
"There is no such thing as Albanian
nationality" Bismarck roughly ex-
claimed at the congress of Berlin
More properly speaking there was nc
Albanian diplomatist, no Albanian
spokesman. There was just little
nation to be dealt with according tC
the irrefutable wisdom of power, JUS
the remnants of an ancient race that
has been forced ever farther into {
fringe of U2productive mountains
The conflict sustained for more thar