The Tomahawk. [volume] (White Earth, Becker County, Minn.) 1903-192?, 1918-11-07

vic" OF
~ ISPATCHES tell that the Al
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
81 100000 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 rugged, wild, heavily
wooded mountain, complex, undevel-
oped and unpathed.
Albania became nominally q prov
ince Of Turkey in 1868 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 sulky
mood at the outbreak of the great
war. However. its isolation was char
acteristlc, for Albania has stood alone
throughout its history.
In this time Of flaming national
prides the Albanian, or Shkypetar, de-
serves q deeting 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 s:ory has at
tracted rare and scant attention. Un-
supported by allies, sympathy. song or
story, the Shkypetars, 4 '1ittle ma
tion," with their backs 10 their bar
rem crags, war for freedom vdlceless
throughout the centuries.
1900 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 1900 years the
Albanians have stood their ground,
yielding their patrimony foot by foot,
but guarding the fragment Of their
native land 80 well that 1t today re-
mains the least known region in En-
rope. They are the Oldest race In
Europe to survive upon Sthe land
where the morning light Of history
found 1t 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 I'M
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 livi.S 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
submergence. Italians, Austrians and
Serbians are contending bitterly for
the last strip Of the Shkypetar hertz
are, end it seems that the measure Of
their existence has been reached. They
VIII emerge from this world shork
ltaliars, Serbians or Austrians, and
the ancient nlyrian will vanish into
the limbo Of forgotten things. ...G
Fought Without Complaint
'"Thers n no such thing as Albanian
nationalityr' Bismarck roughly ex-
claimed At the congress of Berlin.
More properly speaking there was NO
Albanian diplomatist, NO Albanian
spokesman. There was just little
cation to be dealt with according to
the irrefut9ble wisdom Of power, just
the remnants of an ancient race that
mas been fa-~ed ever farther into a
fringe Of L7productive mountains,
The conflict sustained for more than