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

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(, I.5.. = 4. !. s.,z 4 View OF
- IsPATCHEs tell that the Al
banians have Joined forces
with the soldiers of, demOc-
'~''i racy. From the pan-Albanian
Federation Of America, Vatra, which
has it's headquarters In Boston, comes
word that the 10000 Albanians In the
United States have purchased nearly
81 ,O0O, 900 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. $:.f 4. ). tst, 4. al
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 commanding
place upon the landlocked sea. and
her harbor at Avlona, one Of the I'm
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 1468 and remained
such until 1913. when the London con-
ference granted q national independ-
ence under a prince chosen by the
great powers. The Albanians bitterly
complained at that time about the Dor
ders delimited for them on the grounds
that many purely Albanian districts
had been given to Montenegro. Greece
and Serbia. Albania was In q 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 heeting 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. On
supported BY allies, sympathy. song or
story, the Shkypetars, = little ma
ton" with their backs TO their bar
ron crags,, war for freedom vdlceless
throughout the centuries. y
1000 Years Struggle
serbia's Or Nontenegro's endurance
II pale compared to that which has
preserved this remnant of q race
against an comers through truceless
ages. For more than 2O0 years the
Albanians have stood their ground,
yielding their patrimony foot By foot,
but guarding the fragment Of their
native land 90 well that It today re-
maills the least known region I'm Eu-
rope. They are the oldest race In
Eurppe to survive upon ethe land
where the morning light Of history
found It and this stubborn tenure OF
their fatherland has been possible
only BY 4 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
II clamored Tor the sympathy Of the
world.
Today, however. their hills. swal-
lowed M In the overwhelming mael-
snom Of world war. their land crossed
By the hattie lines OF great powers.
they are livf1G the last chapter Of
their troubled history. whatever turn
the great battle in the Balkans may
take, Il apparently can only mean that
the time has come at last Tor Albanian
submergence. Italians, Austrians and
Serbians are contending bitterly for
the last strip Of the Shkypetar hefit-
ags. end It seems. that the measure Of
their ex1stence has been reached. The1
Vim emerge from this world shore
ltaliars, SeEbians q Aus6ians. and
the ancient ulyr1an will vanish Into
the limbo Of forgotten things.
Fsseht Nvltisest Complaint
ssThers II no such thing ~ Albanian
nationalitS r. Bismarck rou8hly e.
claimed at the congress Of Berlin.
More pruperiy speaking there was no
Albanian diplOmatist, no Albanian
spokesman. There was just Q little
ration to be dealt with according to
the irrefutsble wisdom Of power, just
the remnants Of IN ancient race that
has been fa--ed ever farther into q
fringe Of t7uroductive mountains,
The conflict sustained for more thaa