The Washington herald., 1919-04-20

to wilson. what can you do with
a man who can Cause a revolution IN
your country tomorrow by a speech7''
That remark was cabled TO America
at the time. but at the request Of
the French censor the name OF the
'<peaker was eliminated. -
Frank ReveIstfe.z.
From the point OF view Of the old
diplomacy. whose shining lights Or
lando and sonnino are. Italy is be-
ing abominably used. To filustrate
the peculiarly realistic" conceptions
Of the Italians In Paris, I quote a
conversation I heard between two
highly placed personages, one an
Italian and the other an American
II viii be evident that the italian was
speaking too frankly to be talking
for publication. 80 I cannot give the
names.
"we were the allies of Austria
the italian began. Austria. whom
we hated. But there can be no
love or hate in alliances. as you
americans viii some day learn.
trail We went back on our agree
ment to attack France in the back
SO as TO hold four of her army
corps In the south. II was these
four corps that won for France
the Battle OF the Marine. The allies
sought to persuade US to night We
consulted. according TO our formu-
Ia OF sacro egoismo (sacred ego
ism). of which we are not ashamed,
the material interests Of our coup-
try. We asked. What will YOU give
US II We help you?
Long negotiations followed, in
London and Rome. sazanoff the
Cars foreign minister. interviewed
to protect the interests of the
South Slav state she proposed TO
set up. and she refused to let Eng
land and France grant US Plume
or the line of the Dinaric Alps In
Dalmatia- 1t was not the liberal
powers who refused us what we
wanted, but Russia, for her own
sinister reasons. as part Of her
plot to ultimately rule the Medi-
terranean and strangle us.
Nevertheless. after, grave mis-
givings We accepted the treaty OF
London. without Fiume. Even
then. We knew what was brewing
In Russia. we anticipated that a
free Russia would withdraw from
the iniquitous reservations of sazo-
non. We did not anticipate that
France or Britain would then re-
fuse us Fiume.
Treaty q Scrap of Paper.
I'VE fought. we lost nearly. :. .Ooo. 900
men. We brought our country TO the
verge of famine and revolution, we
destroyed the Austrian empire. which
NOBODY expected us to do. And what
is our reward? Your Wilson, esged
on by British and French statesmen
from behind, men who dare not come
out in the open and go back on their
word. tells us that the price for which
We agreed to fight cannot be paid.
Our treaty Is a scrap of paper. Not
only is Fiume denied US. we are or
dered to give up DaImatia and other
lands guaranteed us by the pact of
London.
And why? Because yor Presi-
dent, who brought you in the war
two years after we began fighting.
allows himself, bemused by points and
dogmas. by vague Ctopian dreams, to
be used as the tool of EngIishmen
and Frenchmen. who want 10 enjoy
the fruits Of victory without paying
the price they agreed. And for whose
benefit Is this betrayal being perpe-
trated? For those enemy Slav troops
who killed more Italians than any
body else. who fought better than any
OF our opponents until they saw the
game was up. then threw down their
arms. proclaimed their country under
the protection of our allies, and now
find more friSsds in Paris than We"
And speaking with intense bitter
ness the italian diplomat concluded:
This unheard of treachery we cannot
accept Rather than sign such a
peace we must go back and take our