Evening star., 1919-05-06

it's racial and geograph1caf poSltloll
This famous Adriatic port forms ont
of the outposts of the Slav race
which has played the part of.a pawr
in the hands of the Hapsburgs O.
Austria, and which now bids fail
further to. fall a victim of circum
stances.
Both Italy and the newly formed
Kingdom of Serbs. .Croats and Slo
city as part of their domains. Boil
are persistent and determined in theil
demands. In fact. Italy has been re-
ported aa notifying the allied powers
gathered in Paris that it will with
draw from all connection with the
peace conference unless It Is assured
that it Is to be given Ffume.
The town Of Fiume Is known in the
language of the Slav as Rijeka. anG
1t is sometimes called Rijeka Mod
ruska, because it is situated In the
county or province of Modruska
Croatia. 1t is a small city of approx.
imately $4,000 inhabitants of mixe6
nationalities and otherwise confused
races 1t, is primarily a port, a sea.
port Of no. great magnitude. but OF
exceptionally good possibilities, sit.
uated as 1t is in a splendid, well pro.
tected bay of the Adriatic and con.
nected with the interior of centra
Europe by fairly good railroads.
strategical Point; Medley of Tong
, AS a seaport. OF as military OF
naval base, Fiume 10 a strategical
point not to be overlooked by any
moider OF the fate of the Balkans
AS city Fiume is as yet of no real
Importance other than that of a pure
ly political nature. As a matter OF
fact. there are few towns in Europe
more Interesting from a political
viewpoint. Nor is there any other
place where social. political and eco
nomtc conditions are more compli-
Gated. There are those travellers who
believe that the Tower of Babel must
have been In or exceptionally near
Fiume, as the confusion of races and
languages is particularly pronounced
and. in spite of the serious political
for the races involved. the potpourri
of languages. races and interests is
ludicrous.
In analysing F4ume and its past
and present one must naturally
analyxe. its geographical situation
first. and then consider the people
who have bsen the basis Of it's popu-
be explained that Fiume is a place
which under normal conditions would
have been genuinely slav. for 1t
really forms . part OF Croatia, which
is a purely Slav state, just as ia
Slavonia. right next to it. both of
which sections now form q part of the
Jugoslavia nation.
In this connection 1t should always
be remembered that Croatia. slavonia
and Serbia all are Of the same race
and language. Serbia. having shown
prowess at fighting and q patriotic
spirit Of independence. finally sue
ceeded in overthrowing the tyrant
yoke which 1t carried for several hun
dred years, and which SO retarded its
growth and oppressed its peoples.
Croatia and Slavonia on the other
hand. as time went on. fell the victims
OF the HapsburgS and, though the
croatians and slavonians are for all
intenta ana nHrposes eHactly like M.s
Serbian borders directly on the edge
Of Slavonia at tthe behest Of the Aus
trian ministry of foreign affairs in
Vienna, Croatia and Slavonia, have
formed an oppressed part Of the Aus
tro- Hungarian empire. and have not
enjoyed the freedom which accom- :
panies liberty and independence.
Although Ffume was the logical
seaport for Croatia and Slavonia, the
Hapsburgs decresd otherwise and
gave the town to Hungary. and since
then has been Hungarys only sea-
port
Part Of Hungary Proper.
Unlike the rest Of Croatia, Fiume
was made Apart Of Hungary proper
and therefore aid. not form q part
Of Croatia la the aFtil1cial make-up
of the Austro-Hungarian crasy-ouii,
Of states. Indeed. FiuMe In like q
small Island At the extreme end of Sla
vonia. and this is why F'iume has been
leading the exfstsncs Of q tiny and
rather obscure spot Of Hungary sur.
rounded by 6lav states with which Il
ha, had no political connection in the
makeup Of the Austro-Hungartau
government
Deprived Of their logical seaport
the 6lavs Of Croatia and Hlavonia have
lived on quietly a. a downtrodden
race Of agrfculturists. confined to the
hintsrland, and there left unfortu-
nately to the Vaccinations ana In.
triguss Of q Jealous and ovGrbearina
foreign mother. state UAustria- Hun.
1t should be noted that Croatia and
Slavonia. by rather ingenious ap.
portionment OF the Austro- Hungarian
empire. were made part OF . monde
script sort OF near-government known
A. the royal territorial Croatian- -Sla.
yonian- Dalmatian government. This
% called royal territorial governmen en-,
formed a part OF the Hungarian state
In the Austro-Hungarian empire.
Ruled By Austrian Emperor.
The Emperor Of Austria was the
King OF Hungary. and. although
Croatia and sisvoniA were located ir
what then was Hungary. Dalmatis
was In what was Austrian territory
The head Of the royal territorial gov.
ernment was not king. ~ one would
imsgine judging by the royal title
appointed by the crown OF Hungary
was the ruling or highest authority
In this royal territory" There wal
provided parliament which met ir
the capital, Zagreb (Agram), but Il
proved to be nothing moro than q
mere debating society and was . par
lament In name only.
The Hungarian political authorities
always kept a close surveillance over
Croatia, Slavonia and the other sub
servient states which have had to be
suppressed by the central govern
ment and were retarded in their
growth In order to prevent theis
which would overshadow and threaten
the sovereignty Of Hungary. This
condition was particularly true OF
Fiume. that little hybrid town which
In 1865 was declared to be q part
OF Hungary. and not q part Of Croatia
And its triune government.
The survetlla nee Of Ftume as main
tained by the foreign ofnces ef Hun
gary and Austria was but expected
judging by the artificial aspect OF
the place and its peculiar polttica,
Significance. Here was the situation
A siav seaport psopied by . Slav
race. forming geographically q part
OF a slav subservient state. but de-
on the other side OF the Slav state
and to be an integral part OF the
MaGy0f state.