Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-09-23
Hold Trio in $4,000 Robbery
CASE OF FIUME
BEARS VIII. SON
OUT ON LEAGUE
Is Example of Trouble
of Which He Warns in
Appeal for Speed.
BIZ DAVID LAWRENCE,
fSDecial tO Tho ArpuS

.
travelling Of events in Europe and
| has Of course been given an ac-
count Of the seizure of Fiume by
an Italian force under D'Annunzio.
Mr.. Wilson has made no specific
! mention of the incident in his
speeches, but he has in a general
way warned his hearers against
the disruption of affairs in south
eastern Europe unless the League
of Nations were quickly brought
into being. He has expressed the
hope that a tragic confirmation Of
his prediction would not result
from the delay.
Yet inasmuch as peace has not
been formally declared. the su-
preme war council still functions
And the landing Of American ma
rines in the Fiume region would
be compatible with previous Amer
lean participation in Balkan oper-
atiOns.
Yanks There for Moral Effect.
American destroyers cooperated
with the Italian navy in the Adri-
attic and American troops once
stood guard at Fiume along with
the troops of other countries. The
other powers alone would have
felt embarrassed by any aloofnesS
on the part of the United States
had she stood off while D'Annun-
zio kept possession of the port of
Fiume, so the addition of a small
contingent of American marines to
the force which is demanding
:. 'Annunzio's withdrawal can be
construed as largely for moral ef-
feet. 1t is not expected that any
fighting will be necessary to com
pei D'Annunzio's evacuation of
Fiume, as the forces of the associ-
ated powers are sufficient 10 main
tain a blockade that can easily
starve the recalcitrant Italians into
submission.
If the League of Nations had
been in actual operation today, the
government of Italy would have
been held responsible and if it dis
avowed connection with the Dan
nunzio movement, then its aid along
with the naval forces of the other
members of the league would have
been invoked to establish an econ
omic boycott of the town. Simi- !
larly Jungo-Slavia would have
other ports as was necessary for
her to maintain a constant flow Of
supplies.
Small Ones Become Big Ones.
An economic preSsure-not war
is expected to be the chief /
weapon in compelling D'Annunzio I
to reconsider his indiscretion and |
thus would other oUtcroppings of ,
arbitrary force be dealt with. The |
president has encountered on his |
travels the editorial question
why should America be concerned /
at all in these clashes and con- |
fiicts-and he has answered by de /
claring that just such a clash, just |
such a friction between races and ,
peoples whose rights the United /.
States and the larger powers had |
not taken into conference for deci- |
sion in 1914, led to the assassina-
ton of the Austrian crown prince /
and finally a world war.
Use as Arguments.
Those newspapers which are on
the other hand trying to give the
impression that the League of Ma
tions means the constant patrol OF
military forces, use the landing Of
American marines near Fiume as
they do the occasional departure OF
an American transport carrying re
Inducements to Siberia as con-
frmation of their argument. The
president referred only once during
his speech-making tour to the
American troops in Russia, declar-
ing they were assisting to keep
food and necessarieS of life intend
ed for the Russian people from
falling into the hands of brigands.
Yet there is no restriction on the
German frontier of exports into
Russia and one of the first prob
lens which the League of Nations
must solve is the kind of barrier
it means to erect between Russia
and the outside world, whether it
can compel the holding of an cleo
ton in Russia and accession of
military dictatorship by threat
ening economic isolation or by Civ
ing more assistance to the Kolchak
Russ Not Self-GOverning2
The president refers feelingly to
tie pllSHL VI IGuSSinh anu Has NOL-
demned the rule of the bolsheviki
as minority rule, worse than czar-
ism, but he has not yet given an
as to how the League of
Nations by its combined economic,
If not military potentiality, will
bring Russia back into the family
Of nations. Provision has been
made for the admission of Russia
10 the league whenever she proves
herself a self-governing nation
Strictly speaking, Judging from the
Wilson speeches, the presence of ,
he bolsheviki would seem to argue 1
hat the Russian people were not f:
yet sef-governing. !
Different Attacks Puzzle.
Through the Wilson tour. while
he president has dealt effectively