Evening star., 1919-11-09
italian Crisis at Paris Dramatic,
With Burden on President Wilson

sat in during the last century or SO as
the weaker sister at more than one Of
the realistic peace conferences of Eu-
rope; and knew exactly what weak
sisters were likely to get
On the very day after the Presidents
return. March Is, the Italian premier.
Orlando, had a conference with him and
set forth clearly his case; that the
Italians. If they were not to be accord
ed settlement with Austria at the
time the German treaty was made, must
at least, before they signed the German
treaty or agreed to enter a league of
nations. know what they were to get
In the Adriatic-and he put forward the
claims for Fiume.
Throughout the conference the Presi-
dent and Orlando were upon terms of
high mutua! respect and personal con-
tleman with the urbanity of the culti-
waited southern Italian. He was pro-
gressive in his inclinations and desirous
OF helping the President in the main
lines of his policy. But he was not
strong man. not a dominating figure
difficult for him, though he was premier
to direct his own delegation and at
times he was said not to be on speaking
terms with his foreign minister, Son
nlno. Sonnino was much the stronger
character rather cold. determined
imperialistic diplomat of the old school
He was really not Italian at all. His
father was an Italian Jew; his mother
Scotchwoman. A rather lonely man,
with dark immobile face, he gave, / do
not know how truly. the impression of
being saturnine. He was never popu-
lar in Italy. but was kept for years in
high places: was once premier, because
he was universally trusted as an hon.
est man. Throughout the conference he
opposed the more moderate Orlando, and
was for all he could get for Italy
Italian Demand for Fiume.
BY the 1st Of April the Italian feel
grown SO strong that they began,
while the President lay Ill, to threat
en- to go home and break up the con-
ference II they were not accorded i'm
mediate satisfaction. They had already
secured the great prizes for which
they mad dreamed for years-the re-
turn OF the ancient Italian provinces
of Trentino and Trieste and a good
part OF 1stria. and they were GER
tain OF getting substantial naval con-
troll Of the Adriatic to protect them
on the east, besides, of course, repa-
rations for their losses. But for the
relatively small city Of Fiume they
seemed willing to break up the peace
conference
Now, Ffume. according to the En-
cyclopedia Britannica. had, in 1900 a
population of 1884 Italians. 1885
Slavs, 2,4s2 Hungarians and 1.945
Germans. At the close of the war,
however, probably little more than
half of the population of the actual
city Of Fiume was Italian, due largely
to the disappearance of the Austro-
Hungarians. who made up the official
class But II the entire port. includ-
ing the eastern suburb of Susak Gin
h % ad C1y ncf yci yo1H hIyr fCl
is considered the Italians were in a
minority. However, they do consti-
tute the largest single element in the
population, and the town has a de-
cidedly Italian aspect.
1t was soon evident that the Italians
would not be denied: some answer
was imperative: they were threaten
ing every day to withdraw from the
conference. The French and the Britt
ish maintained neutral attitude:
they felt themselves more or less
bound up to Italy by many economic
more or less suspicious of each other.
Neither really wanted to see the 1tal-
ians get what they were after; neither
wanted to risk Italian hostility by
taking a strong position: both were
quite willing that the Americans
Decision Left to President.
1t fell, therefore. to the President
as did SO many Of the disagreeable
jobs at the conference-to formulate
a decision. Now. the facts and argu-
ments had been presented to the point
of utter WEAKNESS by both sides.
Each side had it's own confusing sta
tistics. Jugoslav statistics never by
any chance agreed with Italian sta
tistics. nor Jugoslav history with
Italian history The figures I have
given above of the population of
Fiume-though / quote from the re-
doubtable Britannica and endeavor.
as nearly as an outsider can. to set
down the facts-are certain to be as
sailed from one side or the other;
probably both. I'd like some time to
write more comprehensively of the
statistical war at Paris. and how the
experts fred encyclopedias at one an
other, set off the deadly gases of in
Vulnerable red books, blue books and
yellow books, and penetrated one an
others vitals with shafts cut out of
musty and dusty annual reports.
The struggle on the Hindenburg line
had nothing to beat 1t! Every sort Of
chronological. geographical. economic.
historical and military argument was
presented-until ones head whirled.
To any one who was not at Paris
and did not see in what complicated
and often contradictory forms the
various problems presented them :
selves may not realize how difficult 1T
was to settle them on any kind Of
principle. ! recall. toward the end
Of the conference. hearing facile
critic observe that President Wilson
had made IAN utter failure in the ap-
plication of his fourteen points"-to
which there came the instant reJoln. :.
der: How about the application OF
the Ten Commandments and the Cold
en- Rule? Has that ever succeededE'
Poland and Fiume.
Over and over again in the confer
ence the most vexing problems of
right and wrong were presented,
where there seemed no way of get
ting a settlement on principle. AS a
single example. in forming the new
state of Poland the Poles stood hard
for the application of the thirteenth
AID ASKED FOR