The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-07-12

Northern Epirus is Greek by right, but
Italy has prevented Greece from &C.
cupying it, and now as the mandatory
Of Albania occupies it herself. The
Dodecanesus and Rhodes are Greek
speaking. but Italy has held them
since her Tripolitan war. Finally, the
western powers promised Smyrna to
Italy. but have recently permitted
Greece to occupy it.
Thus the Balkans are beginning to
divide again, with Greece and Jugo-
Slavia in one camp and Italy and Ru-
mania in a second, with Bulgaria des-
tined, it would seem, to join the Latin
powers. But this makes a new east
ern question and gives Germany a
chance to select partners from one
side or the other, while at the Paris
conference. If it acts justly, must Of
fend at least one side, and probably
both. and cannot enforce any deci-
sion it may reach in any case, since
its writ will not run where it has no
armies to go, and it has no armies to
fight Rumania and Italy or conquer
Jugo-Slavia and suppress Greece. Both
the latter frankly ask only for what
they are entitled to have, according
to the famous Fourteen Points. Italy
and Rumania, on the other hand, can
point to the pledges given by their
allies in secret treaties. moreover, in
the matter of Bessarabia, Rumania's
claim is indisputable.
There remains the dispute between
the Italians and the Jugo-Slavs over
Fiume and Dalmatia, the merits Of
which are so we'll known to my read
ers that l shall not repeat former
analyses here. But it is an element
in the larger calculation. Italy is
practically outside the western alli-
ance now, she feels herself badly
treated, she resents President Wilson'S
criticism; she feels, not unjustly, that
her European allies have sided with
President Wilson, rather than with
her. If Germany is sullenly revenge
full, Italy is openly dissatisfied, there
fore no solution of the Adriatic prob
lem, that she would even consider,
would do justice to Slav rights, and
no solution, which ignores Slav rights,
can permanently satisfy the great ma
ton of Southern Slavs, including the
best fighting race in Europe, which is
destined to rise on the eastern shores
OF the Adriatic. Nor can we expect
the Greeks ever to accept definitely
the loss OF northern Epirus or the
Islands of the Aegean, which have
been Hellenic since the very begin
ming Of history.
Two Just Solutions
These circumstances explain Euro
pean dispair in the presence of the
problems of peace making. But" my
American friends argue, the league
of nations will arrange everything"
But how can the league Of nations re-
concile the Serbs to the loss of hun
dreds of thousands of Slavs to Italy,
| the Greeks to the surrender of nearly
! half a million Hellenes to Italy, and
Italys new ward, Albania? And how
can the league of nations reconcile
Italy to permitting a new Slav state
! to rise across the Adriatic, or to con
senting to the creation of Greek
state, which will doom all her hopes
i in the Aegean and on the West Coast
| of Asia Minor, at the precise moment
when Britain and France, by the new
peace are realizing their aspirations,
both in Syria and Mesopotamia in Asia
and in Egypt and Morocco in Africa
Then again, the American point OF
view, Influenced by the fourteen
points, conceives that there is only
one Just solution and that such a
solution, if reached will close the de-
bate. Unhappily there are frequent
/ ly at least two solutions conforming
to justice as laid down by the four
teen points have no application since
self determination is impossible as
whole. and if the vote of the people
be had in the various districts, com
mercial ruin will result.
! G tho Eurnna9n moi nj
of view, which no Americans reckon
with, the point of view of the French
and British, who have to face the
eventuallyity of restored Russia, the
certainty of a vengeful Germany and
the growing fact of a thoroughly dis
satisfied Italy. whose dissatisfaction
grows out of the rejection of claims
she holds just, which were agreed te
by her allies, but rejected by Presi
dent Wilson, in accordance with his
views of justice, views which, in the
abstrct at least, cannot be disputed.
If Germany, Russia, and Italy fine
common basis for cooperation il
upsetting the present settlement il
| Europe. where is the force coming
from to defeat them? Certainl.
France and Great Britain cannot d.
this Even if we sent new millions
to Europe they would hardly arrive
in time to save France from a new
invasion. AS for the league of ma
tons which constitutes real part o
it and these are Britain, France ant
ourselves.
Such briefly, then, is a conspectu
of some Of the remaining problems o
peace. such is the unfinished bushes
before the Paris Conference.
At the present rate Of increase i,
the consumption Of native lumber il
New Zealand it is estimated that tn,