Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-01-07
PROBLEMS BEFORE
PEACE CONFERENCE
TWenty-Six Territorial Dis
putes Listed, Some of Which
Are HotIy Contested.
CLAIMS OF THE NATIONS


By PAUL SCOTT MowRER.
Cnblegram to The Evening Star and
Chicago Daily News. Copyright, 1919.
PARIS, France. January 5.-There
are some twenty-six territorial dis
putes in Europe. not to mention those
! in Asia and Africa, which the peace
conference will be called upon to set
tie. These disputes may be listed as
follows:
l. The Aaland Islands, now held by
Russia, and apparently claimed by
Sweden.
2. Helgoland, now held by Ger
many, but probably claimed by Eng
| land.
| 3. Denmark demands the return of
Schleswig from the hands of the Ger
mans.
4. Belgium seems to be preparing to
demand from Holland the province of
Limburg. which stretches like 4 pc
ninsula between Belgium and Ger
many, forming an awkward barrier.
AuASuDUIS > ALTERNATIVE.
5. Luxembourg will be called upon to
decide whether she prefers to be
French, Belgian or Independent.
6. France desires to neutralize the
left bank of the Rhine.
| Z. France wants to include the Sarre
basin in Lorraine.
s. Italy claims part of the Austrian
Tyrol.
9. The Italians and Jugo- slavs are
l a Or aH in hill
| the Dalmatian coast. which both
claim; they are intrenching opposite
one another where the lines meet
north of Fiume.
| 10. Northern Albania is claimed by
the Jugo-Slavs, the Valona region hy
Italy and southern Albania by Greece
while the Albanians themselves dc,
| sire independence.
| II; Greece claims all of Thrace. in
GUIDING Constantinople. from Bulga-
ria and Turkey.
IL. Greeks, Serbs and BuIgars all
demand favorable frontier rectifica-
tions in Macedonia.
u. The Jugo-Slavs seem to claim
lhe strip running from Graz to the
Danupe east of Vienna so as to give
Ihem common frontier with the
| Czecho- Slovaks,
Bitter Protest by Hungarians.
| AAS iiAaiS idiiS protest DlIlGTiT
| against the newly declared south
| eastern frontier of S1ovakia.
| 10. The Poles, Czechs and Germans
| all claim Silesia-
10. The annexation of the banat of
TemeSyar has been proclaimed nv
| both the Jugo-Slavs and the Ru
manians. while the Hungarians are
unwilling to relinquish it.
| -. ihe Rumanians occupying Tran
sylvania are driving out the Hun
! garians.
IS. Rumanians and Ruthenians are
| hgntlng over Bukovina.
~. Inc Bulgarians want a favora-
pie frontier rectification in the Dob
| roges.
20: Rumanians are occupying Bes-
claim.
81. The Poles and Ruthenians are
hsht1ng over eastern Galicia-
= The Germans and Poles are
lighting over Posen.
Claims by Poland.
%: The Poles claim the valley of
the Fistula and Danzig from Prussia.
"A. The Poles claim east Prussia.
| which seems to prefer independence.
20. Bolsheviki are invading the
Baltic provinces, which seem to de-
| sire independence.
| foI ali Vi THESE territorial dlSpuCeS
| no solutien has thus far been pro-
| posed. Lacking something better and
merely with q view to stimulating
| discussion, I will propose a solution
! of my own. In a certain number of
these disputes-for example. that in
emburg--they can easily and
| quickly be settled by plebiscites. but
| in other cases neither side is willing
| to make concessions, and without re-
liable statistics it is impossible to
| guess who is right. Wherever such
acute dissension exists the territory
actually in quetion should be de-
| clared temporarily neutral, and all
| the claimants ordered to withdraw
their troops therefrom. If they re-
| fuse, then the neutral regions should
force neutrality. AS soon as order is
| restored a careful plebiscite of the
| disputed regions should be taken. The
| final decision should be based first on
| the principle Of self-disposition, as
| shown by the plebiscite and. second,
| which sometimes is almost equally
| important.
An Example Cited.
!. For example, where the inhabitants
Iof seaport are Of one nationality
while the inhabitants Of the hinter-
land are of another economic equity
/ WoulQ seem TO incline to give the sea-
port to the people of the hinterland,
as otherwise not only would the hin
terland be unjustly cut off from the
sea by a foreign frontier, but the es-
Establishment Of such frontier would
be likely to kill the commerce of the
port in question by diverting the trade
of the hinterland elsewhere.
Throughout certain parts of eastern
Europe the nationalities are so inter-
spersed that strict application of
the principle of nationality is impos-
lsible. The peace treaty should oblige
the signatories to guarantee the
rights of the foreign minorities in
every country, permitting them to
keep their own language and customs.
The chances are that if they are not
oppressed they will gradually adopt
the ways and languages of the ma
jority.
Furthermore. means of assisting the
the transmigration of these scattered
and dissatisfied minority groups
should be found and encouraged. Thus
a Rumanian peasant living in Jugo-
Slavia, but discontented with Jugo-
Slavia rule. could be assisted by an
international commission TO exchan