New-York tribune., 1919-04-27

Claims at the Paris Peace
A Conference faces delicate and
complicated problems. The
special correspondent for "The Man
chester Guardian" describes the situa-
ton as follows:
ut so happens that in all the Ru-
manian 'irredente' the population is
peculiarly mixed. This is generally the
case in those border countries which
have belonged for any length Of time
to the Austro-H Hungarian Empire, part
ly because Of deliberate colonization
and partly from the fact that the whole
empire was built upon a negation Of
nationality.
"1n the present recasting of the map
Of Europe every attempt is being made
to study national sentiment and the
principle Of elf-determination, but in
many parts Of the late Austro- Hun
garian Empire the obstacles to this
principle in its unadulterated form are
insuperable. There are, for instance,
isolated colonies of Magyars, or even
Germans, in the very heart of Ruthene
or Rumanian populations, who can by
no stretch Of ingenious redrafting be
connected up to their several mother
lands, nor would it be a practical solu-
ton to give to these tiny communities.
often mere group of villages. the in
dependence of separate little states.
"In the Bukovina, the first of the
new territories to which Rumania lays
claim, the entire population includes
Rumanians, Germans, Ruthenes and
Jews in fairly balanced proportions, but
this proportion varies according to the
line of the proposed frontier. In the
eastern corner of the Bukovina (that
which in point of fact adjoins the pres
ent Rumanian frontier and includes the
town of Czernowitz) the preponderance
of Rumanians is very great, while in
some of the towns the Germans are in q
majority, and a census of the province
as whole gives the Ruthenes a pre-
dominance of about 10000.
From this it might seem that the
solution lay in q line drawn across the
Bukovina, separating the eastern, es-
sentially Rumanian, corner from the
remaining, mainly Ruthenian, districts
but economic arguments are agains,
such division. The existing railway
lines and roads all lead down toward
Czernowitz and the east, and the natu-
raj formation Of the country makes
this eastward trend the natural and in
evitabls one for all commerce and
transport
at Is interesting to note that the
boundaries of religion do not follow
exactly the boundaries OF race. Th
Ruthenea of the Rukavina are mem
hers. like the Rumaniahs. of the 0rthe
aex Church. while their fellow Ru
thsnes In Galleia belong to the rniat
Catholic Church, This difference o
religion coca long way toward eeun
seraeting the national kinshin,
THE question Of the Banat Of Temes
var Is an even more intricate one. Thi
district, stretching along the presen
frontiers Of Rumania and Serbia, an
forming up to now part of the Hun
garian kingdom, Is inhabited by
mixed population of Rumanians, Serbs
Germans and Magyars.
ut is divided into three departments
or 'comitats,' running from north t
- south. The most eastern of thes
three, the district adjoining their from
l. tier, is unquestionably Rumanian
e population, and about half of the Ger
IL trail 'comitat' has also Rumanian ms
u jority; but the remaining half Of tn
central division and the whole of tn
IS most western one is now claimed
< the Serbs, who contend that the popr
4 lation there is largely If not primo
= pally Serbian. and that its proximity I
n Belgrade makes it's possession a ne
y tional necessity. They also allege hi,
ir torical claims Of lesser value. Her.
IS too, economic reasons would pres
l. against division Of the province, an
le the district in which there is Serbia