Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-05-18
ALBANIA, HELPLESS,
APPEALS TOPAR|S
ItaIy's Intentions Across Ad-
Ratio Seen as Menace
to Peace.
VALONA is IN DISPUTE
vALoNA IS IN DISPUTE
BY PAUL SCOTT MOWRER.
(Cablegrnm to The Sunday Star and
Chicago Daily News. Copyright. 1872

BY PAUL SCOTT MOWRER.
! (Cablegrnm to The Sunday Star and
Chicago Daily News. Copyright. 1879
! PARIS, May 16.-Now that the Adri-
attic questions are again being discussed
, by the conference. occasion should be
! taken to re-examine seriously the prob
lem of Albania. This small nation is
/ the weak spot of the Balkans. Under
! the treaty of London the Albanian port
/ of Valona is accorded to Italy. and Pres
! ident Wilson. in his memorandum OF
April IA, while refusing Italy the Italian
: town of Fiume. grants her for some IN
applicable reason Valona. In the opinion
| Of various students of the Balkans.
: while there are certain reasons why
! Italy should have Fiume. there are none
/ whatever why she should have Valona.
Indeed, the question of Valona appears
to be far more serious and far more
/ vital to future peace than the question
! of Fiume
Italy wants Valona first because hold
! ing this port she controls both sides or
the Straits of Otranto and can close the
| entire Adriatic at will. but second and
| chiefly, because she desires to become
! prominent power in the Balkans. Va
! Iona is the open doorway to this trou-
bled and coveted peninsula. where the
| rivalry of Russia and Austria precipi-
! tated so much bloodshed In the last
| forty years. 1t is Albania's best port
| and just behind it lie Alba nia's greatest
rches-her oil deposits and her most
fertile valley, capable Of supporting not
/ only the entire population of Albania,
but providing surplus for export as
well.
Italy's Intention Too Clear.
| Under the present Italian military
| occupation Italy's intention to colonize
| 1T &c Nv50
Reliable information discloses that
she has organized nearly 200 Italian
| schools, and at the same time has for
| hidden Albanian schools. She has be-
gun the construction OF railways INTO
| the interior without the authorization
of the Albanians, and has tried TO
, lease or purchase public lands for the
purpose of directing her surplus popu-
lation thither. She has organized
| Italian administration throughout AL
| bania.
| She has refused to allow a native
police force to be trained so that she
might continue to maintain Italian po-
lice. She has appropriated the rail-
ways built by the Austrians without
offering compensation to the AL
banians and has instituted Italian
postal, telegraph and monetary sys-
| tens 1t is said that she has even
tried to provoke trouble between the
Christian and Moslem populations so
that one of them would beg for
! Italian protection.
Resentment Against Italy.
The result of all these measures
has been to arouse a feeling OF IN
tense resentment throughout the
press establishment that President
Wilson while refusing Fiume to Italy
should offer her Valona- Without
mentioning the principle of self
| termination and the rights of small
reasons why Italy should not be al
| lowed to enter the Balkans. The first
| Is that the Albanians form distinct
race. They are proud ana warlike.
and an attempt to place them under
| to trouble. In the old days the Alba
mans furnished Turkey with some of
! the ablest generals and statesmen.
When Albania was freed the Turkish
yoke in 1912 considerable part of
| the territory was given to Greece and
| Serbia.
The independence Of the remainder
was guaranteed by the powers. But
now If Italy is. to enter central Alba
mia, Greece and Serbia, instead of re-
turning to Albania the. Albanian pop
ulations they now hold. will simply
from the peace commission as a guar
antee against further Italian en-
enactment. Indeed. Serbia Is already
demanding Scutari in northern Alba
MIA and Greece is asking for Koritza
in southern Albania, but both these
nations have promised to abandon
their claims If Italy will abandon
Valona.
Wants q. s. as Mandatory.
This play Of compensation is alone
sufficient to indicate the ruthless adj
vantage which Is being taken of AL
bania's defenseless position. Owing
to the recent date Of the liberation
from Turkey and that the country has
been swept by the war Of foreign peo-
] Piles ever since this liberation. Albania
is still probably the least developed
country in Europe. Her people realize
this and ask nothing better than that
some disinterested power should as
sumo guardianship over the nation
until 1t becomes At to exercise full
control. They themselves have asked
the peace conference to let the United
! %A- H.