The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1919-09-27
Peace Conference Devises Plan
for Settling the Problem Of
the Adriatic.
D ANNUNzIO'S FIUME RAID
Baltic States and Russian Bolshevists
Talking Peace-President Wilson
Explains Application of League
Covenant to Shantung and
Irish Questions.
By EDWARD w. PIcKARD.

While DAnnunzio held possession OF
Fiume after his spectacular raid on
that disputed city, the peace confer
ence in Paris got busy and announced
it's solution of the entire Adriatic
problem. 1t is a compromise plan de-
signed to satisfy both Italy and Jugo-
Slavia, and it was cahled to America
to be submitted to President Wilson.
This compromise settlement provides
that Fiume shall be free state and
that it's harbor shall be a free port !;
that the Jugo-Slavs shall have all Of
the Dalmatian mainland except the
city of cara, which shall be a free
port, tand, most of the Dalmatian
islands that Avlona and the surround
ing territory shall be under Italian
sovereignty, and that Italy shall re-
ceive mandate for all of Albania ex-
cept the Epirus, in the extreme south,
which shall go to Greece. Both Italy
and Jugo-Slavia make concessions I'M
der this plan, and it is believed that
1t will enable Fiume ultimately to be-
come a part of Italy-a contamination
which the American peace delegation
was able to prevent during the treaty
negotiations.
DAnnunzio's seizure of Fiume was
decidedly embarrassing to the Ital-
ian government. To use force against
him was plainly out of the question,
for the sympathies of the nation were
with him, despite the fact that he and
his troops were technically mutineers.
However. the government did take
steps looking toward a blockade Of FL
ume by land and sea in the expecta-
ton that the poet-soldier's army would
be soon starved into submission, and
in this measure the Jugo-Slavs coop
Grated by cutting off all supplies by
land. D'Annunzio had about 10000
regulars and four battalions of vol
unteers under his command. and oc-
cupied a fortified line around the city
It was reported that he was prepared
to raze, Fiume if he could not hold
out, and that in this he was support
ed by the citizens.
Naturally. the Germans we're watch
ing this affair with great interest, and
the news that the allies had decided
II was 20 be handled by Italy alone
was looked on by them as significant
for some of them were contemplating
the possibility of similar raid on
Danzig. They figured that if the ex-
pressed will of the allied peace con-
ference could be defied in one place,
1t might be defied in another.
In Hungary the allies are gradually
bringing the situation around to their
own way, for the Roumanians, 1t Is
announced, are withdrawing their
troops and have promised to restore
the materials they had confiscated.
Prime Minister Friedrich of Hungary,
1t is expected, will quit, and coali-
tion cabinet will be recognized by the
allies.
The representatives of the Baltic
obuiCE VI opVhh " iOih,
conferences with the Russian bolshe-
visits, with the prospect that peace be-
tween them will be arranged. Wheth-
err this is with the tacit consent of the
allied nations is not clear. AT any
rate, the White Russians are desper-
ately fighting against such an outcome,
for 1t would mean their destruction
by the Reds. The German troops In
the Baltic states, commanded by Gem
eral Won der Goltz, are increasing in
numbers and are very active. The
Berlin government, in response to the
demand of the peace conference that
they be withdrawn, said they, were
not under German control, but this
plea the conference refused to allow.
The Russian soviet government asserts
that, despite Its recent victories on the