New-York tribune., 1919-09-30
MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Fiiune

demanding the annexation of Fiume.
The government at Rome has in effect
indorsed d'Annunzio's enterprise. APP
parently no Italian government could
survive which didn't approve the pur-
pose of his expedition.
Italy's notice to the peace council that
she will be satisfied with no settlement
which does not make Fiume an Italian
city brings the protracted Adratic dis
pute to a head. A deadlock has existed
in the peace conference ever since Presi-
% last opposing Fumes assignment
to Italy. Orlando quit Paris Immediately
and went home to ask national mandate
on the annexation question. He got one.
He failed to move the council of three,
however; and because of that failure his
Cabinet fell. Nitti replaced him, and
Tittoni, also without success, took up
the task of winning over the council to
recognition Of Italy's contention.
D'Annunzio finally occupied the city with
Italian volunteers, playing again Carl
baldi's role in the Liberation period.
Italy has defied the council.
What will the council do about it?
Long ago the council abandoned the
idea of using force to compel submission
to its decisions, except in the case of
enemy countries. 1t has successfully
threatened Germany, Austria and Hun
gary. 1t has exercised mild coercion
on Poland and Czecho~S ~Slovakia. But
it has not succeeded in overawing Ru-
mania, and it can hardly expect to over
awe Italy. Neither France nor Great
Britain nor the United States wants to
use military or naval force to eject Ru-
mania from the Banat or Italy from
Eiume. Popular opinion in these three
countries would not sanction an attempt
to compel Italy or Rumania to accept
territorial apportionment which the lat
ter consider unjust and unreasonable
The conference has made no final dis
position Of Fiume. BY the Hungarian
treaty this port was surrendered by
Hungary along with that kingdoms
South Slav holdings. But these cessions
have not yet been distributed. The
council cannot even contemplate compul-
sion until it makes a distribution. And
Italy has still voice in the council.
The councils refusal to assign Fiume
to Italy rests, so far, upon President
Wilson's contention that such an ASSIGN
mcnt would violate the principles on
which peace with Germany was con-
cluded. That means the principles con-
tanned in the fourteen points. But the
Allies never made any promise to Aus
trla- Hungary to make peace on the basis
of the fourteen points. The council is
under no obligation to follow them, so
far as the Austrian and Hungarian
treaties are concerned. 1t ignored them.
III 1act' when 1t gave Italy Southern
lyrol, region whose population is
overwhelmingly Austro- German. More
over Fiume has always been raciallv
ltailan, and politically it was not in
ciuded IN Croatia, to which it would have
been attached under Mr. Wilson's oripi-
nal solution of the problem a1tbourb
lattery there has been a tendency on
his part to agree to Fumes conversion
into an internationalized free CITY.
ltaly's fervent nationalistic spirit has
baked at permitting an ancient Italian
community to be debarred from reunion
with the mother country. Emotion Of
this sort is hard to reason away. Italv
has set her heart on tiume. And she
IS major ally, with a long record of
sacrifice. She thinks her claim immeas-
urably superior to the claim of Croatia.
an enemy province, which furnished a
large proportion of the soldiers which
held her off from victory on the Isonzo
The peace council can hardly expect to
impose solution on Italy which she
has now emphatically rejected. Ap-
parently the sensible thing to do is to
adjust the solution, not yet announced.
TO the realities of the situation talv's
is needed to ratify the