Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-13


Now the Rumanians claim all the
Banat and have to support their claim
a separate, secret treaty with the
western allies. 1t was a part of the
reward promised them for entering
the the war. But when they entered
they were betrayed, defeated and
Does this invalidate the pledge given
by the western allies? At least the
Rumanians deny it. But the Serbs
| assert this to be the case. point to the
districts claimed is Serb and would
vote for union with the new Juga-
slav state and argue that Mr.. Wilson
does not recognize secret treaties
anyway. Then the Magyars claim the
district about SZegedin, which is Hun
garian. on the same ground of self
determination. AS for the Germans
close to half million in number,
| they seem resigned to losing in any
case.
Serbian claims and fail to accept Ru-
mania will make an alliance with
Italy. which has a dispute with the
Jugoslavs on her hands. Moreover.
| Bulgaria despite her quarrel with
| Rumania over the Dobrudja. might
easily be placated by a promise of the
Macedonian territory she has waged
three wars to acquire, and then We
| should have a new Balkan problem
| on our hands at once. To suppose that
! the western powers would go to war
again to save Serbia is to suppose
the impossible. but this is exactly
! what would be necessary, if the league
! all
New Menace to World Peace.
But if the Serbs are denied their part
of the Banat, il this injury is added
1 to the wrong. the palpabie wrong,
already done in the hinterlands of
| Trieste, where half million Slav<
| have been turned over to Italy. and
to the probable wrong to be done
| under the terms of the Anglo French
Italian secret treaty affecting Dalma-
same menace to world peace that
| Serbia constituted from the congress
of Vienna down to the assassination
| of Serajevo, when the whole world
was embroiled. Moreover Italy and
| Rumania, two Latin states with
enemy. might easily find a basis of
agreement with Germany. looking for
! allies and necessarily prepared to
trade upon the differences and profit
by the mistakes of the Paris peace
conference.
There is also Greek complication
| to be reckoned with. The Greeks and
Serbs have a treaty of alliance against
the Bulgarians and Greece claims the
old Aegean coast of Bulgaria in west :
ern Thrace. In addition Greece has a
quarrel with the Italians affecting
| northern Epirus, the Dodecanesus
Islands, with Rhodes and the western
shore of Asia Minor including Smyrna
Northern Epirus is Greek by right,
but Italy has prevented Greece from
occupying 1t and now as the manda-
tory of Albania occupies it herself
| The Dodecanesus and Rhodes are
Greek speaking, but Italy has held
them since her Tripolitan war. Final
ly. the western powers promised
Smyrna to Italy. but have recently
permitted Greece to occupy it.
Thus the Balkans are beginning to
divide again, with Greece and Jugo-
slavia in one camp and Italy and Ru-
| mania In a second, with Bulgaria
destined, 1t would seem, to join the
Latin powers. But this makes a new
Peastern question and gives Germany
a chance to select partners from one
side or the other. while the Paris
fend at least one side and probably
both and cannot enforce any decision
1t may reach in any case, since its writ
will not run where it has no armies to
| go, and it has no armies to fight Ru-
mania and Italy or conquer Jugo-
| slavia and suppress Greece. Both the
latter frankly ask only for what they
are entitled to have according to the
| famous fourteen points. Italy and
Rumania, on the other hand, can point
| to the pledges given by their allies in
| secret treaties; moreover. in the mat
! ter of Bessarabia, Rumania'S claim
is indisputable.