Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-05-02
Italg and the World
From the New York Post.

Sismondi in his italian Republics" remarks
that in the history of no country is the power
of 4 government to shape public opinion more
clearly shown than in that Of Italy. We are
plainly seeing the truth of this today. Very
soon after the armistice, the Italian government
began to inspire demand for the annexation
of Fiume. This early became the order of the
day for the press, the military spokesman, and
the mass of the people. No one can say that
there was anything unnatural in this. Nor was
titled to Fiume by her secret agreement with
England and France Italy could set up toll
cradle claim at least to a voice in the dispo-
stion of port inhabited by SO large an Italian
element OF the population And Italians can
not be blamed overmuch by other nations for
being carried away by THE intoxication of sue
cess" to use phrase of Sismond's 1t is a
dangerous thing to yield to in the hour of vic
tory but in this matter Italy is not a sinner
above all who dwell in Europe.
What she is to be blamed for, however, in
her present attitude is not so much for making
claim on Fiume. as for apparently refusing to
admit that this claim and all others must be
regarded as only part of world-settlement
An intense national aspiration not abhorrent
in itself, must not be set up and insisted upon
and made means Of wrecking the work of
peace in the face of international needs and
Italy alone were in question, no one would OBJ
Ject to her seeking every advantage reasonably
open to her. But she is only one of many
nations. Her claims have to be weighed along
side others. And it is for her statesmen to
throw their minds into the common conferences
at Paris. What is there being striven for is a
world-agreement, covering as wisely as i'm
perfect human judgment can the interests of
diverse countries and of nations yet to be born.
Against the honest effort to bring about this
great and general adjustment, it is neither gra-
cous nor tolerable for one government to assert
ifce n and iceu
ultimatum. This is the real ground of COM
plant against the course of the Italian dele
gates at Paris.
1t is, too, in the fact that the United States
is engaged in graphing, at the side of other
nations with world Issues, that we find the
answer to certain critics at home Senator
Lodge. for example, has just renewed his pro-
test against our "meddlng." What's Fiume to
US or we to Fiume? Let the Italians get it
if they can. It's no concern of ours. But we
have made it our concern to help in making an
enduring peace for all the world. We med
died. deliberately, and with the applause of
Senator Lodge and all other Americans, when
we went to war with Germany. And long be-
fore it looked as if we were going to win that
war, President Wilson, following Lloyd George,
laid down the terms which we should dictate
when victory was achieved. From these terms
there was not ripple of dissent at the time
On the contrary, they were acclaimed. Yet
they definitely and directly involved us in the
course which our delegates have been follow
ing in the peace conference. The fourteen
points looked to the creation of free Poland,
to the return of Alsace-Lorrane to France, to
the recovery by Italy of her lost provinces
There could hardly be a more glazing med
, ding" in European affairs, yet we were pledged
to it in advance And the surprising thing is that
some of the men who were loudest in praise
of President Wilson's fourteen points, because
they thought that he was looking to a nego-
tiated peace, not victory over Germany are
now declaring that the peace conference is rush
ing into an orgy of land-grabbng." But Po-
land, Italia lrredenta, the French reservations,
as we'll as Czecho- Slovakia and Jugo-S lavia,
were all embraced in the peace terms announced
more than a year before peace was conquered.
Thus the United States is simply trying to
do today what it served notice upon the world,
long in advance, that it would endeavor to do
The "meddling' dates far back. Having grasped
the nettle there is nothing to do now but crush
Italy was invited she cannot at this late day
desires she cannot make paramount. AS Pres-
dent Wilson stated, she is already assured of
national unity and an enlarged territory be-
'yond her widest dreams of four or even two
years ago. Doubtless, the peace conference is
ready to make Fiume free or nternatonazed
city, of which Italy can have free use along
with the other nations whose sole outlet to the
sea it is. She ought to agree to some such hon
orable compromise. If she does not, her offense
will be that of asserting her own will against
the will of the world