New Britain herald., 1919-09-05
ITALY'S CLAIM ID
 PLUME IS PRESSED La Guardia Explains Situation to
 Foreign Relations Committee PRESIDENT WILSON BLAMED
Said to Have Blue PcnciIed" Tar dieu's Compromise on Fiumc-New
 Agreement, Satisfactory to Three
 Powers, Forwarded to II. $.

Washington, Sept. 5:-The foreign relations committee today held what Chairman Lodge had announced would be the last hearing on the Ger man treaty. Representatives of Ital- ian societies and others presented Italy's claims on Plume.
 La Guardia on Stand.
 Representative La Guardia. republi- can New York, the first witness said the people of Plume were Italian by blood tradition and language and were anxious to be reunited to Italy. He said he spoke from three years experience as American consular agent there and later servite with the American army in the same region.
 To sustain Italian morale during the war, Representative La Guardia said he had endeavored to interpret for them point 9 of the presidents S IA points, that relating to self-deter- minaton He told the Italians he said, that self determination meant for them restoration of all Italian peoples to Italian sovereignty. includ- ing those of Plume.
 New Compromise Ready.
 Representative La Guardia said the president had blue -pencilled" the so- ca He'd Tardieu compromise regard ing E'iume and that a subsequent agreement reached by France, Great Britain and Italy had been forwarded recently to Washington for the presi- dents approval.
 Prof. Alexander Oldrim of New York, chairman of the Italian-Ameri- can delegation appearing before the committee, made a statement of the oI,,,- O1o T certain Dalmatian territory, contend ing that not only did self-determina- ton of the people of Plume direct that course, but that adequate de- fense of Italy demanded annexation of this territory.
 Britain Also Blamed.
 British interests at the Paris peace conference deliberately "created diff culties as to their respective ideals of peace" between Italy and the United States for economic reasons, State Senator S. A. Coteiio of New of New York declared. He, too appeared in behalf of Italy's claims to Plume.
 Italian naval development in the Mediterranean had been prevented by the British, he said, and a cordial un- derstanding between the United States and Italy would mean a reduction of English power in Europe.
 Answering a question by Senator Moses, Senator Cotello declared that while the people of Plume would trust the United States they would not trust league of nations to procure their rights.
 Senator CoteIlo said the suggestion that Italy could obtain American food and coal "only by betrayal of the peo- pie of Fiume'' was cruel.
 Italy Wants Independence.
 Italy is tired of depending political ly and economically upon Germany and is unwilling to depend on England or France he said
 English dominance forbids Italy to reach her development in the Mediter- ranean and the world, he continued, and since a good understanding be- tween Italy ad the United States meant reducing of British power, ob- staCles had been placed at Paris in the way of that understanding.
 William H. Field, New Jersey, who said he had been in Paris during the peace conference, said he would file with the committee documents to show that Col. F. M. House had favor cd the awarding of Plume to Italy and that only President Wilson had oppos- ed that action. He said also, he would submit papers showing that opposition to Italian acquisition of the port had come from the German banking house of Warburg" because of certain railway interests it controlled in that region.
 At the conclusion of MT! Field s statement Senator Lodge announced the hearings on the treaty were closed.
 WANT TREATY RATIFIED.