Evening journal., 1919-06-05
Peoples Column
rItuE AND DtLN,ri,:
ITALIAN OR JJGOSLAN

Fit NE A\D nNINNiiNf
ITALIAN OR JUGOSLAN?
t. the Editor OF The Evening journal:
sir. The Adriatlc dispute will have
a. be settled in making The treaty OF
peace With Austria; the treaty with
Germany can have no direct bearing
upon 10 I'm The discussions that are
now imminent IL is important that GER
ain facts be borne i'm mind, some OF
which facts have been ignored or mis-
stated BY many or those who have all
ready taken sides in the matter. The
lndsputsble facts are.
All The territory in controversy was
8 part OF The Austro-Hungarian empire
until the signing OF The armisiice with
that empire Fiume was an autono-
nous city situated in Croatia but at
lached politically to Hungary. palma-
tia was province Of The empire. with
rs own Diet or local parliament Dali
malta Il cut of from Croatia, Bosnia
and Herzegovina by The steep range Of
The Dinaric Alps and the Nelebich
mountains The vast majority Of It's in
hahitanis arc Croalian peasants; its i'm
poriant cities contain a large number of
Italians. in some Of them these being
q considerable majority and in none Of
item less-thsn a large minority Almost
an the business -mining. shipping
manufacturing, importing and export
ng-is IN the hands Of these Italian
1aimatlans. Throughout the domIna-
lion Of Dalmstia and Fiume by The Aus
tro-Hungarians these inhabitants OF
Italian blood have struggled 10 keep
their llalisnity unadultersted and have
longed for the day when their land
would be reunited TO its mother Italy
from which it derived all the civiliza-
tion it has or ever had
Before Italy entered the war she as
plred 10 annex Fiume and all Dalmatia
IS well as Trieste and the Trentino, and
when negotiating the Pact Of London
she demanded them But Russia. then
The seeihine Goliath of the Allies, We
ioed lialy's claims. for Russia hungered
'or an outlet on the Adrldtic, vhfh she
eyould have had through her domlnatian
Of the Slay states she was expecting to
separate from Austria. This Obliged
Italy 20 surrender her claim TO Fiume
and TO an the Dalmatlon coast south
OF Cape planko thus leaving TO the
Slavs the important ports Of spalaio,
Rafusa and the Bocche di Catisro. I'm
return for this surrender she received
NE pledge Of Russia 10 support Rou-
mania when the latter should enter The
var and to keep at least half the Aus
lro- Hungarian army busy ilghtng on
BIS eastern front The tremendous de-
scrtion Of Roumania by Russia and her
complete collapse left the entire Aus l
army 10 attack Italy. thus I
the efforts that Italy had 10 I
make and8lso the sacrifices her people /
lad 10 undergo
Italy claims that Russla's utter fall
are 20 fulnll her part Of the contract
3v which Italy gave up her claim 20 1
Fiume and Daimatla south OF Cape /
planko relieves her from this part Of /
the terms of The contract. therefore, /
she renews her claim 20 Fume. but not /
10 the lower part Of Dalmatia, as she /
recognizes that The new Jugo-Slav state I
entitled to ports on the Adriatic. She |
-egretfully leaves Spalato. Trau, Ragusa |
and Caliaro to them. although Spalato |
IS ono OF the most Italian Of all the Dali
matian cities, as Is proven by the fact
that the Dante Alighieri Society formed
IN Italy with the sole object Of keeping
alive the liallanlty Of the unredeemed
territories, has 5000 active members In
that city
Nor docs Italy lay claim 10 the IL
burnian coast, which stretches south
from Fiume TO Dalmalia and contains
90 least one flne harb0r that with very
hltle expense can be made an excellent
port and needs only a few miles Of cas-