Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-18
The Adriatic
Danger Point
BY Fred sric J. iIaskin

Washington, y. G.. Jan. 19-Of ever
growing seriousness among the problems
| TO be settled at the peace table IS the
disposition Of the land bordering the
/ Adfatlc Sea.
Since the collapse Of Austria italy has
occupied most Of this land, thereby ar0tIs-
! ing the wrath Of the Yugo-SIav4. and
| particularly that of Scrbia, which country
announces that il IS also a candidate
for the prizes 10 be awarded along the
| Adriatic coast line
So strong is the feeling on this question
| that Serbia weak from hunger and the
terrible invasiona Of the enemy, has
nevcrthcleea declared that Il VIII fight
again and keep on fghting. f italy -
| permitted 10 maintain her present status
! on The AdrIatc
The iuo provinces which arc the basis
! of this agitation are known rs kustenland
and Dalmatia The occupation Of the
| Austrian province Of Trcntiu9 bv italy
| IS not contested, because Ircnt,ao con
| tains . largc Italian population and e If
no great economic value, for IL has M
outlet Ia the sea It's ehicf value to Italy
| is the strategic one Of a mountain barrlcade
against Austria.
In kustenland ard Dalmatia however,
! botb of which possess considerable sea
coast and therefore economically I'M
! portant the situation IS complicated by
| the fact that the fugo-Slavs greatly out
| number the Italians
| If YOU happcn 10 have 4 map If Europe,
vou will sec that kustcnand IS that small
| peninsula projecting into the Adrlattc
| just cast of the Italian frontier and con
| tanning the important Austrian seaport
! Of Trieste Dalmatla occupies q long
and narrow strip nf land on the eastern
| coast of the Adriatic, extending, with IT'S
fringe Of small islands, from kustenland
| to Montenegro. In the days when the
| Rnmqn empire fourished these provinces
| belonged to Italy, and, although they
were separated from Il centuries ago,
| Italy still bitterly resents their loss.
In recent years however, another in
| trIder has gained tremendously in num-
hers, if not IN power, along tho shores Of
| the Adriatic the Slav The history of
each province in this region IS the history
Of the gradual rise Of the Slav Take
| Kustcnland, for example The emigration
Of Slavs 10 Kustenland began shortly
after the downfall Of the Roman empire.
| They established themselves in the noun
| tain fastnesses Of the interior, leaving
| the Latin population tn the narrow
coastal lands and to the port towns
During the Middle Ages Of the Istrian
peninsula-as the lower part of Kusten-
land IS called was divided between Aus
tria and the CITY Of Venice, Austria re-
celving the most important half contain
ing the city If Trieste Thus Trieste has
been Austrian since the fourteenth cen
tury In 1914 the Congress Of Vienna
awarded the entire peninsula to Austria.
Under Austrian rule thc Italian population
has been gradually dwindling while the
represent sixty-six per cent Of the entire
population.
aTAvs ARE DOMINANT.
In Dalmatia the Slavs are even more
dominant. It's coast is huge mountain
wall that rises abruptly from the sea,
with a scattering Of tiny islands This
wall has tended TO cut Off the DalmatIan
interior from the Adriatic 50 that 1t APP
pears 10 have held little charm for the
Italian. At any rate, the ~lav population
has increased BY leaps and bounds ever
since the ninth century while the Italians
have steadily dwindled until now they
constitute only three per cent Of the
population
During the Middle Ages the Venetian
Republic obtained great influence over
Dalmatla and succeeded IN forcing its
culture upon the Slavs, although ii failed
10 make them adopt the Italian language.
Then in 1911. Dalmatla Was awarded 10
Austria bv the Congress OF Vienna, and
the Slavs proceeded to diyest themselves
Of Italian culture as OF q cloak.
The nineteenth century IS famous as
the awakener of race consciousness among
ali the peoples Of Europe, and the Slavs
proved no exception They began 70
organize. 10 take part IN the political
life of the nations which ruled them, and
they began u dream OF a united southern
Slav state-a Augo-Slavla
For knstenland and Dalmatia we're
not the only territories to receive the
flood OF Slavic immigrants during the
Middle Ages Croatia-Siavonia, another
province OF the Adtiatic, received It's
share. and the western Balkans, also.
But while he Slavs Of the Adrlatlc prov
mces accepted Christianity from ROME
and adapted the civilization OF western
Europe the Slavs who settled III Serbia
fell under the influence OF Byzantine
ConstantinopIe The difference between
the two civilizations served 10 split tins
people and make it lose consciousness OF
It's identity as such
The first 10 develop political state
were the Croats, in the early Middle Ages,
bnt the Magyars Of Hungary soon pat an
end 10 Its existence The Dalmatian
CroatS fell under the sway Of the Republic
Of Venice. The Serbs succeeded ia build
ing up a powerful state in the fourteenth
century, guided by particularly wise
ruler. but upon his death they became the
prey ot the Turks Threatened by SINH
lar disaster the Slavs Of Dalmatia sought
the protection OF Austria
Followed for the Serbs 4 terrible period
of persecution hy the Turks, which greatly
reduced the population, but failed to make
II rellnquish It's OrthodoN faith 1t fail
ed, that IS, IN all Of Serbia except the
province, ot Bosnia and Herzegovina
Here tie population embraced the Mo
amnetlaa faith with such enthusiasm
and lanaticism that it broke all con-
ncctlons with the rest Of the race.
DOMINATED Bl sERBs
With Dalmatia and kustenland in its
possessions, a century later. Austria con
eeived the idea Of uniting the entire lugo-
s;iay race under the rule oi the Ilapsburgs
The Orthodox Slavs OF Serbia had no in
tcnton. however. OF putting themselves
under the Roman Catholic rule Of the
Hapsbure dynasty, which they regarded