The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1919-10-15

room where I've started nice fire
in the fireplace"
When they were all settled, Uncle
Ted in big arm chair, Ruth on one
arm OF the chair and Jack on the floor,
Uncle Ted began:
Once upon a time, not so very long
ago, there was a poet in far off Italy
He sat in his window looking out over
the blue waters fthe Adriatic Sea
and dreamed dreams and wrote very
beautoful poetry. Then the Great War
came and his country joined with Bel
GUM, England and France to fight
Germany just as our country did later
on. He didn't dream so much then
for he joined the Italian army and
helped his country and the allies beat
Germany. After the war was ever
men from all the fighting countries
met in Paris to make the peace treaty.
1t was then that President Wilson
started trying to decide matters for
every country in the world instead of
making peace with Germany for the
United States and then coming home
to attend to the important work here
He said that every little country
should have the right of 'self-deter-
mination,' which meant that many
cluded in other big countries should
little countries which have been in
be allowed to start country of their
own. This meant trouble for all. A
people called Lithuanians started
fighting Russia. Poland started her
own country Another country call
ed Czecho-Slovakia was started and
still another by people called Jugo-
Slavs. These Jugo-Slavs are made up
of Serbians and some people from
Austria-Hungary and other mixed
races from that part of the world"
where was the poet all this time? ?"
asked Ruth impatiently.
Pm coming back to the poet in
little bit. Now when the peace con-
ference got to the claims of Italy the
| Italians said they must have a city
called Fiume which had been captured
from them by Austria years age. They
said the people in this city were Ital-
ians and that 1t should belong to them.
But President Wilson and some others
wouldn't let them have it and whom
the treaty was signed Fiume was
given to Jugo-Slavia. This made some
Of the Italians very angry but most
of them got over it. But the poet
didn't get over it, He said, 'Fiume is
Italian and Italy must have it, SO
he called for volunteers and almost
over night he had an army and navy
Of Italians with him. With the poet
in the lead they went right over to
Fiume, captured it and stayed there
The poet, whose name Is Gabriel
D'Annunzio, was so successful that
other leaders have started Italy to
take possession of other places near
Fiume ON what is called the Dalma-
tian coast, This whole business may
mean a bad war because Italy will
not only have the Jugo-Slav troops
against her but the allies in addition
because she has broken the peace
treaty"
as the United States going to get
into it?" asked Jack.
"The United States has already got
ten mixed up in It," answered Uncle
Ted, land some of the big Senators in
Washington are angry about it and
demand an explanation. We got mixed
up In it this way. When 1t was learn
ed tina tthe Italian forces were going
past Fiume and trying to take other
towns below, Rear Admiral Andrews,
who is commanding the American
naval forces In the Ariatic, received
orders from Great Britain to land U.
S. Marines on this coast at a place
called Trau to assist the Jugo-Slavs
in driving out the Italians. The Navy
Department In Washington gives all
orders to the Navy but they knew
nothing about II. The situation Is
more serious now because Italy Is
back of the noet and any action