The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-04-24
REVOLUTION
MAY RESULT
Almost Anything Can Happen in Italy
n She Is Not Given
Fiume, AS She
Insists.
by Henry Wood. Rome Correspondent
of The United Press.1


TBy Henry Wood, Rome Correspondent
of The United Press.]
NEW YORK, April a ltaly's
claims for Ffume which have resulted
in the present critical situation al the
peace conference, are of comparatively
recent origin.
In the original pact of London, en-
tered into between England, France
and Russia, In which Italy's territorial
c ,mpensation for entering the war on
the side of the allies was fixed IN al
vance. Fiume did not figure. In a gem
eral way Italy was guaranteed posses
sion Of her two "unredeemed prov
ipces" of Trentino and Trieste, Ger
tain number of islands along the IRl-
r1atian coast and part of the OAR
matian coast itself Fiume was not
mentioned
Immediately following the signins
Of the armistice last November tins
Italian population of the province ana
city OF Flume. through their municipal
pnd governmental authorities, acting
under President Wilson'S principles oil
self determination and of nat1onallts
officially declared their desire to Dc
annexed to Italy and placed them
selves under the protection Of Presf
dent Wilson himself.
hmm ediately, a nation wide propa'
sanda and a nation wide sentiment
4 sprang up in Italy for the inclusion OF
FIume in Italy's national aspirations,
1 This propaganda and sentiment, fos-
1 tered by the Italian press, the 1talian
government and the Italian people
! themselves, has reached a degree oil
intensity until it has become almost
the one and only consideration ano
4 topic of conversation IN italian LIE.
4 Only a person who has lived for years
! N Italy and who has known the prloe
of race and nationality that exists IN
4 the Italian temperament 10 degree
4 rot to be found in any other, can ap-
rreciate the gravity of the present sit
Eatjon.
! Should Italy fail to obtain Fiume as
portion of her national aspirations,
almost anything is liable TO happen IN
I Italy-and amongst the more probaDle
hypothesis are revolution, DolsheYlsm
4 or an actual return to the German al
lance before the war.
/ Despite the intensity of the demand
on the part of the great bulk OF the
Italian population for the annexation
certain opposition. The socialists,
especially led by Bissolati, a former
member of the Italian war cabinet, OBJ
lIose in the extreme degree what they
! term this imperialistic policy that has
/! been championed by Sonnino and Or
! lando.
! Ii should be remembered that Italy
| is a Mediterranean country and the
1n+e iyl
/ iterranean, namely the Straits OF
] Gibraltar and the Suez canal are con-
| trolled by England.
England or any other group OF pow
ers with whom England is associated,
can BY closing those two inlets TO the
Mediterranean and consequently the
4 italian ports, starve Italy TO death IN
very short space of time.
1 For this reason there has ever been
in Italy a large school of diplomats,
of statesmen and OF the thinking pop
ulation that is convinced that 1taly's
] only guarantee Of life can be secured
1 through an alliance with some north
ern country like Germany that can
4 insure her an outlet to the northern
seas
Because of this fact, and because
4 of the large number Of supporters in
Italy of this thesis, a return 10 the
German alliance by Italy must not be
considered as purely a bluff.
! On the other hand it is also certain
(! that leading italian statesmen like
Bissolsti, Nitti and Others who re
signed several months ago from Or
! lando's cabinet because of the so-called
/ ilnperialistic policy, have been steadily
AZ work building up their own political
i fences.
| 1t is entirely possible therefore that
! the Orlando government might be
cverthrown and a new one headed by
| Nitti or some one else come into power
| on platform to take more conciliat-
! ing attitude Should the Fiume de-
/ mand be refused it is not to be ex-
pected that this Italian population of
: g., 900. 900 human beings stung to
! the quick in their most sacred sent3-
ments OF racial and national pride,
viii quietly subside without an explo'
sion that may entail almost any posi-
lh-iify