The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1919-01-01
BY CLARENCE l.. SPEED

/
BY CLARENCE L. SPEED
! written for and Approved by the War
Committee of the Union League Club of
Chicago)
Conflicting claims of Italy and the
new Jugo-Slav state, which Is to
emerge from the world war either as
greater Serbia under the Karegorge-
witch dynasty or, perhaps, as a Jugo-
Slav republic, offer some of the most
intricate problems which have to be
settled at the peace table.
Even If the settlement could be
made solely along racial and lingu-
istic lines it would not be simple. The
boundaries of the Jugo-Slav territory
along the eastern shore of the Adriatic
as well as further back in both Aus
tria and Hungary, are far from being
plainly fixed. If self determination Of
peoples could be made the sole guide
the settlement still would present diff
ficulties, although with the exceptions
of comparatively few districts, there
is no doubt that all the Serbs, Croats
and Slovenes are ready to unite under
one government guaranteeing freedom
of religion and local customs.
Other Questions Involved.
But there are other questions in
volved having to do with Italy's his
torical aspirations, the pledged word
of other great nations among the en-
tente allies, and economic and mill
tary plans for the future, all of which
tend TO cOmplicate the situation still
| further and TO call for much forbear-
ance on all sides IL the final peace
| treaty is to be one which will remove
the causes of international friction in
this quarter of the globe.
Reference to the map above will help
greatly to understand the problems
which must be settled around the
peace table.
1t will be seen that, under the arm
istice terms, Italy now has control of
the greater part of the eastern coast
of the Adriatic from the old Italian
frontier down almost to what before
the war was the coast of Montenegro.
| Italy desires for several reasons to
keep this territory, though its popula-
ton is overwhelmingly Slavic.
Italys Historic Claim.
First there is the historic claim. For
centuries Dalmatia belonged to the re-
public of Venice, and Venice itself is
now a part of reunited Italy.
On the other hand Venice never col
onized this territory to any great ex-
tent.
Italy bases her claim to the eastern
/ Shore of the Adriatic also on the fact
that Ii contains all the good harbors
on that sea.
Menace Disproved by War.
The italian claim is that any power
which holds this coast can dominate
the Adriatic sea, closing Ii to Italian
shipping and putting the whole Italian
coast in jeopardy. This claim, 1t
would seem, has been dispr0ved by
Italy herself during the recent war.
Austria was power far greater than
| the new Jugo-Slav state is likely to
be. 1t had modern ships of war and
was REINFORCED by many German sub
UiuIlutS. lGt ltat1 uOhllhsAltu tHC
Adriatic completely because she had
the stronger navy. Her ships were
! able to keep the Austrian battleships
hiding behind their rocky islands and
even to curb the German submarines
SO that, as the war continued. they
became less and less of menace.
Jugo-Slavia. by tradition, is not a
naval power. Guaranteed Its independ-
ence by a league Of great nations and
assured of Italy's good will, there is
no reason to believe that II ever would
ind 1t expedient to assume the finan-
cial burden which the building of a
navy Of sufficient size to challenge Ital-
Ian supremacy In the Adriatic would
| entail.
Promised Property Of Others.
The third claim Of Italy to the great
| CT part Of the east coast Of the Adri-
| atic u based On the fact that II was
| promised to her By England. France
and Russia - IN incentive for enter
Ing the war.
Great pressure was brsusht - bear