The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-03-22
HOPE PRES. WILSON
CAN PLACATE ITALY
Italian Delegates Virtual Ultimatum to
the Allies Caused Considerable
Concern in Paris Peace
Conference.

Paris, Friday, March q (By the As
sociated Press Hope was expressed to-
night in peace conference circles that by
the first Of next week plan would be
presented which would surmount the diff
fculty in the way of completion of the
peace making work of the conference
raised by threat Of Italy to withhold ap-
proyal of any peace treaty not definitely
settling the Italiau.Jugo- Slav controver-
sy President Wilson has the whole
question before him, and it is from him
that the plan upon which hope of salts
factory settlement is based is looked for.
The action Of the Italian delegation,
taken as a unit, amounting virtually to
an ultimatum directed to the supreme
council, gave great concern to the other
delegations to-day. Although the su-
pFeme council was occupied with a con
sideration of the western Polish bound
ary, the premiers, themselves, with Col
onel h. NJ. House, were engaged in try
ing to find some solution to the very
difficult problem presented by the action
of the Italians. 1t has been known for
some time that the Italian delegates
were apprehensiye that any program
adopted by the supreme council which
contemplated the relegation of the Italy
Jugo-Slav controversy to the league Of
nations, when it is formed, or even its
consideration by the supreme council
after the completion of the peace treaty
with Germany, would seriously leopard
ize Italian claims. Some of the Italian
delegates have expressed the fear that
Immediately after the conclusion of the
German treaty, President Wilson, Pre-
mierAd4loyd George and perhaps other
leading figures in the council, would
leave Paris, and the remaining members
of the council would not have full pow
ers to deal with Italian demands, The
state of mind of the Italian public is
declared to be such that the failure of
the Italian delegation to return from
Paris with title to Fiume and Dalama-
tian coastal islands might easily have
grave international results.
Thus, for many weeks past they have
been simply flooding other delegations
and offices Of foreign correspondents with
literature to support Italian claims. This
melted the Serbian delegation in Paris
to very sharp responses, which were Civ
en- to the press and which denounced
Italian contentious as being in absolute
violation of President Wilson's fourteen
points" because they deny access to the
sea to the Jugo-Slav population in the
interior.
The Italian claim, Of course, is that,
raeially, historically and economically,
the port of Fiume and the Immediate
vicinity are Italian. They claim that the
eastern Adriatic coast must also 90 to
Italy as military measure to insure
protection to exposed Italian cities on
the western shore of the Adriatic.
The supreme council is called upon in
directly in deciding this issue, to pass
upon the validity of secret treaties ne
gotiated in London in 1915, some of
which at least are held to be at variance
with Mr.. Wilson's fourteen points" The
council is also embarrassed by the prob
able effect of any decision it may make
in the Fiume case upon Greek and
French claims to the Smyrna coast, and
on the Polish claims to Lemberg and
Danzig
II is expected President Wilson win
present some plan of solution by Sun