La libera parola. [volume] (Philadelphia, Pa.) 1918-1969, 1919-07-12

freely the port of Genoa. Must Italy
yield Genoa-to Switzerland? Trieste
can be a natural outlet for German
Austria in the Adriatic Must Italy
give back Trieste to Austria? Why can
not the countries of Fumes hinter-
land use Fiume seaport, should it be
assigned to Italy? Why must it 90 to
Jugo-Slavia, not being Jugo-Slav, and
not to Hungary, for instance, not be-
ing Hungarian, but being necessary
for Hungary's outlet on the Adriatic?
In this argument it has been forgotten
that Fiume is Italian, and justice de-
mands that it must not be given to
Jugo-Slavia or Hungary or anybody
else, but to Italy. ltaly's democracy
and sentiment of freedom are the best
guarantees that Fiume will really and
freely be used by all nations concern
ed.
And it is not true that without
Fiume the Jugo-Slavs have no outlet
on the Adriatic. This false statement
is apt to create a wrong impression of
the justice of Italy. Notwithstanding
the Italianity of the eastern coast of
the Adriatic, Italy has sacrificed a
great deal in order to give to Jugo-
Slavia what it really needs, and more.
Outside of Fiume, not less than five
ports are left to Croatia south of that
port, from Bucari to Carlopago; and
if, as it now seems certain, Croatia will
be part of Jugo-Slavia, Jugo-S -Slavia
will have these five harbors in addi-
tion to more than two-thirds of the
Dalmatian coast, with at least four
more ports.
2. Fiume is not included in the Lon
don Treaty. That is true, but it is
very difficult to see how this can be a
good reason for refusing Italian
Fiume to Italy. During the war every
body knew that among the aims of the
war was the restitution of Alsace-
Lorraine to France; nobody knew that
France was going to get the Saar Val
ley; and it is veRy hard to persuade
Italians that it is right to give by n
quite new agreement the German
Saar Valley to France, and that it is
not right to give by a quite new
agreement the Italian Fiume to Italy.
Moreover, if Italy did not ask for
Fiume, it was Fiume which, even be-
fore the arrival of the Italian troops,
Italy do? Suppose America in this
case: what should America do =?
Simply accept the plebiscite and de-
fend her own city against any foreign
interference.
1t is also said that Italy cannot
claim what the London Treaty grants
her and at the same time claim Fiume.
which is not granted to her by that
Treaty, Anybody who looks serenely at
these things will be unable to discover
contradiction in this. Independently
of the London Treaty, Italy asks
what is her own on the same basis
that France claims Alsace-Lorraine /;
for Fiume the general, just claim is
enforced by a spontaneous plebiscite.
Where is the contradiction?
The Islands and the Dalma-
tian Coast.
Italy could claim, as hinted before,
almost the whole of the Adriatic east
ern coast, refusing to recognize its
violent Standardization, but, showing
all possible moderation, has consented
to leave Jugo-Slavia more than two
thirds of the Dalmation coast. But
she is entitled to have all the islands
granted to her by the Treaty of Lon
don, not only because they are inhab-
tied by Italian population, but also be-
cause they could be a good defense for
her in case of war. In peace-time
no danger to the Jugo-Slavs can come
from these islands, but in wartime
they would be great danger and
menace for Italy, should they go to
the Jugo-Slavs. And Italy has realiz-
ed too much this menace from the
Austrians in this war to consent the
same menace to survive in a possible
future war with the same people.
The Aegean Islands.
Not satisfied with trying to deny
Italy what is contemplated by the
Treaty of London, Mr.. Wilson would
be delighted to deprive Italy of the
Dodecaneso Islands, in the Aegean
archipelago, claimed by Greece. 1t
could be asked why Greece did not
claim those islands when they were
kept by Turks, and claims them now
that they have been for seven years un-
der the liberal regime of Italy. But
the important point is another one.
Those islands are mentioned in the
Treaty of London only in an incident
al way, because they were ceded by
Turkey to Italy, under certain condi-
tions, by the Lausanne Treaty, Octo-
Der, 1912. If Mr.. Wilson is entitled to
revise the treaties existing before the
war in the name of nationalities, we
hope that he will not stop at 1912, but,
going back, we can hope that in ap-
plying the same principles, he is going
to ask England and France to give
back to Italy at least Malta and Cor
sica
ItaIy's Imperialism
Italy's Imperialism is an old story.
In order to join the Allies and have
back her lands and her sons sufferings
under Austria, of which Jugo-Slavs
N.1.-