The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1919-04-26
president WILSON
| CALLS ITALY'S BLUFF
lin Straight -From-The- Shouldef
Staten emf Which Tells
The World
President Bloc ks Attempt To Rob
Smaller State of o&tIet To Sea-
Pact Based on Fourteen Points" Is
Americas Ans Wer To Deadlock.
Western Newspape Union News Service

Western Newspape Union News Service.
Paris.-Italy's lbluf-if it was a
bluff-was called by President Wilson
in a straight-fron lthe-shOnIder state
ment which tells ne world:
1. Fiume in no c reunstanctss can be
awarded to Italy, but must serve as
the outlet and inle of the commerce
of Hungary, Bohen liza, Roumania and
the state of the nel Y Slavic gsOGp-in
other words, that it must be izterna-
tionaliZed.
2. That America md other nations
that entered the war after Itslly know
nothing and will kno " nothing Of the
secret Pact of Lond on or. any other
'private understand ngS" that pre-
vailed at the beginning of the war;
8. The IA points re the principles
for which America fought, and they
are the only principle upon which she
can make peace.
The Presidents sti ltement came as
a bombshell, but it cleared the atmos-
phere. 1t had the full backing Of Pre-
miers Lloyd George and Clemenceau.
Three days ago they read and ap-
proved it, M. Clemenceau emarking !:
admirable in every way. would not
change word"
| Italy must reveal whether her ulti-
matum was or was not bluff. If it
was she will give in, perhaps by grad
ual stages, but nevertheless give in.
If it was not, then her peace delegates
will announce IEaly's Withdrawal from
the conference and return to Rome
forthwith. The general feeling here
is that they will make good their
| threats and ''pull out"
But they may put the question to
\ a vote of the Italian Parliament, and
TN THIS procedure there is d faint ray
| of hope for an eventual amicable set
/ Element. 1t is held inconceivable that
! the Italian people as a whole would
allow their country to fall from the po-
sition of one of the five "Great Pow
ers" directing the League of Nations
to that of virtual 0utcast natlon-alI
for the sake of Fiume. The President
also contends that the strategic neces-
sity. pleaded in behalf of Italy's claim
to the Dalmatian Islands no longer
prevails, as the Austrian naval
menace has ceased to exist. When
Premier Orlando received President
Wilson's statement he Immediately
called full meeting of the italian del
egation. President Wilson's state
ment follows:
"In view of the capital Importance
of the questions affected, and in order
to throw all possible light upon what
is involved in their settlement, hope
the following statement will con-
tribute to the final formation Of opin-
ion to satisfactory solution:
"When Italy entered the war she
entered upon the basis of definite,
private understanding with Great
Britain and France, now known as the
Pact of London. Since that time the
whole face of circumstances has been
altered Many other Powers, great
and small, have entered the struggle
with no knowledge of that private un-
derstanding. The Austro- Hungarian
empire, then the enemy of Europe,
and at whose expense the Pact Of
London was to be kept in the event
of victory, has gone to pieces and no
longer exists. Not only that, the sew
eral parts of that empire, it now is
agreed by Italy and all her associates,
are to be erected into independent
states and associated in a League of
Nations, not with those who recently
were our enemies, but with Italy her.
self and the Powers that stood with
Italy in the great war for liberty
eve are to establish their liberty as
we'll as our own. They are to be
among the smaller states whose inter-
ests henceforth are to be safeguarded
scrupulously as the interests of the
most powerful states. The war was
ended, moreover by proposing to
Germany an armistice, and peace
which should be founded on certain
clearly defined principles which should
set up new order of right and jus
tice. Upon those principles the
peace with Germany has not only been
conceived, but formulated Upon
those principles it will be executed.
We can not ask the great body of
Powers to propose and effect peace
with Austria and establish new basis
of independence and right in the states
which originally constituted the Aus
tro-Hungarian empire and in the
states of the Balkan group on prin-
ciples of another kind.
1--WE must apply the same principles
to the settlement of Europe in those
| quarters that we applied in the peace
with Germany. 1t was upon the ex-
plicit avowal Of those principles that
Ae.I~