Evening journal., 1919-04-14

The dispatches from Paris indicate
that the Dalmatian question Sill come
up for settlement in The next Few days.
1t viii be interesting TO rehearse o few
timely facts about Delmatia in the pres
ent discussion Of the terms Of peace.
Dalmatia is an Adriatic territory and
as such belongs to the orchydrographic
system Of Italy.
Throughout the innumerable islands
OF It's archipelago 10 displays the same
geological and morphological features
as Italy. It is clearly divided from the
Balkan peninsula by a high chain Of
mountains almost everywhere rising
above 1900 meters.
The studies made by Prof. Danielli Of
Florence, on the flora and fauna Of
Dalmatla show that the Dinaric Alps di-
vide two very different regions, one Of
which. Dalmatia, preserves all the
characteristics Of the Italian lands.
Dalmatia, cut OF from the Balkans
by the mountains, is Joined to Italy by
the sea, and some particulars, studied
with great interest by biologists, lead
TO the suppOstion that the Adriatic,
before IL became a sea, was a continu-
alton OF the Paduan plain. Even now
the Adriatic seems less like a sea than
a great lake within the territory which
IS bound to the east by The Julian and
the Dinaric Alps and to che west by
the Apennines.
Peopled by lllyrians, with some Greek
colonies on the sea coast, Dalmatia was
Roman from the second century b. G.
until the fail OF the Western Empire.
-Four Roman Emperors were Dalmatian,
amongst whom was DiOcletian, founder
OF Spalato.
On the fall of Rome 10 was in Dali
malta that the Western Empire still
survived for some decades.
The Dalmatian cities, prosperous
Latin communities, governed themselves
freely even after the fall Of Rome, obey
ing their own laws and statutes which
were purely. ltalo-Roman In character.
untainted by German barbarlc feudal-
ism. At flrst they were under the pro-
lection OF the Roman Empire of the
East, and subsequently they became in /
dependent republics, following the eX-
ample Of the free Italian communes. In /
ii09 they passed definitely under the /
Venetian rule, which retained suzer- /
aintly over them until 1891, though |
they always retained their municipal
autonomy. Like Rome, Venice con-
quered Dalmatia, determined thereto
by the absolute necessity Of command
ing the Adriatic, a command essential
10 the life Of Italy.
Toward the year 1000 small Slav prin-
cipalities arose in the inland part Of
Dalmatia; their rule however never ex-
tended 10 the coast town, which always
remained free and Italian. Indeed these
Snsigniflcant Slayonlo lordships soon 4
became Italian, so that Venice was able
10 assume undisputed rul0 over the
whole Of Dalmatia.
In 1855 Dalmatia came under Aus
trian rule as having formed part OF
the Kingdom Of Italy OF Napoleon I.
The French treated Dalmatla as ltal-
ian territory even when they united II
10 the brief-lived Illyrian provinces.
Austria respected the Italian charac-
Ter of Dalmatla until 1866; but after
the Moss Of Lombardy and Nenetia a
policy was adopted which aimed at fos-
fering The Croatian element I'm this re-
gion. Little by little, by means Of un-
heard OF violence and fraud, the mu-
Of the Dalmatlan cities,
which had been italian for centuries,
1assed into the hands Of the Slavs.
Dalmatia. like Fiume, has been Cath .
'lic ever since the days Of the Apos- n
les. The members Of the Orthodox E
,hurch In Dalmatla are about 10000. a
lmost all decendents OF fugitives who Il
ettled at Cattaro or on the Bosnian il
ronties, driven there by the Ottoman Il
rmies. 81
Dalmatian civilization IS solely and
xclusively Latin and Italian. The east
I'm Balcanic civilization begins on the
urther side Of the Dinaric watershed,
which forms the natural frontier be-
tween the Balkans and Dalmatia.
The contribution which Dalmatia has
IN all times given TO the Italian moth