Evening star., 1919-09-23
PRESIDENT FEARED
F|UME SITUATION
|NCOVENANT DELAY
Mr.. Lawrence Says U. S.
Landing of Marines Would
Be for Effect.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


Special Dispatch to The Star.
EN- ROUTE TO SALT LAKE CITY,
Utah, September 23.-President Will
son has been kept constantly advised,
while travelling, of events in Europe
and has. of course, been given an ac-
count of the seizure Of Fiume by an
Italian force under D'Annunzio. Mr..
Wilson has made no specific mention
Of the incident in his speeches. but
he has in a. general way warned his
hearers against the disruption Of af-
fairs in southeastern Europe unless
the league OF nations were quickly
brought into being. He has expressed
the hope that a tragic confirmation of
his prediction would not result from
the delay.
Yet, inasmuch as peace has not been
formally declared. the supreme war
council still functions. And the land
ing of American marines in the Fiume
region would be compatible with pre-
vious American participations in Bal
kan operations.
Would Seek Moral Effect.
American destroyers co-operated
with the Italian navy in the Adriatic
and American troops once stood guard
at Fiume along with the troops of
other countries. The other powers
alone would have felt embarrassed
by an aloofness on the part of the
United States had she stood off while
D'Annunzio kept possession of the
port of Fiume, so the addition of a
small contingent of American ma
rjnes to the force which is demand
ing DAnnunzio's withdrawal can be
construed as largely for moral effect.
1t is not expected that any fighting
will be necessary to compel D'Annun-
zio's evacuation of Fiume, as the
forces of the associated powers are
sufficient to maintain a blockade that
can easily starve the recalcitrant Ital-
ians into submission.
Boycott Under League.
If the league of nations had been
in actual operation today. the gov
ernment of Italy would have been
connection with the D'Annunzio
movement. then it's aid along with
the naval forces of the other mem
bers Of the league would have been
invoked to establish an economic
boycott of the town. Similarly Jugo-
slavia would have been given such
assistance through other ports as was
necessary for her to maintain a con-
slant flow of supplies.
An economic pressure-not warts
expected to be the chief weapon in
compelling D'Annunzio to reconsider
his indiscretion. and thus would other
outcroppings of arbitrary force be
dealt with.
The President has encountered on
his travels the editorial in question
Why should America be concerned at
all in these clashes and confiicts-and
he has answered by declaring that
Just such a clash. just such friction
between races and peoples whose
rights the United States and the
larger powers had not taken into con-
ference for decision in 1914 led to the
assassination of the Austrian crown
prince and finally world war.
League Opponents View.
Those newspapers which are on the
other hand trying to give the i'm
preston that the league Of nations
means the constant patrol of all parts
of the world by American military
forces use the landing of American
marines near Fiume as they do the
occasional departure OF an American
transport carrying reinforcements to
Siberia as confirmation OF their argu-
ment.
The President referred only once
during his speech-making tour to
the American troops in Russia, de-
claring they were assisting to keep
food and necessaries of life intended
for the Russian people from falling
into the hands of brigands. Yet there
is on restriction on the German from
tier Of exports into Russia and one
Of the first problems which the league
Of nations must solve is the kind Of
barrier it means to erect between
Russia and the outside world, whether
it can compel the holding of an cleo
ton in Russia and accession Of mill
tary dictatorship by threatening eco
no1nic isolation or by giving more
assistance to the Kolchak govern
The President refers feelingly to
the plight Of Russia and has con-
demned, the rule of the bolsheviki
as minority rule. worse than czarism.
but he has not yet given an intima-
ton n. to how the league of nations
by it's Combined economy, il not mill
tary potentiality. will bring Russia
hack into the family Of nations. Pro-