Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-11-29
EUROPE APPEARS
ON EDGE OF WAR
Italian Aggression in Case of
DaImatia Would Surely
Lead to Hosti|ities.
BY FRANK II. sIMONDs.

ventures of D'AnnunZio it must be
clear to the whole world that Europe
is on the edge of another war.
Up to the present moment the Jugo-
SlaVS have remained passive in the
face of provocations. which, to say
the least. would have excused armed
resistance, but further Italian ag-
gressions, any attempt to seize the
whole of Dalmatia, will inevitably
lead to hostilities.
Whatever the merits of the Fiume
discussion, the case of Dalmatia ad-
mits of no debate. In a population of
nearly 700. 900 the Italians of Dalmatia
count for less than 10000. Outside of
the single town of lara they are
hopeless and unpopular minority. me
desire of the people is overwhelming
in favor of union with the new Jugo-
slav state, and Dalmatians and south
ern slavs generally are bound to
fight if any further attempt is made
by D'AnnunZio to extend Italian oc-
cupation.
As usual in any Balkan affair, there
are many complications to be faced
in the matter of Dalmatia. Thus II
the Italians continue their present
policy the first step will be war pc
ween Jugoslavia and italI :. o ottac Ks
upon Jugoslavia by both the Bull
garians and the Rumanians, who nave
heen acting more or less in ACCORD
with the Italians in recent weeks.
Decline to Accept Decision.
Between the Jugoslavs and the Ru.
manians the issue is the possession OF
the old Hungarian province OF tne
the recent peace treaties, was as
signed to the Serbs, that is, to the new
Jueoslav state. The Rumanlans nave
declined to accept this decfsion' anu
have modified troops with the pur-
nose of invading the Banat. the out
break of hostilities between the Jugo-
sIavs and the Italians would be the
signal for the RumanianS to carry out
their threats. -,
AS. for the Bulgarians, they have al
ready attacked the Serbs Twice IN "a q
vain endeavor to gain possession or
Macedonia. To their old grievance the
latest treaty of peace had added ne"
vitality by ceding to the Jusoslatts
small but important territories on TN.
old Serbo-Bulgarian frontier: If Serb
troops were recalled to defend the
Banat and to oppose the ltallans
new Bulgar invasion of Macedonia
would be well nigh inevitable.
Relies on Assistance.
. Italy relies upon Bulgar and Ru-
manian assistance and also upon a
certain amount of separatlst sentl-
ment in Montenegro and in Croatia'
But despite all the handicaps under
which the Serbs would labor, it is by
no means certain that the ltaHans
would not be subjected to long and
costly campaign and to an INDEFINITE
period of guerrilla warfare.
One thing is patent, all the southern
Slavs, Serbs, Slovenians and Croats
would prefer a new war with all It's
sacrifices to annexation to Italy In
this spirit they will resist DAnnunZio
and the country on the eastern shore
of the Adriatic is admirably adapteo
to guerrilla fighting. Nor is 1t oy any
means certain that the southern SlaVs
might not ultimately derive aid from
the Austrian Germans, portion OF
whose territory, together with quar-
ter of a million of German-speaking
Tyrolese, have been included within
Italian frontiers against their Will
and protest -.
Finally, Italy is faced with the prac-
tical certainty of a rising in Albania.
where italian troops have occupied
large areas against the will OF the
people, Again and again protests
have come from Albanian against
Italian domination. A rising In Al
cult to resist than in Dalmatia, while
the Albanians themselves have been
famous for nearly twenty centuries as
guerrilla fighters.
Attitude Toward Italians.
At the present hour the Greeks, as
result Of Italian tactics in Epirus. the
Aegean and Asia Minor, the southern
Slavs and the Albanians. as well as
the Austrian Germans;' ha.e ho ,mr
when they can regain their freedom
or liberate portions of their race now
held by Italy.
And the Italians position is hardly
more attractive than that OF tne
southern Slav. If Italy were forced or
pushed into a war with the southern
Slays at moment when she faces the
probability of revolt IN Albania ana
an attack in Asia Minor by the Turks
whose territories she has recently oc-
cupied, there is at least sound reason
for doubling the ability of her eco
nomic and political structure to resist
the strain which would result.
A war between the southern Slavs
and the Italians would not be ter
minated by single swift campaign,
nor would Italian occupation of por-
ton of the Slav territory bring about
a settlement. The Serbs carried on
their resistance to the Turks for four
centuries after kossove enabled the
Turks to overrun their territories
Given critical domestic situation OF
Italy, given the strain placed upon her
by the Turkish war and even more by
the world war, given the present domes-
tic unrest and economic and social1stlc
agitation, the prospect of another long
L,
rifice and cost by effort after the war
itself had ensued in a military occupa-
ton, might easily lead to internal revo-
luton.
Best Hope for Italy.
The best thing friends of Italy can
hope for is that the government will be
| able to regain control Of the situation
and restrain DAnnunzio and his fellow
Adventures. Had their operations end
ed at Fiume, a solution of the problems
might have been found. and in all the
countries allied with Italy there was
and there still remains a measure OF
sympathy for the Fiume claim But
if Italy follows D'Annunzio into a Dali
matian campaign there will be little
sympathy and less support for Italy
anywhere, least of all in the United
States.
Given the present situation, however,
| the prospect of peaceful accommodation
seems remote in the extreme. When Car
| ibaIdi went on his immortal adventures
there was Cavour to call halt at the
right moment The lack of a .Cavour
today may cost Italy as much AS the
absence Of a Bismarck has cost Ger