Evening star., 1919-03-18

Couiu De run from the coast to the |
hinterland-just as one now taps Bos-
MA from Ragusa-but the building Of
each would be an engineering feat
comparable to that of the Denver |
and Rio Grande. They would be cost
ly TO build and extravagant to operate.
City Italian; Hinterland Slav.
Trieste and Fiume are each in touch
with the country behind by roads
winch winch are not impossible of grade.
Trieste may be fairly claimed as an
Italian city in population. 1t is Ger
fanny fanny more than one-half Italian.
though it is equally true that the him
terland is wholly Slav. One hardly
mas an Italian outside the city limits.
the Slavs dispute this. They are will
ling to rest their claims on a plebis-
cite.
To solve the difficulty the Jugo-
slavs seem ready. though not willing,
to assign Trieste to the Italians on
condition that they retain possession
Of Fiume. They do not concede that
this would be righteous solu-
ton: They only say that it would
avoid trouble But the Italians have
refused to accept this compromise AL
though do not know that they have
stated the reason for the refusal. it
| Is perfectly apparent. If Fiume were
to be in Jugoslav hands it would
stffie Trieste as a seaport. The Slavs
would naturally use their own port
and the whole trade of either city is
with Slavs.
Other Ports Barred by Alps.
| South Of Fiume on the Dalmatian
coast are several ports The harbors
are magnificent, with deep water right
up to the shore. but they are barred
on by the Alps. 1t is possible to reach
Sarajevo. the Bosnian capital. from
Spalato. but the grade is very diff
cult one. A tiny road crawls up the
hills to Mostar from Ragusa, but
freight costs would be almost pro-
hibitive. Zara, which has a fine har-
Dor. has no rail connection at all, nor
has Cattaro. A road runs from ST.
benico to the Bosnian frontier. but the
mian coast Trieste has a good road
on a good grade to the Slovenian him
terland. There is a port at Albona
but no railroad
| Hence the insistence Of the JuRo-
slavs that they be permitted free ac-
cess to the sea through the port of
Fiume. at least 1t has been assumed
by them that they will be given the
Dalmatian coast, or, roughly speak
ing. from Fiurne south to Cattaro the
port which serves Montenegro. They
make the point that they are entitled
] " SAAAo NhOC1 Z 1IcSiucHL " llSOn'S lOuY-
| teen points. 1t can hardly be seri-
ously denied that this coast is almost
wholly Slav-the best informed estf-
mate the Slavs at from 80 to 81 Der
cent of the population-andi is, there
fore. theirs according to the principle
OF the self-determination Of the small
| er peoples.
Anege Military Necessity.
The Italian claim is based wholly
on an alleged military necessity. It
Is true that they also put in a claim
on historical grounds, as both Venice
and Rome at various times held this
post-Venice and Rome held as con-
| querors of the Slav population, the
Slavs say. The Italians also lay stress
on the Italian character Of the popu-
lation Of Trieste. Ffume and lara. But
| their chief contention is that Of mill
| tary necessity.
| ''On our side of the Adriatic we
| have no ports that can be defended"
| they truthfully say. I'VE must have
| the Dalmatian coast as a protection
against future aggression. But back
| OF the coast lies the Dinaric Alps
An enemy which holds the Alpine
submits would have the Dalmatian
ports in his power. We must have
! the Alps as we'll"
VIII Give Guarantees.
! There Is no apparent desire on the
part OF the Slavs to set up a mill
taristic state. Their reply to the
italian claim is that:
| II we do not organize a navy the
possession Of the Alps and the ports
Will not endanger Italy. We are will
ing to give any guarantees the peace
| conference may ask of u.s."
nation of 10000. 900 people, most
| 1y farmers and exhausted by war, is
hardly in position to challenge
Italian sea supremacy in the Adriatic,
they say. They make the further
point that Italy is neither financially
! nor politically At to embark upon such
an ambitious project as the possession
Of the Dalmatian coast would logi-