The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-02-27


 when Under Secretary Polk returned to Washington.
 They replied they felt practically every important point of the joint m memorandum of December 3 remained untouched" and added that 'only two features undergo alterations and both these arc to the advantage of Jugo- Slavia-"
 The British and French premiers argued that the disappearance of the free state of Plume would reunits 100000 Jugo- -Slavs with their father land and that the Albanian settlement was such as to afford satisfaction "to the necessary requirements to all par ties concerned"
 They characterized as a fair settle ment of "a difficult and dangerous question" and that in the event of it's not being accepted they would be driven to support the enforcement of the treaty of London. which is satis- factory to nobody"
 NO DISCOURTESIES INTENDED
 Both premiers disclaim any intent to show the slightest discourtesy to the United States or that they wished to conceal their action in any way" As President Wilson was not at the conference, they said, they thought the best plan was to proceed with the ne- gotiations and communicate the re- suits to the United States.
 President Wilson's reply of Febru- ary 10 said he could not believe that solution containing provisions which already had received the well-merited condemnation of the French and Brit ish governments (referring to the set clement of December 9) can in any sense be regarded as right" He could not agree that the memorandum of January 14 left untouched practically every important point as argued by the British and French premiers and declared his opinion that the original proposal had been profoundly altered to the advantage of improper Italian objectives, to the serious injury of the Jugo-Slav people, and to the peril of world peace" The fact that Italy re- jected the proposal of December and accepted that of January 14, the Presi- dent thought, was proof that Italy would receive very positive adyan- tages.'
 PUTS PLUME UNDER ITALY President Wilson pointed out that while the British and French goyerh- ments in the agreement of December concurred in the view that a corridor for Plume ran Counter to every con sideration of geography. economies and territorial convenience," they agreed to it by memorandum of Janu- ary 14 and tlsat whereas Italy's de- mand for the annexation of all Austria had been rejected in the former agree ment "on the solid ground that neither strategic nor economic considerations could justify such annexation" the agreement of January IA provided for this unjust and inexpedient annexa- tion of all Istria,"
 President Wilson's note said that whereas the agreement of December excluded every form of Italian sov- ereignty over Plume he could not avoid the conclusion" that the agree ment of January 14 "opens the way for Italian control of Fumes foreign affairs"
 The President said he felt the orig inal agreement gave proper protec- tion to the railway connecting Plume with the interior, but that the agree ment of January IA established Italy in dominating military positions close to the railway at number of critical polntsSss The new agreement, his note said, partitions the Albanian people among three different alien powers" while the original agreement pre- served its unity lin large measure"
 All these provisions, said the Presi- dents note. negotiated without the knowledge or approval of the Ameri- can government" changed the whole face of the whole Adriatic settlement and in the eyes of this government. render it unavoidable and rob it of that measure of justice which is es- sentia1 if this government is to CO., operate in maintaining it's terms"
 That the Jugo-Slavs might feel forced to accept it rather than the treaty of Lcndon, the President said, would not alter the conviction of this Government that it cannot give its assent to set tlement which both in the terms of it's provisions and in the methods of It's en forcement constitutes a positive denial of the principles for which America entered the war"
 'Itaiys unjust demands" said ehe Presidents note, had been condemrAd by the French and British governments in terms no less severe than those em- ployed by the American government. While there is thus substantial agree ment as to the injustice and inexperience of Italy's claims there is difference of opinion as to how firmly Italy's friends should resist her importunate demands for alien territories to which she can pre- sent no valid title"
 The American government, the Presi- dents note said. feels that 1t cannot sacrifice the principles for which it en-
  bitions of one of its associates, Or to purchase a temporary appearance of calm in the Adriatic at the price of a fu- ture world conflagration. It Is unwilling to recognize either an unjust settlement based on . secret treaty. the terms of which are inconsistent with the now world condition, or any unjust settlement ar rived at by employing that secret treaty as an instrument of coercion. The Adriatic issue as it now presents itself raises the fundamental question as to whether the American government can on any terms cooperate with it's European associates in the great work of maintain ing the peace of the world by removing the primary causes of war. If substantial agreemnt on what is just and reasonable is not to determine interna- tional issues. if the country possessing mands rather than the country armed with just cause is to gain the support of the powers: If forcible seizure of oov-- eted areas is to be permitted and con- doned and is to receive ultimate justin- cation by creating a situation so difficult that decision favorable to the aggressor is deemed a practical necessity; if denb- erately melted ambition is, under the name of national sentiment to be re- warded at the expense of the small and weak; if. in a word, the old order of things which brought so many evils on the world Is still to prevail then the time is not yet come when this government can entertain concert of powers the very existence of which must depend upon a new spirit and . new order"
 The Presidsnt wound up his note bg