Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-07-07
POWERS NO LONGER
ABLE TO Minimize
ALBANIA PROBLEM
Change From Old Group Of
Ungoverned Tribes to Ma
ton Is Marked.
BY HIRAM X. MODERWELL.
BY Cable to The Star and Chicago
Daily News. Copyright, 1920.

By CaDIe 10 Tne star ana Chicago
Daily News. Copyright, 1920.
ROME, July 6.-The present Alba
MAN question, which may come be-
fore the Spa conference and certain
ly must be solved by the powers with
in few months, is very different
from the Albanian question which
the powers played with in 1913.
Between then and now Albania has
changed from group OF ungovern-
ed tribes to nation with a national
ment of her own choosing, in spite
of weakness and inexperience. AL
bania has passed through the crisis
of evolution into national existence.
Italy's refusal to recognize this fact
has caused her the trouble culminat-
ing in the Avlona affair. The great
powers also will have serious trou
BILE if they, too. refuse to recognize
the new situation.
Tribal Organization.
The popular notion that A1banians
are primitive bandits, although it
once contained superficial truth. is
now essentially false. The Albanians
are an ancient people who were once
the tutofs of the Greeks. King
Pyrrhus was "a pure Albanian and
Alexander the Great was half an AL
bantam The race preserved its Ian
guage and culture in the mountains
against all the attacks of the Hell
lenes, Romans, Slavs and Turks, but
under the Turk government, or rather
complete lack of all government, the
people were forced to rule themselves
Hence they developed that system of
tribal organization with traditional
the Albanian social organization
seem so primitive. Nevertheless, this
organization is effective, and from
it has grown the present Albanian
government, with elected representa-
tives and parliamentary RESPONSE
bility.
In 1913 the Albanians threw off he
Turkish yoke. They never allowed
themselves to be ruled by the Prince
of Wied, whom the powers appoint
ed to be their king. They threw him
out in 1914 and rallied around Italy's
promise in 1917 that Albania should
be independent and undivided. When
they found that this promise could
not be relied upon they chased out
the Italians and the tribes sent rep
resentatives to the gathering which
in January, 1920, chose the present
'Tirana government, with a national
list program. The parliament is dem
ocratically chosen, the deputies being
elected by tribes instead of by con-
gressional districts.
Capable Men Called.
The new government called to Of
fee capable men. who Immediately
gained the confidence of all Alba
mans except special cliques, most Of
whom are paid by foreign powers.
The chief of these cliques was that
of Essad Pasha, who was in Serbian
pay. Essad's followers in April sur
rounded Tirana, the seat of the gov
eminent, and might have captured 1t
but for the spontaneous resistance
of the tribesmen. The government
parleyed for a month, meanwhile col
lecting what forces it could. When
ready these forces, under Bairam
Thur, attacked and completely de-
feated the followers of Essad Pasha,
capturing most of the leaders.
All other opposition promptly col
lapsed and thereupon organized Alba
nian military companies, trained by
Italy and France during the great
war, offered their services to the gov
eminent, which now has some 5000
men in the regular army, with $500
police and many thousands of others
willing to respond to call for spe-
cial services.