The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1920-12-29
D'ANNUNzIO
SURRENDERS
HIS POWERS
All Military Operations Sus-
pended-Truce Arranged
During Night-Poet Leader
Ignored in Conference.
HOST|LITIES CEASE
tBy Associated Press)

tbS AssOclaIeo freSSD
F1UME, Dec. 29.-GabrieI Dan
nunzio early today surrendered all his
power to the Ffume communal coun-
Gil,
General Caviglia, commander of
the regular Italian forces will arrange
the conditions with a delegation of
the council today.
conference for the purpose of ar
ranging the final cessation Of hostil-
tiles between the regular Italian
forces of General Caviglia and Dan
nunzio legionaries was set for this
morning. All military operations have
been suspended.
The truce was arranged during the
night and will continue until the con-
clusion of the conference Mayor
Ricardo Gigantic of Fiume, and Cap
tain Hostwenturi, in whose hands
D'Annunizo placed the defense of the
city. will be the spokesmen for Fiume,
D'Annunzio being apparently ignored.
ROME, Dec. 29.-D'Annunzio legion
aries at Fiume set fire to a powder
magazine in the Recina valley, south
west of the city, according to a re-
port from R. Abbazia. The explos-
ion which occurred toward midnight,
Fiume to the east, and great clouds
of black smoke rolled down over the
city. In some quarters the belief was
expressed that a petroleum refinery
near the powder magazine also had
been set on fire.
The fiercest fighting occurred west
of Fiume, where Alpini advancing
from Castra, reached the public gar
dens. When they had forced their
way that far they found the houses
surrounding the gardens had been
transformed into machine gun nests,
from which terrific fire was poured
upon them.
Continue Struggle.
An armored car advanced against
the regulars and infliced heavy losses,
the Alpini throwing themselves on the
ground and continuing the struggle
for sometime. Major Dambara, in
command of the Alpini rode through
the gardens on horseback, and rushed
toward the car. but was wounded
twice and his horse shot dead.
When the fire ceased, Major Dam
bara was able to struggle toward the
car, and upon entering it, found three
dead legionaries and two seriously
wounded commissioned officers.
The majority of the wounded were
struck by machine gun bullets or
splinters of hand grenades. They say
the regular troops were ordered not
to fire unless absolutely obliged to
do so. while the legionaries took every
advantage to inflict the heaviest pos
sible losses upon their assailants.
Seizure of the port of Fiume in Sep
tmeber, 1919, by Gabrielle D'Annunzio,
Italian poet warrior, at the head of
5000 volunteer grenadiers and arditi
was the dramatic climax to a contro-
versy reaching back to the Treaty of
London, concluded in the Spring of
1915 between Italy and the Allied pow
ers, under which Italy entered the
war against the Central Powers.
The treaty assigned the part of Ty-
rol south OF the Brenner Pass, as well
as Trieste, Gorilla, Istria and a Sec
tion of the Dalmatian literal to Italy,
but. gave Fiume, the seaport of Hun
gary, to Croatia. When the war end
ed, Italian nationalists, including
D'Annunzio demanded that Fiume,
with its preponderant Italian popula-
tion, should be given to Italy, an act
that would have required the revision
of the Treaty of London. The Hal-
ians, however, invoked the principle
of "Self-determination" enunciated by
President Wilson and pointed to the
fact that the population of Fiume, up
on the dissolution of the Austro-Hun-
garian Empire, had proclaimed
through their National Council, the
union of Fiume with Italy.
Opposes Claim.
Croatia, now a part of Jugo-Slavia,
opposed the claim on the ground that
Sussak, an important suburb of Fiume
and part of the city itself, was over
whelmingly Jugo-Slav. In addition the
Croatians charged that. whereas Italy
already had an excess of valuable
ports. their country and the adjoining
lands needed Fiume as their only out
let to the sea. This position won the
support of President Wilson who was
subsequently denounced by D'Annun-
zio and his sympathizers as "the only
obstacle to the realization of Italy's
aspirations. President Wilson's view,
however, was shared by the British
and French.
Back by Italian public opinion, the
Italian delegation to the Paris Peace
conference, headed by Premier Orlan-
do and Foreign Minister Sonnino re-
fused to yield Italy's claims. In April,
1919. the crisis came to head when
President Wilson threatened to with
draw from the conference. He issued
a public statement sustaining the pact
of London insofar as it related to
Fiume. Receipts of the document in
Italy precipitated numerous anti-Wil-
son outbreaks in which D'Annunzio
took leading part. Meanwhile, Or
lando and Sonnino quit the Paris con-
ference and returned to Rome where
they were received with wild acclaim
by the people. The Italian Chamber
of Deputies adopted a vote of conf
dence in the Orlando ministry. Later,
however, the two statesmen returned
to Paris at the invitation of their col
leagues and participated in the nego-
tiations and the signing of the Aus
trian peace treaty.
Defeats Ministry.
Failure to reach a satisfactory solu-
tion of the Fiume embroglio, however,