The Washington herald., 1920-02-27
Text of Adriatic
Note by Wilson

The text of President Wilson's
note of February "a follows:
The joint memorandum of Feb
! ruary II of the Prime Ministers of
France and Great Britain has re-
ceived the careful and earnest con-
sideration of the President. lie has
no desire whatever to criticize the
attitude of the governments of
/ France and Great Britain concern
! ing the Adriatic settlement, but feels
that in the present circumstances
he has no choice but to maintain
the position he has all along taken
as regards that settlement. He be-
Iieyes il to be the central principle
fought for in the war that no govern
ment or group of governments has
the right to dispose of the terri
tory or TO determine the political
tall.giance of any. free people. .3>
The five great powers, though the
government of the United States
! constitutes one of them, have in his
I conviction no more right than had
the Austrian government to dispose
of the free Jugo-Slavic peoples
without the free consent and CO.
operation of those peoples. The
/ Presidents position is that the
powers associated against Germany
gave final and irrefutable proof of
their sincerity in the war by writ
! ing into the Treaty of Versailles
Article Ten of the covenant of the
league of nations which constitutes
an assurance that all the great
powers have done what they have
compelled Germany to do-have for
gone all territorial aggression and
all interference with the free poll
tical self Differentiation of the peo-
pies of the world.
War to Clear Clouds.
With this principle lived up to,
permanent peace is secured and the
supreme object of the recent con-
fiict has been achieved. Justice and
self determination have been sub
stituted for aggression and politI-
ical dictation. Without it. there is
no security for any nation that
!conscientiously adheres to a nom
tmilitaristic policy. The object of
ne war, as the government of the
United States understands il, was
Ito free Europe from that cloud of
anxiety which had hung over it for
generations because of the oSn-
stant threat of the use of military
force by one of the most powerful
governments of the continent. and
the President feels it important to
say again that in the opinion of
the American government the terms
iof the peace settlement must con-
'tinue to be formulated upon the
basis of the principles for which
America entered the war. 1t is in
a spirit of cooperation, therefore,
and of desire for mutual under
standing that the President reviews
the various considerations which
lthe French and British prime min
listers have emphasized in their
memorandum of February II. He
lis copfident that they will not mis-
take his motives in undertaking to
make plain what he feels to be the
necessary conclusions from their
statements.
Jugo-SIavs Not Consulted.
The President notes that the OBJ
jections of the Italians and Jugo-
Slavs were made the basis for dis
carding the project of the Free
State of Fiume. 1t would seem to
follow therefore, that the joint
consent of these two powers should
have been required for the substi-
tute project. The consent of Italy
has been obtained. He does not
find, however, that the Jugo- -Slavs
have also expressed a Willingness to
accept the substitute plan. Are
they to be required now to accept a
proposal which is more unsatisfac-
tory because they have raised OBJ
jections to the solution proposed by
the British. French, and American
government in the memorandum OF
December 8? The President would,
of course. make no objection to .
settlement mutually agreeable to
Italy and Jugo-Slavia regarding
their common frontier in the Fiume
region, provided that such an agree
ment is not made on the basis of
conversations elsewhere at the ex-
pense OF nationals of third power.
His willingness to accept such pro-
posed Joint agreement of Italy and
Jugo-Slavia is based on the fact
that only their own nationals are
involved. In consequence the re-
suits of direct negotiations OF the
two interested powers would fall
CONTINUED on PAGE THREE