Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-03-05
Tho Countcr.Proposals

II HE most significant circumstance re-
garding the supreme councils latest
note, as outlined in the London dispatches,
is the very evident desire of the allied Pre-
miers TO play for time. They do not wish
to force issues with Mr.. Wilson just yet
They do not feel that it Is advisable to give
MN an excuse for Withdrawing the treaty
OF peace from the Senate. They want to
stave OFT decisive action. Therefore, they
nave adopted an attitude of temporizing if
not one of actual compromise It seems
highly probable that this note will have the
effect of preventing precipitate action on the
part OF the President. With counter-pro-
posals. before him, to which he must make
some definite answer. he will scarcely allow
himself TO be hurried into CARRYING out any
drastic plans which may have turned over
Ill MS mind. To that extent, therefore, it
appears that the tension has been relieved.
However that may be, the Adriatc prob
lem has been definitely passed back to the
President. He is invited first, to bring Italy
ana Jugo-Siavia into accord upon settle
ment of the difficult question The Premiers
seize upon that as one OF the processes which
may be applied to the situation. The Presi-
dent himself had suggested that he might
DC able to approve of a settlement which
would prove acceptable to the two nations
most interested. provided it did not infringe
upon the manifest rights of any third nation
rev public officials believe for a minute
that ii will be possible to bring Italy and
Jugo-SlaVia into such agreement even
with the President exercising all his in
f1uence to that end. If there were any COM
mon ground upon which these two coun-
tries might stand it would no doubt have
pcen discovered months ago. For more than
year the controversy has been wagcd be-
tween them Their friends have interviewed
again and again in an effort to bring them
together and always with failure as the re-
SUIT IL failure comes again, seems in
evitnble, then tho Premiers propose that
they join with the President in working out
solution which will be summariy imposed
upon the two nations.
The whole burden of the allied reply
therefore, is shifting Of the ultimate de-
cision back to Mr. Wilson. 1t remains to
be seen whether or not he accepts the role
which it is proposed that he play. Some of
his closest advisers seem to be of the opinion
that he will fatty decline to carry out the
suggestions which have been made This
CONVICTION is based on the fact that the Presi-
dent already has taken his stand upon the
JOINT memorandum of December g. to which
Great Britain, France and the United States
subscribed. This memorandum cmbodies
the solution which appeared at that time
10 meet the issues involved. Nothing has
changed in the meanwhile to alter it's terms
Flume is exactly where it was then. The
mixed population of lower Istria is still mixed
in the same proportions and Jugo-Slayia is
still without an Adriatic port
knowing, he must that an agreement
between the Italians and the Slavs is i'm
possible, and that it would be q waste of,
TIME to strive i'll that direction, he might
conceiVably demand that the allied Premiers
adnere to their original agreement or else
say frankly that they have repudiated it,