The Washington herald., 1920-02-19
ALLIES REPLY
: LEAVES SCOPE.
FOR PARLEYINC
CONTINUED PROM PAGE osa.

SVNttNtED ThVA fAtE oN6
lead and abide by the white House
decision. Unlike the Italians they
were favorable to the Anglo-Franco-
American proposition. But the
Presidents attitude will not be go
fayorably received in Italy and Pre-.
, mier Nitti has rough seas before
him.
I In fact 1t is not improbable that
the Italian parliamentary Socialists
Will try to take every political ad-
vantage Of the present situation.
However, their attempts to over
throw the Nitti government would
have to calculate with Italy's Cath
olic party. The tendencies of the
Catholic deputies would be to sup
port Nitti. who IL persona grsta 10
the Vatican. The fears of the ItaI-
ian premier are clearly EXPRESSED
in his irsistence that final DISPOSE
tion of the Fiume problem be made
Immediately.
DAnnsnzie SIN Factor.
There is a wide spread tendency
to believe that dAnnunzio has tired
If his own dramaties and Fiume
has wearied OF dAnnunzio. How
ever. Italy's internal politics and
Italian Psychology can make a
question of such optimism.
Allied and American diplomacy
has had to reckon with the poet
warrior before, and will have to
reckon with him again. His recent
capture of an Italian transport
oh haN n L. Ca frfar
being a: corpse. In the past dan
nunEian oratory has generally been
a sweeping force. and IL is by no
| means impossible t.tst It's new en-
ployment might start bis followers
even to "a conquest of new worlds"
Only d'Annunzio's exploit pre-
vented the Fiume problem from be-
ing settled last August on the lines
OF the Tittoni agreement. The poet
warrior has been the real stumbling
block TO IN Adriatic settlement ever
since. it is generally thought. His
dramatic capture of Fiume and the
subsequent near-mutiny in the Itsl
Ian army and navy against the 1tal-
ian government made the August
decision of the allies impossible of
execution. In fact. the d'Annunzio
Anglo Franco American agreement
OF December. I'm which former Pre-
mier Clemenceau figured for France.
| Sir Eric Crewe for England and
Frank Polk. present Acting secre-
! tary OF state, for America.
Will Establish Precedent.
The outcome OF the present crisis
between the allies and America will
tend to establish a precedent. in
luencing allied policy in the future.
The fact that America. under the
league OF nations. could be called
upon to guarantee territorial ad-
justments. not only under the Ger
man and Bulgarian treaties. but
also under the Austrian, Hungarian
and Turkish treaties. can have far
reaching consequences.
There were rumors about Washing
ton last night that a new peace con-
ference might even possibly be called
to frame the Turkish treaty. To
such a conference America might
even he invited by the allies 10 send
II plenipotentiaIy. Carriers or such
rumors saw possibility of such an
allied Invitation. not only in the ter
ritoTials ambitions of the allies in
Volved in the Turkish settlements. but
also in Americas well-known inter-
est in the tragic lot of the Ar
menisns.
There is every reason to believe that
the United States. with the ratifica
tion of the treaty of Versailles. would
refuse 10 accept mandate over Ar
menia. Washington officialdom gen.
orally agrees that there is an efiec-
tive public sentiment i'm America
against the acceptance of mandate
anywhere. However. the American
delegates 10 the international Red
Cross Convention at Geneva are said
TO be pressing anew for an Armenian
mandate. out OF humane considera-
tions alone.
JOHN HEARLEY.