Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-08-12
Italy and Greece
Copyright la2oBy The Mcclure Now apapor syndicateJ
BY Frank II. Simonds

ference is that time has measureably
legalized claims and policies which re-
main morally mt variance with the prin-
cples proclaimed Mt Paris. And Italy re-
fuses to accept for herself regulations
which are rejected by her neighbors. 1t
France is to have Bixerta, Beirut, and all
the best of North Africa, that is to dom
mate i'm Syria and in the Barbary states,
If Britain is to hold Gibraltar, violating
Spaniah rights, Malta, clearly violat-
ing Italian rights, is to retain Cyprus,
which offends Greek patriotism MS much
as Rhodes, why should Italy be left outP
Moreover all of Italian claims, rocogniz-
ed when Italy entered the war; have been
thrown out by her friends, who once
sanctioned them She is denied the Adri-
attic settlement promised in the Treaty of
London. She is compelled to submit to
Greek occupation at Smyrna, promised
TO her She secs Greece expanding her
rule in portions of Asia Minor which were
awarded to Italy, she secs Jugo-Slay
claims in the Adriatic, which wreck her
hopfs hop 5os0 sD by % sn nes st sbe be
moment when France has successfully
occupied Aleppa and Damascus, in the
hinterland of SYRIA She secs Britain SUI
in her determination to hold hcsopotamia,
Palestine and the Arabian coast, as well as
Egypt.
The result is that Italy has seized upon
the opportunity provided by the arrival
of the moment when the Turkish Treaty
is to be signed, to register her 10 protest.
She has repudlated her agreement to give
UP the Dodecanesus, because she has not
obtained Symrna, as was promised and the
Greeks have not only occupied that town
but very wide areas in Asia Minor, in
addition. She has repudiated her agree
ment with the Greeks in the matter of
Northern Eprus, because the Albanian
rebellion has supplied her with the OPP
portunity, while retiring herself, as she is
forced to do, to bequeath q quarrel TO
her Greek rivals.
From the Italian point of view the ez-
pansion of Greece has become grave
problem. A really great Greece means the
death of all Italian hopes IN the Near East
and a challenge along the Albanian coast
And Greece is rapidly becoming q con-
siderable nation. Backed by the British
she is no longer negligible. She has oc-
cupied Salonica, Adrlanople and SMYRNA,
in recent times The arrival at Coustan-
tinoplc III brief period is already for
cast DN ETeUtn as wen as ltAilAn otlSeT-
vers. who see British policy thus outlined
Nitti perferred TO sacrifice Italian hopes
of territorial expansion for the solid ad-
vantage of British friendship expressed in
coal and iron. But Nitti is gone. Giolltti
has returned and Italian policy has taken
a new turn.
The worst of the new crisis in Allied
relations arises from the fact that it comes
AZ the moment when the Russian sittfaflon
Is more serious than at any moment since |
the Armistice 4 division between the |
three great powers now may mean paralv- |
Sis in the face of the RolShevist peril I
And Italy is IN a position to bargain again. |
to demand that she receive certain ad |
in return for adhesion 10 the |
common policy against the Russians |
Moreover she has seized her opportunity /
This is the real meaning Of the CIR CO.
italian crisis over tho signing Of the Turk |
sh Treaty This IS its real Significance at |
Dne Of the gravest moments IN recent T
European history.