Evening journal., 1920-03-06

sonal Importance. The peace OF tn
world seems 20 hinge on It's proper so
ltlon.
aaly Traditional Friend of America
The recent exchange Of notes betweel
our President and the Allies who hav
aligned themselves with Italy In thi
controversy, has raised the question
whether we are Justified In casting thl
weight Of our influence in favor Of th'
JugO-Slavs, who have been double
traitors, traitors 70 their blood wheI
they fought for Austria and traitors 4
Austria when they surrendered 10 gain
an advantage over their nelghbOrs, a.
against Italy who fought faithfully fol
the cause OF democracy.
TraditiOnally Italy has been friendl!
10 the United States as evidenced by I
letter which our great Abraham Lincoln
wrote to the Italian minister Berti
natti, on July 23. 1864. The letter fol
lows
Il am free TO confess that the
United States have, lin the course Of
the last three years. encountered
vicissitudes and been involved In
controversies which have tried the
friendship and even the forebear-
stage in this unhappy fraternal war
in which we are now endeavOring
10 save and strengthen the fOunda-
tions Of our national duty has the
king or the people OF Italy faltered
in addressing to us the language OF
respect. confidence and friendship.
Il pray God to have your country
in His holy keeping, and 10 youch-
safe to crown with success her
noble aspirations, to renew, under
the auspices Of her present enlight-
ened government, her ancient ca
reer, so wonderfully illustrated In
the achievement Of art, science and
freedom"
The Italian people and press in these
trying days fail TO comprehend why
they are not addressed "ln the Ian
guage Of respect" why their freedom OF
auto-decislon is denied and the treaty
0f London treated as scrap OF pa
per-" They fail TO see why national
geographical boundaries are negligible
and why past history does not count at
all. They fail 10 see the justice OF the
threat to withhold all supplies, flnan-
cial and material, II their views based
on~hist0ry, geography, ethnography and
military necessity do not coincide with
our President.
a candid and impartial examination
OF the controversial points shows that
Italy's claims are based on justice, pure
and simple.
Italia Irredenta has been for years as
dear 10 Italy as Alasace-LOrraine 10
France. 10 is true that there is a mix
ture OF peoples in Istria and Dalmatia
But historically and culturally both
provinces belong 20 italy. The Latin
tradition has persisted in spite Of the
invasion Of the Slav element Today,
n the Italian population were removed,
Trieste, Fiume, Begusa and the other
towns Of the seabOard would be mere
shells Of their ancient substance. Nor
should 10 be forgotten that the pros
perity they enjoyed before the war was
almost wholly due 20 their Italian in
habitants. Little or nothing had been
done by the Slavs for their growth in
commerce and the arts. And their future
prosperity depends upon the possession
Of them by Italy. Even II the Slav ele-
ment was predominant In the more set
tied and cultivated communities, that
would stlll be true.
The figures show the justice OF the
Italian claim. II we take Fiume, Trieste
and Istria, geographically a single
province. what do we find? A conser-
vative estimate gives half a million
Italians 10 $4,000 Croats and Slovaks,
many OF the latter immigrants OF recent
date. Even IN Dalmasia where the
Slav element is much larger. there are
POO 900 Italians, and the only Dalmatians
who do not read and speak Italian are
the illiterates.
While it is only just that racial ques-
tions have great weight in determining
the boundaries Of the newly-freed small
nations. they are frequently compli-
Gated with other questions equally i'm
portant There will be Germans in
new Poland, for example. and Maygars
q the new Rumania. JugO-Slavia can
be amply secured, it can have a suf-
ficient number OF ports for It's conf
mercial growth, without taking lands
n which the population is a mixture Of
;lav and ITALIAN.
Il should be borne in mind that Italy
las everything at stake in this contro-
gersy. Unless she can protect her low
ying, defenceless eastern coast by The
possession Of such strOngholds on the
other side Of the Adriatic. she will con-
tinue 90 lie open 10 the invader. Aus
ria very carefully made that sea per
)etual threat to Italy, instead OF the
protection it should be. And, after all
that Italy has done and suffered in this
war. it would be an injustice TO attempt
to deprive her Of conquests essential to
her national safety.
hn
not yet achieved national unity. Differ
ences OF religion and language still
divide II. Furthermore, while the Ser
bsns have suffered bitterly through
their devotion to the Allied cause, other
Jugo-Slavs, in particular the Creations,
took part in the war as members Of the
Hapsburg empire, not under constraint,
out willingly. Nor are they free from
The reproach Of committing atrocities
On Italian soil. Indeed, the Creations
nave by all accounts somewhat re-
luctantly assented to the plan Of
united Jugo-Slav nation. In the cir
cumstances Italy can hardly be eX-
pected TO look tOlerantly upon terri
torial claims by Jugo-Slavia which
threaten her even existence. She has
not escaped the Austrian terror in the
Adriatic TO yield the fruits Of her hard
Won victory.
This solemn treaty guaranteeing the
rights OF Italy in the Adriatlc is set
az naught by our President because
il was contracted secretly"
The use OF the word, secret" has a
sinister sound in these days. especial
ly in American ears and people jump
10 the conclusion that Italy entered up
on dishonorable and oppressive pact
that condemns her without further ar