New-York tribune., 1920-09-12

League Of Nations. Italy was starving
and had to give In.
The importance Of Fiume and Dali
malta is equal to that Of Alsace and
Lorraine in the fixing of the frontier
between the Occident and the Orient.
This frontier will always be the Rhine
and the Adriatic. If Italy holds the
Adriatic she can stem the tide of the
barbarians such as are now swarming
over Poland, and who, even though
driven back to-day, will swarm again.
Jugo-Slar Ports
The Croats, who inhabit Croatia and
have filtered themselves into Istria
and Dalmatia, have never been able to
govern themselves. They have always
been the worst enemies of Italy. They
are Slavs and have nothing in common
with the Latins. If the Adriatic is in
their control it will be in the next war
the great refuge Of the Russians, Just
as it was of the Germans and Austrians
in the late war.
When the Jugo-Slavs pretend that
their Italian neighbors wish to despoil
them of their natural outlets to the
sea they are far from telling the truth.
Nobody questions their rights to twelve
excellent ports, together with over 900
kilometers of coast. The outlets this
gives them arc numerous, and they
have no right to take on the air of be-
ING victimized.
AS to Fiume, the port occupied by
d'Annunzio, the principal bone of con-
tention, it has always been an Italian
city and it is still so at the present
time despite all the studied efforts of
Austria Hungary to change its tradi-
tional and racial character.
Politically, Fiume never belonged to
Croatia, with the exception of the
years from 1s48 to 1869. During the
revolution of 1848 the Croats violently
possessed themselves of Fiume and
held it in subjection until 1869, when
l. was again wrcsted from them by the
dual empire of Austria Hungary. None
the less, even during the Croat domi-
nation the municipality and the NUM-
cipal council remained Italian.
AS to the present nationality of
Fiume, the fact is clearly shown by the
acts of the city itself. In October, 1918,
Emperor Karl of Austria Hungary, de-
clared that all nationalities within the
collapsing empire were free to dispose
Of themselves, to determine their self
hood. On October, 1918, the deputy of
Fiume in the Hungarian Parliament,
Andrea ssoinack, chosen by the unani-
nous vote Of the Fiumians, declared
that Fiume would avail itself of that
privilege. p
On the goth Of October there ar
rived in Fume Croatian "Governor,"
sent by the National Council of Agram,
which is the capital of Croatia. This
was absolutely illegal, because Croatia
never had any real rights over Fiume.
The new Governor placed himself at
the head of his troops, almost entirely
Croatians, and was thus in position
to use force against any demonstra-
tion on the part Of the population.
Fumes Proclamation
In the face OF this, the inhabitants
Of Fiume, on October 30, assembled at
the City Hall and decided to substitute
their own National Council, and to
proclaim their annexation to Italy
From balcony on the principal public
square the proclamation to this effect
was read to the crowd, which mani
tested the greatest enthusiasm, approx
ing each paragraph frantically, without
a single dissenting voice being heard
The Fiumians risked their lives and
:heir frecdonr when they took the ac-
ton they did, for they were absolutely
without defense; everything in the