The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-13
WILMA MAY DECIDE
POWER OF LEAGUE
First Real Test Of Strength in
Disputes Threatens to
Discredit It.
ALLIES SEE DANGER
Britain and France Expected
to Issue Call on Poland to
Squelch Zellgouski.
ALLIES SEE DANGER
ny LAURENCE HILLS.

| NSPNsvnht 4u&Os W 4AG NEW IokK ftEnALu.
| PARIS, Oct. 12.-Although lacking
Gabriel D'Annunzio's poetic prestige. the
Polish General. Zellgouski. by his seizure
| Of Wilma, has put himself in diplomatic
| iimelight almost equal to that OF the
Italian author-poet. Great Britain has
opened conversations with the French
Government which probably will result
! in the sending Of sharp note to Po-
Land. unless the Polish Government
promptly and officially disayows the act
of It's General and promises to punish
| him
Disavowal Of the Polish communique,
wherein 1t is attempted 10 throw the
blame on the Lithuanians, Is not salts
factory to tho Powers, particularly Great
Britain. which shows increasing sings o (
| transportation with the Polish Govern
| ment. For the wilma affair brings up
| the question OF a succession Of F'iume
situations, in defiance of the boundary
| lines drawn by the peacemakers, arising
out OF Individual nations interpreting
| after their own fashion President WI
sons self-determination point
League Directly Involved.
The League of Nations fortunately
for its promoters, escaped being IN
volved In the Fiume irnbroglio but II Is
directly involved in the seizure Of Wilma
1t was admitted In official circles here
to-day that this was the most regret
| table feature of the affair, In as much
as II may cause the Powers to be con-
fronted with, the necessity of rescuing
the league from the diplomatic marshes
Loo E%A.~ 40
laughing stock
The League Commission, headed by
the French Gen. Cardigny. after its
authority had been defied by Gen. Zell-
gouskt'B refusal to evacuate Wilma. Of
fered to make wilma free city, accord
Ing to one report received here This,
however, seems hard to reconcile with
the fact that 1t was the commissions
decision, reached in the Suwalki con-
ference. to place wilma on the Lithuanian
side of tho boundary. which was the
immediate cause OF Gen. Zellgouskfs
act He seems to have counted moro
on the physical power of his troops than
on the moral power of the League OF
Nations French newspapers are ask
ing what will happen II he continues
TO defy the league. which is not pos
seesed Of an army.
Leagues Prestige at stake.
Great Britain's evaporation Is due to
the fact that Poland asked the league to
undertake Lithuanian settlement, and
also because Ladislas Grabski, Polish
Finance Minister. promised Premier
Lloyd George at Spa that the Lithuan-
ians would have wilma.
Tho Figaro, which ia friendly to the
League of Nations. considers the
leagues prestige at stake. asserting that
II It had succeeded In regulating this
troublesome affair It would have right
to take up the Fiume case. 1.-The So
ciety of Nations. which the Poles in
voked, now must manifest its exist
ence," It says. ''Unhappily. however, 1t
IL several weeks late, for at the moment
when the Bolsheviki were getting ready
to enslave Poland, this great league
which proposed to establish a reign Of
justice In the world remained mute and
impotent-"
The Figaro insists that France, having
given assistance to the Poles, has a
right to counsel prudence on their part.
The EoIosr, in expressing doubt
whether the league, without an army.
can enforce submission by Gen. Zell-
eousli. insists that it would be the
height OF absurdity to demand that the
Polish Government require the evacua-
ton Of wilma by his troops, as IL would
mean tho end Of the Governments eu-
thority in Poland.
WARSAW, Oct. 12.-The Council OF Six
established at wilma plans to form a
provisional Government for central
Lithuania, pending the question of the
self-determination of the inhabitants OF
the occupied district. The body con-
~to ne fwn xuff a
Ruthenians and two Poles, with NJ
Abramowiecs, who In a Lithuanian Pole,
as president NJ. Abramowiecs liz editor
of the Gazette Krojot1d, published at
Wilma.
Posters have made their appearance In
wilma advocating that Wilma should be-
long to Poland. These posters, It In as
serted. urge that steps be taken to join
hands with the Polish Republic.
Officials here say that no word has
been received from Gen. Zellgouski or
from wilma direct since the Lfthuanians
evacuated their capital.
The new Central Lithuanian Gov
eminent" al Wilma has proclaimed the
creation of @ new state. say Ida
despatch to the Narod.
A series of proclamations has been
issued by the so-called Government The
first proclaims the new State and
promises to convoke q Diet In the near
future. Tho second, addressed to the
Polish Government, asks for forgiveness
for the mniny OF General ZellgousSis
troops. and gives notice Of the creation
of the new state. the territory Of which,
II is set forth, includes the town of
Grodno, with tho River Niemen az the
dividing line from Poland.
The proclamation further asks that
the Polish troops occupying Central
I.ithuania be considered as an army OF
occupation. Tho Wilma Government re-
quests that II be allowed TO send a COM
misssry to these troops.
A third proclamation IL q declaration
TO the Kovno Government (the old
Lithuanian Government) proposing the
opening OF negotiations with reference to
the future relations of the two coun-
tries.