Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-02-27
THE ADRIATlC DEADLOCK

THE ADRlATlC DEADLOCK
THE Presidents threat to "take under
serious consideration the withdrawal
Of the treaty" is met by the French and
British Governments, parties to the Ad-
riatic arrangement" Of January 20, with
a denial of any "attempt to force its ac-
ceptance until they have heard the views
of the United States Government" on the
dispatch of February H.
That opportunity was provided in Mr..
Wilson's second note dated February "a.
The three dispatches, made public today,
constitute a remarkable chapter in the
diplomatic aftermath of the war. They
fail, however, to provide a settlement Of
a critical and complicated problem.
Mr.. Wilson, although his second contri-
button, signed POLK" is more temperate
than the first one in this series, signed
Lansing" yields not an inch of ground
previously taken. The Allies express
CONSERVATION" at the deadlock and the
intimation of possible American retire.
ment from European affairs, but they
concede no point to their interrogation.
The situation, therefore, is still ex-
tremely serious. The climax, however,
has not yet been reached. The crucial
second reply from Paris is lacking. That
awaited note ought to determine de-
csively whether or not France, Italy and
Britain are resolved to dispose of the
Adriatic question Independently of the
United States.
Mr.. Wilson bases his case on the
memorandum sanctioned by the repre-
sentatives of Great Britain, France and
the United States on December 8, 1919.
The salient points in this Settlement"
were:
First. The creation of buffer state
between Italy and Jugo-Slavia to include
Fiume and to be under the protection of
the League of Nations. The population
of such a country would include some
100000 Jugo-Slavs and 10000 Italians,
the latter chiefly residents Of Fiume.
Second. Limitation of Italys claims
to all Of the Istrian peninsula.
The plan of January 20, 1920, to which
the United States was not a party, pro-
vides for the extinction of the buffer
state and the establishment of Fiume as
free city under the League of Nations,
with a right to choose it's own diplo-
matte representatives. 1t is furthermore
stipulated that Italy shall receive all of
Istria and a connecting strip of coast
cutting off Jugo-Slav territory, including
the Fiume railway from the sea, in a way,
alleged by Mr.. Wilson, to predicate enor-
nous commercial and customs difficulties
and tangles of jurisdiction.
The President has interpreted such a
proposal as an index of effective control
of Fiume by Italy and has viewed this
and other details as a fiat reputation of
the earlier plan. In language which is
exceedingly frank for diplomacy Mr..
Wilson virtually charges breach of faith
and a renunciation of the principles on
which, during its later stages, the war
was supposed to be fought. His candid
opposition to the enforcement of the
treaty of London is partly based on SINH
lar grounds.
How far public sentiment in America
will support him in his stand remains to
be seen. The Allies in their answer to
the first note take the position that not
all the settlements in Paris to which Mr..
Wilson himself agreed were reached with
scrupulous respect for justice and the
theory Of elf-determination. If argu-
ments Of this sort weaken Mr.. Wilson's
case they are, from the standpoint of
morality, no less embarrassing to the
European nations.
Lloyd George and Millerand, represent
ing, respectively, England and France
pertinently ask whether the United
States is willing "to wreck the whole ma
chinery for dealing with international
disputes" because of difference of opn.
ion regarding Fiume. In a sense also
they throw up their hands and seek to
shift the burden by inquiring how the
United States proposes to settle this
perilous business, since no arrangement
except the last one has had Italian ap-
proval.
Opinion in this country cannot, how
ever, take responsible shape until the
second rebuttal from abroad is recorded
Meanwhile the tone of Mr.. Wilson's notes
will most assuredly strengthen the de,
termination Of the treaty reservationists
A President who declares, as Mr.. Wilson
does, that "the American people are fear.
full lest they become entangled
in international policies" plays, as q
champion of an unamended pact of Yer,
sailles, role not without its nuances OF
inconsistency.
AnV pnn5 D.,