Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-02-24
FIUME WHY'S AND WHYNoTS
At Present Neither Italy Nor "Juao'
sIavla" Seems Likely to Retain
II, and the Row Is Being
Fought Over "Influences"
TNHE Fiume wrangle has given rise to three

- WIDELY prevalent delusions. IheSe are
First. That Jugo Slavia is the name OF a
| nation.
Second. That the secret treaty of London
| accords Fiume to Italy.
Third. That Italy is proonging dipo-
matte crisis in order to secure absolute
| possession Of Fiume as an integral part of
the Italian kingdom.
| For this last misconception, Gabrielle
D'Annunzo and his hectic adventure are
partly to blame. Moreover, it still sticks
| in the popular consciousness that Baron
| Sonnino at the Peace Conference, from which
he ultimately withdrew. clamored for the
annexation of Fiumc to Italy. But com g..
promises of all sorts have been suggested
since that sensational day. The complete
absorption of Fiume by the Italian mon
archy has ceased to be a subject for dramatic
dispute. The point at issue now is the
status of an independent" Fiume, not to be
actually in the possession of either Italy or
the country enormously labeled Jugo- Slavia.
TNHEproximate causes of the war of 1914
u 1S are often overlooked. It is evident
that William HohenzollCrn and the "Potsdam
gang developed great army with view
to making IL an invulncrable instrument Of
depreciation and conquest. But the great war
did not begin on either the Franco German
or the Russo German frontiers. It started
IN Serbia. The spark which ignited the in
tammable Balkan timber was age long rcpu-
diation of racial rights in southeastern
Europe. The crime goes back to the insolcnt
treaty of Berlin, when in 1878 the provinces
OF Bosnia and Herzegovina, carved out Of
the shrinking Turkish empire, were placed
under the suzcrainty Of the Austro Hun
garian monarchy. Full title to them did moi, ,
however, pass in the infamous deal. Nomi-
OlIly rho rpVinna Still Turkieb ttpIar
Austrian wardship. On October 5, 1908,
Austria cynicaly annexed these territories
This act was wholly unjustidable on cthno-
logical grounds, for Bosnia and Herzegovina
were peopled mainly by races included in the
comprehensive term. "Serbo Croat- Slovcne." 1"
The neighboring kingdom of Serbia was in
dignant, but powerless.
The i'll feeling took more formidable form
when King Peters troops emerged as victors
in the two Balkan wars Of, respectively,
l9l2 and 1913, and eliminated tragically
in the assassination of the Austrian arch
duke at Sarajevo on June %, 1914. How
Austria capitalized this deed rs an excuse of
her plans to seize Serbia and carry out on
grand scale her traditional policy of racial
oppression is now commonplace Of history.
DUT not the least Of the novelties con-
Injected with the overthrow of the Haps-
burgs was the opportunity for the first time
in centuries of a union Of the Serbo- Croat-
Slovenc peoples of Bosnia, Herzegovina,
Carniola. Dalmatia and Serbia This fusion
has produced the Serbo Croat -Slovene state.
Its capital is Belgrade. on the Danube. It
is at present governed by Prince Alexander
Karageorgevitch, son of the old King Peter,
who has been dethroned. Strictly speaking,
there is no "Jugo -Slav" nation.
1t is a subdivision of Prince Alexander's
peoples who have been at odds with Italy
concerning Fiume and neighboring regions
IL is, indeed. the same racial injustice which
was one of the roots Of the war that is giving
concern to the world reconstructionists at
the close of the contest. That is one reason
why the contest over Fiume has proportions
80 largely incommensurate to the intrinsic
value of small seaport.
There is natural feeling among all ad-
herents to the principles of self determine
ton and racial justice that the Serbo -Croat-
Slovene nation be permitted the advantages
of rational normal development.
THE best Italian sentiment. of course,
l. incines in this direction, but Italy is n
ncighbor of the expanded kingdom of Serbia
and Italy is engaged in the welcome task of
recovering her racial kinsmCn who were
formerly under the Austrian heel. The most
erudite ethnoloo;st howevor oo,not 5roy
on ;nto,,ihio srent;or W. W. n. taanot ula"
oidorat;onS oro ;nrnIuod tho go. h' eon
even more bewilderingy complicated.
hasty attempt to solve it was made in
the secret treaty of London. negotiated by
Italy. France, Great Britain and Russia in
April, 1915. In this pact. fulfilment of
which was contingent upon the success of
the Allies in the war. Italy was to receive
the Trentino, Gorilla Trieste of which she
is now in full possession, and also the
Jstrian nan;nsula tb, ,ror;noo oe nol,,..:.