Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-18
alliance for the protection of France from
future German aggression.


the Government came with sueklenncss
that was dramatic. Every effort h ad
been made TO dinimize the significance
| of the note to the powers, and both tho
White House and State Department took
pains to explain that the report from
| Paris that the United States threatened
a withdrawal from further participation
| in European affairs was grossly eXag-
| geratcd." As il now appears, such was
not the case.
| Vehement criticism on the part ot
| American newspapers over the fact that
| the existence of tha note had been kept
! secret until disclosed by the foreign
| press, and protests against the apparent
| lack of frankness on the part. OF the Ad-
/ ministration apparently were respon-
| sible for todays action in disclosing the
| actual nature of the communication.
| On the other hand. the gossip in Sen
| ate quarters assumes that the denials
were for the most part inspired by the
sensational effect already created by the
| Wilson-I.ansing break. and by a desire
to prevent the Inference being drawn
that in reassuming direction OF foreign
affairs the President was acting preclpi-
lately.
REASONS THAT PROMPTED II.
Nlin rnp aunllSSltn lHt
threats contained in the note came also
detailed explanations OF the reasons
prompting it, These explanations proved
to be hardly less sensational than the
threats themselves, because they dis
closed a stern resentment ON the part OF
the American Government over what II
regards rs nm effort on the part ut the
Allied powers, including particularly
France and Great Br iian, TO ignore the
United States in matter of particular
interest to this Government.
While the boundaries sought To be
set up in any settlement OF the fiumc
controversy would not become of them
selves a part of the treaty of Versailles,
these boundaries nevertheless would be
taken under the protection of Article I'D
of the eague of Nations covenant CON
tanned IN that treaty. Thus, 1t Is pointed
out, if the Lloyd George settlement
were allowed to go through, the United
States, assuming that the Senate ratl-
fed the peace treaty and the United
States became party to- the League of
Nations, would have To assume obliga-
tions TO protect the integrity of boun-
diaries which this Government regards
as utterly indefensible from moral
standpoint.
WOULD, PLEDGE L. :,
More than that. there Is involved ~
the attitude assumed by the United
States 4 question OF general principle.
II is as to whether, pending our ratl-
fication of the treaty and entry into the
league, the Allied powers, already par
ties TO the covenant, are to proceed
without consulting us to make general
readiustmcnts Of boundaries In Europe
II such Is TO be the ease, the United
States desires 10 make IL PLAIN and has
so expressed itself in the note 90 the
powers that it cannot undertake to
guarantee the maintenance of bounds
rIeS and territories the adjustment of
which msv bc affected without the con-
sent Of this Government.
When the United States withdrew
from further participation IN the Peace I
Conference it was with the understand
ing that subsequcn, negotiations con-
ccrning the Adriatic controversy and
kindred difficulties were to be- carried i
on through the regular channels ot the (
various foreign offices concerned, the /
United States 10 be consulted along with I
the other powers involved.
PREM1ERs MET IN sEcRfT.
IT. was established definitely this after
noon that not until four or five days
before the so-called Lloyd George, pro- /
posal was laid before the Supreme Council
on January Ia was the ITIted States
as to the nature of the negotla I
tiOns Prior 10 that time the PremierS .
Df Great Britain, France ard Italy had /
been conferrlng IN secret over this ques-
ton and their final conclusions were not +
made known 10 this country until the /
Council meeting on the l4th, when Hugh
" allace, the American Ambassador. was
asked 10 attend in his capacity as OBJ
server without plenary powers. AZ the
very time that Mir Wallace was advised
ls to the conclusions reached the three
other powers IN concert sent an ultima
um TO Jugo-Slavia requiring her ac-
,eptance of the terms proposed within
our DAYS time Subsequently this time
las been extended. In other words, the
proposition was laid down to the United
States as faIt accomph
A. originally proposed 10y President
Il liSon, the settlement of the controversy
would have involved the establishment
# an independent buffer state of Flume
lnder the protection Of the League Of
Nations and the placing of the Italian
in such way "a TO reach down
o the Adrlatic a short distance to the
'Outh of Alvon<a, on the eastern coast
f the lstrian peninsula
In September. 1919, the Italian Gov
rnment requested that the line be moved
o the north Of Alvona, so as TO include
hat seaport within the Italian limits
. being indicated that this would com
letely satisfy the Italian people. 1t
yas agreed to the United States con :
anting, but in the following month the
Italian Foreign Minister asked that this :
oudary be still further extended north .
-ard ard to the cast, and that it should
lclude a narrow strip Of land extending
rom Immediately TO the North Of the {
5trian peninsula and along the seacoast to I
he city limits of FiuIne.
ITALIAN PLAN REJECTED. '
The effect of this would have been To
i've the Italians complete control over
ne railways leading into Fiume, which
always not only the Jugo-Slavs depend
n for an outlet. but also Hungary, Aus
ia, Czecho-Slovakia and other parts Of
entral Europe That is 10 say. it would
I'VE Italy economic domination over
ationalities that bear toward the Italians !
q implacable hatred Immediately this
ropositiOn was rejected by the other !;
lied powers and the United States