Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-02-29
Charles Epson Clark Talks
with D'Annunzio, Is Guest
of Victor Emmanuel, and
Queen Marie of Rumania.


But inst returned from an ex-
tCnsive tour{of Roumania, Hungary
and Jugo- slavia under the aus
pices OF the Roumanian govern
ment ana at their request, Charles
Epson Clark, one of America s
foremost speakers. who was in AL
.buquerque Friday en- route to Santa
l0e where he lectured. gives a most
Interesting first hand account Of
the situation in central Europe and
the Balkan states today Dr.. Clark
Lad many meetings with those high
in authority. and with the leading
men in the countries he visited, as
well as with the monarchs of sew
eral countries.
Central Europe and the Near
East are gripped in a transporta-
ton and fuel crisis which appears
to have no near solution in sight.
There is no coal or wood. DR.. Clark
Travelled in coaches that We're alb
solutely without heat in the bit
terest weather. At the same time
they We're so overcrowded that the
roofs were covered with passen-
gers who jumped down at each
stop and tried to warm themselves
at the engines, which sometimes
lad to wait for hours for more
wood or coal to arrive. DR.. Clark
told of one occasion when these
miserable travellers tried to raise
q huge glowing clinker which had
fallen from the fire box up to the
roof of the coach so that they
might keep warm.
All raw materials are lacking.
At Buda-Pesth a suit of clothes
costs 1900 crowns Ga crown was
20 cents before the war)); at Ger
rowitZ a cubic meter of wood is
1850 crowns, and the debasement
OF the currency has made the pur
chasing power of what money
there is. very little. Gold and sill
yer are meyer seen; paper money
alone is used, and it is DIR. Clark's
opinion that this generation viii
not know the sight of gold.
Never will American gold buy
more or never has it been more
welcome than in central Europe
and Jugo- Slavia today. DR.. Clark
stated that his wife and party We're
putting up at the best hotel in
Mentone, near Monte Carlo, the
Ritz, with palacial quarters, for
$3.50 a day This is the time to
travel in Europe, after the soldiers
have gone and before the tourists
have arrived, says DR.. Clark. al
though there are difficulties in
travelling from one country to an
other, as only a limited minimum
of currency can be taken across
the boundary lines. The lecturer
was host at a dinner for seven in
Geneva, when every delicacy OBJ
tainable from lobster to olives,
and many courses, with two kinds
of wine. came only to above $15.
En- route to Bucharest, DR.. Clark
STONED at Fiume and there inter-
viewed the spectacular soldier-poet,
gabrielle D'AnnunZio, the second
Garibaldi of Italy, who spoke very
frankly to him. There IS no
change in the attitude Of the Flu-
mians. They are italian at heart,
DR.. Clark reports, and to Italy they
will belong. Their loyalty to DAN
nunzio is unwavering, and Dr.
Clark said that the magnetism OF
the bald-headed, fiery little man
was extraordinary. DAnnunZlo
said that his announced aero trip
TO Japan had been only bind pre-
yious to the occupation II rune.
Fiume, Trieste and Salonikl, ike
Constantinople and Smyrna, are oil
different nationalities from the
country round about and so offer
asnecial difficulties. Fiume was viz
tually Independent until lS4S, when
she enjoyed an autonomous gov
eminent under Austria-Hungary,
In october, 1918, Deputy Ossolnack
of Fiume stated in the Hungarian
diet that she would resume her an
cient independence. The people
tben elected a local national coun-
eli and before the Austrian defeat
both men and women had the bal
lot. In fact, a girl from cigarette
factory was elected to the council !
bv her constituents.
When Dr.. Clark stopped in Rome !
later on and was the guest of King |
Victor Emmanuel, December 10, the /
king did not mention Fiume, but
discussed quite freely the italian |
attitude toward the United States |
Having lived for several years IN |
Rome and speaking Italian as flu
emily as he does English, as well as |
having been for several years di-
rector of the school of classical |
studies of the American academy in
Rome DR.. Clark is well known in
that city, and had interviews there |