Great Falls daily tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1895-1921, 1921-01-06
A SMALL NATIONS APPEAL

A FEW lines in the cable dis
"A patches from Geneva recently
told us that the small but ancient
kingdom of Montenegro, which pre-
served its independence for a thou
sand years against the Turks had ap-
pealed to the League of Nations for
protection and preservation against
the Serbians who since the world
war have swallowed them UP. The
Eclair, well known newspaper in
France, thus pleads their case:
when lin 1914 the Sarajevo out
rage by the Serbs, gave Germany a
pretext for setting fire to Europe,
the principality of Montenegro was
a regularly constituted and indie
pendent nation forming sovereign
state in Europe. On July %, 1914,
the Serbian government, having not
ed the contents of the Austrian ulti-
rnatum, asked the government of
Montenegro If its help could be de-
pended on. The Montenegrin gov
eminent answered the same day,
Serbia can count on the fraternal
and unlimited aid of Montenegro 1t
will be remembered how the Mon
tenegrin troops fought during the
war Half Of these troops fell on the
battlefield. Thanks to Montenegro
the Serbian army was saved in 1915.
How did the Serbs treat the Mon
tenegrins? BY making intrigues with
the allies. Official Serbia always
feared Montenegrin competition in
inheriting the territories formerly
belonged to Turkey as we'll as those
under Austro Hungarian rule. For
this reason the Serbs tried to destroy
Montenegro. The Press campaign
will be remembered, which was led
by the Serbs against the Montene-
grins and caused the great powers in
1915 to have quite wrong impress
sion of the valiant Montenegrin peo-
pie. Thus, after the armistice this
people was given over to an atroci-
ous Serbian tyranny under the lndif-
ferent and perhaps rather amused eye
Of western Europe. Such was the
recompense of Montenegro.
I'm vain this country protested
against occupation by Serbia; it re-
ceived the answer that with the con-
sent of the whole population it was
to be annexed to the kingdom Of
Karsgeorgevitch. Of course no one
is really ignorant of the situation IN
Montenegro, and those who doubt
need only read the innumerable doc
unents. about the atrocities which
this people have to bear. Among
the documents is the report of Cap
tain Whiting, of the American Red
Cross mission, and that of Md. Ed
ward E. Arnold, which remained for
a year in Montenegro but which has
just been expelled by the Serbs.
These reports all declare that the
country is in mourning and that the
Serbs are behaving towards the pop
ulation in a most unbearable way.
The great powers had promised
Montenegro that her will should be
respected and that her independence
should be restored like that of Bel
GUM and Serbia. Has anything been
done in this direction? Montenegro
is to be obliged to join Jugo-Slav
constituent assembly by which she
will have to submit to the domino
ton of Belgrade.
1.-THE legal government of Mon
tenegro is still at Neuilly, Ga suburb
Of Paris where the Bulgarian treaty
was signed). It's delegates have just
presented a request to the League
of Nations asking for justice, and
following on the re-establishment Of
her autonomy, her admission into the
League. Nothing is yet known of
the decisions of the Geneva assembly
concerning the claims, of Monten-
egro. 1t would be well to remember
it. The league must not recline on
the laurels which it imagines it
earned by looking compassionately
towards Armenia. Montenegro is
still more unhappy.
"And yet what is her crime? All!
the crime is that she is small peo-
pie Of 100000 souls. But she lived
for more than ten centuries without
having to submit to foreign yoke;
she fought VIGOROUSLY against By
zantium, Venice, Turkey, the Haps-
burgs and even against Napoleon.
Gladstone used to say "the heroic
exploits of Montenegro. surpass
those of the heroes of Thermopylae
and Marathon" This nation wishes
TO determine its own destiny. After
all that, is it possible for the allies
first, and the League of Nations
now, to lend deaf ear to its just
claims7"
HISTORY IN THE SCHOOLS.