Evening star., 1924-04-09
in TODAY'S SPOTLIGHT
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS

| Two Americans have been murder
ed in Europe and n whole nation is
put under martial law in order that
governmenta, search for the slayers
may proceed without interference.
Rumors attaching political signifi-
canoe to the tragedy involve even a
former member of the cabinet. al
though upon what grounds has not
| been divulged. Dispatches indicate
that the only political motive possi-
BILE was to discredit the ruling admin
istration so as to prevent its success
| in borrowing millions of dollars from
| the United States and Interesting
American investors in the undevelop-
ed resources of oil and minerals
1t is seemingly strange situation
but the. little country. called Albania,
| is filled with strange and wild con-
tionS Resting between Greece and
! Italy, Albania has neither literature
nor art, alphabet nor money OF its
own, neither civilization nor real
government of the people as q whole.
It's population is still bearing tribal
rather than national organization.
1t has an area of about $50 by so
miles largely broken by mountains,
yet tnGTe are InllllOilS VI ctitS VI ] I'LL
alluvial soil which has never been
put to crops-at least not in recent
centuries Its population is eStim3t-
ed between $4,000 and 100000. It's
shepherds range the hill slopes with
their tiockS, and it's peasants rudely
scratch the soil as did the ancients
producing mcager crops. Tobacco,
olive oil, wool and mutton are prac-
tically their only products.
Two-thirds of the people are Mos
lens and the rest are nominally
Christiana-part Roman Catholic and
part orthodox" Greek Catholics
Whether Moslem or Christian, all are
extremely superstitiouS~
The mountain fastneSses give the
tribes impenetrable retreats against
enemies. and they have rrofited by
I tho centuries OF lighting their Turk
ish oppressors and lighting rival
tribes. They have the ferocity OF
savages, with perhaps greater Gun.
ming and natural Intelligence.
Albania is sometimes spoken Of as
the founding nation" 1t has nc
ancestry. The peace conference OF
Versailles dubbed il a nation when
its own delegates in their most san
guine hopes expected only to be pro-
tected by a mandate from dismem-
bership and absorption into Greece
Jugoslavia or Macedonia
Before the Christian era Albania
was a part of Illyria, which in the
second century A. ID. became Il Roman
province. The Slavic invasion in tho
sixth century conquered all of the
| Balkan region except Alban a. whose
people fled to their imprcgnable
mountains and fought there for cen
turies. Turkey conquered the towns
in 1873, but never the mountains
/ The Turkish rule continued until the
/ Balkan war Of 1908, when the AL
banians joined the revolt, and in 1917
declared their Independence from
Turkey.
** 4
But independence from Turkey
meant only trading Moslem for Eu-
ropean oppressors The great pow
ers of Europe took control as soon
as the, Ottoman lost his grip, foI
| the native factions. by opposing each
other, opened the way for foreign
domination, quite in line with Eu-
ropean practice.
x X
1t had been the deliberate policy
under the reign Of Abdul Hamid. tC
printing press, newspaper or book
Ignorance was the means of Turkish
domination.
!. So long had they been ruled by the
Turks that, the masses could hardly
| conceive the weight of the burden