Evening star., 1927-11-12
SETTLING BALKANS
FEARED BY EUROPE
New Treaty Draws Sharper
Line Between interests Of
Italy and France.
By PAUL SCOTT MOWRER.

Bv Gable TO The Star and Chicago Daily
News. Copyright. 1927.
PARIS, November 1.-THE Balkan
kettle once more is seething. All Eu-
rope. remembering the past, is looking
on anxiously. There is a feeling OF
danger in the air-not imminent. per.
haps. but potential.
In the past two factors have proved
sufficient to bring war. First. rivalry
of two great states in the Balkans.
second, infiammatory quarrels between
the Balkan peoples themselves.
The last Balkan rivals were Austria
Hungary and Russia. The World
War resulted. The latest rivals are
Italy and France. War viii almost
certainly be avoided. but careful diplo-
macy will be necessary. for there are
two local infis mmatory auarrels in
progress, either of which may imperil
peace.
Albanian Protectorate involved.
One of these involves the protecto.
rate obtained by Italy over Albania
nearly a year ago. and the other con.
Germs recent violent outbreaks or all
kinds, Including raids, incendiarism
bombings and assassinations by Sc
cret Macedonian revolutionary organl'
zation, with consequent tension be-
tween Bulgaria and Jugoslavia:
In the face of Italy's grim dis
approval, France and Jugoslavia this
week signed treaty Of friendship.
| Hungary. it is said. will soon emerge
from her relative isolation by sending
out a military attache for the first
time since the World War. This mill
| tary attache will go to Rome. There
are rumors, too. of the impending
enga cement of King Boris of Bulgaria
and Princess Giovanna of Italy
! Almost every day adds a new knot to
| the tangled Balkan skein. What will
tomorrow bring?
The present trouble began when
| the Albanian dictator Ahmed Zo9u
/ gave Italy a protectOrate treaty over
| his country. For some time Fascist
| Italy has been looking more and more
to the Balkans as it's special sphere
Of interest and had been flirting with
Rumania and Jugoslavia, trying to
replace France as the dominant iniiu'
ence among the so-called little entente
countries. But the Albanian protec.
! torate came as a shock to Europe
| Iugoslavia announced that il a single
Italian soldier was landed in Alba MIA
Iugoslavia's troops would also cross
the Albania frontier, for "th,
Balkans must belong TO the Balkan
peoples"
Italy Makes Treaties.
Italy let it be known that if the bi.
powers permitted Jugoslavia to refel
the dispute to the League Of Nations
| Italy would resign from the League
There were a few restless weeks anC
then both Italy and Jugoslavia settled
down to long diplomatic action. Italy
made treaties with Hungary anC
Rumania and began advances t.
Greece and Bulgaria. Jugoslavia
| fearing that she was being ''encircled,
made friendly advances to Greece
Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria. A
the recent session of the League AS
sembly in Geneva. cordial converse
tions looking toward future under
standings were. reported between tn,
Jugoslav foreign minister on the on,
hand and the Greek and Bulgarian
foreign ministers on the other.
Then suddenly in October NOR,
trouble occurred. The Serbophil
Albanian diplomat, Thena Beg, wa
| assassnated in Prague. Europe. re
membering the assassina ton at Sara
ievo in 1914. shuddered Almost q
the same moment a series of violen
outbreaks along the Serbo- Bulgarian
frontier disturbed the growing friend
illness between JugOslavia and Bul
garia The Serbian general koyat
cheritch was murdered. Trains il
Serbia and Macedonia were wrecle,
| Uontinued on Page 4 Column AZ