Evening star., 1933-01-15
BY FRANK H. SIMONDS.

7 ARGELY because of more spec
tacular events in Asia, Europe's
latest little war scare has
IL aroused only passing interest in
the United States. Yet it
has been o genuine war scare and it
| continues a source of continent wide
apprehension. The immediate occasion
Of the scare, Of course, has been the
project for an Albano-Italian Tariff
Union Back Of this lies the havoc
recently wrought upon Venetian lions
by Slav patriots in the Dalmatian area.
But behind all lies the rivalry Of Latin
| and Slav at the head of the Adriatic
On the surface the proposal for an
Albano-Italian Tariff Union must re-
call memories of that ill-Starred pro-
ject for Austro-German association,
the signal for the dramatic and dis
| aStrous explosion of the Summer of
1881 which ended by convulsing all
Europe. In the eyes of the southern
| Slavs the new proposal is as menacing
as was the old in the minds Of the
Czechoslovakia. And since the French
are allies Of both, the repercussionS in
Paris have been identical.
Practically, Of course, while a tariff
union between Austria and Germany
had justification alike in economic
circumstances and racial affinities, a
similar association between Italy and
Albania is without other than political
explanation. For the trade between the
two countries is negligible and ethnic
relationship is non-existent. In Italian
eyes, Albania is no more than a base
for Italian political activity in the
Balkans. And In all other eyes an
Albano-Italian association would be
reminiscent of that now suhsisting be-
tween Manchukuo and Japan.
Historically the Albanian state owes
Its existence to the fact that in 1918. at
the close Of the first Balkan War, while
Italy and Austria were unable to agree
about anything else, they both were
eager to prevent Serbia from acquiring
an outlet to the sea- Serbia and Bull
garia in advance of the Turkish War
had divided the Ottoman territory In
Europe. Macedonia fell to Bulgaria,
Northern Albania to Serbia, Southern
Albania to Greece. But Austria and
Italy both had designs upon all of the
east coast of the Adriatic from Cattaro
to Arta and successfully barred the d.
vision by creating an independent
Albania.
Other Turning Chosen.
In the World War Italy enlisted
against Austria with the specific assur-
ance from the allies that she should
have not only Trieste and Istria but
also Dalmatia and q free hand In Al
bania. Only Fiume was withheld as
port for the Southern Slavs. But at
Paris Dalmatia passed to the new Yugo-
slavia, while the Albanians themselves
drove the Italian garrisons from the
mainland. And when peace had been
made, in place Of q crumbling Haps-
burg monarchy Italy was confronted on
the Adriatic by a powerful young Slay
state
Liberal Italy, in the Mazzini tradi-
| the neighboring Slavs. But Fascist
Italy following in the footsteps of
d'Annunzio. chose the other turning
As a consequence the relations between
Belgrade and Rome in the main have
been bad ever since the march on
Rome. And this situation was even
tually accentuated by the treaty Of mu-
tuaI defense between the Slavs and the
French Henceforth the Italians found
themselves "encircled" by French in
fuence.
Meantime, as French influence in
the Danubian area gradually gathered
the Little Entente into its sphere, the
italians as result found all their am
bitions to play a great role In Southeast
Europe blocked. They were able to
| establish very friendly relation with
, Hungary during the long preponderance
of Count Bethlen at Budapest. They
were occasionally able to make head
against French influence at Bucharest
But in the end all their hopes were
wrecked and their resentment was
equally bitter against the Serbs and the
French
Meantime things have gone far from
well within the new Yugoslav state.
The same resentment of the Serb which
was felt against the PruSsian in South
Germany after 1870 has followed the
creation Of q southern Slav unity.
Croat aspirations for autonomy have
been roughly repressed. There have
been asSaSsinations. conspiracies and
grave unrest. Obviously, this Croat re-
sistance to the Serb has supplied oppor-
tunity for Italian agitation. On the
other hand, Croat hatred and distrust
Of Italy has been the single restraining
influence upon Croat separatist designs
in the same period.
Take Same Determine ton.
For Fascist Italy the rise Of a strong
southern Slav state has been as great
deception as the similar rise of strong
Poland for postwar Germany Rome
and Berlin have accordingly taken pre-
| ctsely the same determination to bring