Evening star., 1934-12-16
BY PERTINAX.
THE relations between Italy and
Yugoslavia today comprise ene
/ Of the major political problems

Yugoslavia today comprise enc
Of the major political problems
i Of Europe They are, by them
selves, potent cause for con-
fiict in the future. But in addition the
Italo- -Yugoslav conflict has separated
France from Italy for the last Is
years. In order to hold the govern
ment Of Belgrade in check Mussolini
has been more and more inclined to
join hands with Hungary, supporting
Budapest's demands for revision Of the
territorial clauses Of the peace treaty,
and as consequence, seeking for sue
cession Of compromises with Germany.
1t can be said that If Germany at the
present moment is not confronted with
combination of states strong enough
to make her abandon her violent pol
icy, the true explanation Of that state
Of affairs is to be found in the Adriatic.
Just before he and King Alexander
were assassinated at Marseille, M. Bar
thou, the French minister of foreign
affairs, was about to make a serious
effort to solve this tangle. Would he
have succeeded? Personally doubt it,
Notwithstanding all the optimistic re-
ports and forecasts that had appeared
in the Italian and French press.
I can bear witness TO the fact that
during the last week of his life M. Bar
thou had given up good deal Of his
former optimism. He even regretted
that he had agreed to 60 to Rome and
visit Mussolini at more or less def
mite date, although diplomatic nego-
tiations had not gone beyond prelin-
mary stages and could not be taken as
making sure, or even probable, that
a final agreement could be reached.
This Is the time to catch bad chill
or fall down and break your leg!"
Alas, such were the last words ad-
dressed to the foreign minister before
the day Of his death.
Why Such Trouble?
But how is it that the controversy
between Italy and Yugoslavia proves
so obdurate? Why should it so con-
tinuously battle the diplomats who try
to handle it?
The whole story is that Italy is
apprehensive of the military strength
of Yugoslavia and cannot give up hop
ing that the unification of the country,
as carried out since 1918, will not
stand the pressure Of internal dis
agreement or the pressure OF an
eventual war. In other words, the
disintegration Of the country has be-
come one of the objectives of Italian
policy. And Italy in consequence
wishes to keep clear from any COM
mitment that eventually might pre-
vent her, in decisive moment, from
helping to bring it about.
In 1912, before the Balkan wars
Serbian territory did not exceed l8,-
$50 square miles. In 1918, after the
defeat Of Turkey and the rout Of Bull
garia, her area had grown to 80, zoo
square miles. But in 1920, after the
treaties of st. Germain and of Trianon
had been signed, the newly created
nation had no less than 5000 square
miles, with a population of about H.
600, ,OO0-it had become 1880, 900 in
1881. On that basis standing army
Of zoe, 900 men, which probably would
expand to 100000 on the day of
mobilization, can easily be maintained.
The nucleus Of navy has already
been created, one destroyer of 1880
tons-the boat which took King Alex
ander to France-eight torpedo boats,
four submarines, six mine layers, one
training ship, etc.-in all. 8,768 OFF,
GERS and men.
Italy considers that it Is highly
10 fny he % hax q
powerful Yugoslavia as a neighbor, all
the more so since the Serbian soldier Is
regarded as the best fighter in all Eu-
rope. She thinks that liquidation
of the old Austro- Hungarian Empire
of the Hapsburgs ought to have been
managed in such way as to spare
her such q potent cause of trouble
She regrets that an independent Croa-
tia was not constituted out of the
Austrian and Hungarian districts in
habited by Croats and Slovenes. To-
day she wishes to turn back, If pos
sible, the hands Of the clock.
Natives Differ.
The fact that the Slovenes under
the rule of Austria and the Croats
under the rule of Hungary have been
brought up in a more refined civiliza-
tion than that of the Serbians, and
at any rate, very different from them
because of the German and Latin at
mosphere of its environment, accounts
to great extent for the resistance
which the Serbs met when they un-
dertook to throw their new posses
sions into the common mold. On that
account the parliamentary conStitu-
ton had to be scrapped. and in Jam
uary, 1929. royal dictatorship had
to be set up. Mussolini sees these
developments as an indication that
the whole structure may crumble un-
der the stress of circumstances, and
he does not want to tie his hands.
Such is the crux of the matter
The Dalmation question, which has
been given so much prominence, can
be regarded only as a side issue. The
Dalmation province, out of q total
population of about 100000, cannot
show more than 1000 Italians. In
1922, for the sake Of pacification, the
Belgrade government, in compliance
with advice from Paris, granted un-
precedented privileges to the italians
OF Dalmatia. Any one who wished tc
enjoy them could register as Italian
and yet continue to live undisturbed
in Dalmatia. Only 1000 persons came
forward and gave their names. Never
theless, around the town of Zara. al
located to Italy by the treaty of 1921
a vehement Fascist propaganda Is car.
ried on pro Dalmatia." The glamou,
cast over the country by the ancient
domination Of the Venetian Republic
"a domination which was of q COM
mercial character and never aimed al
assamilating the people-and the relic,
OF an artistic past are used as propa-
ganda for the Roman cause. But all
those weapons are directed rather to.
ward the dislocation Of the Yugoslay
state than toward the annexation OF
the coastal province.
This year the belief has been en-
tertained more than once, In Paris
and elsewhere, that Mussolini, having
taken his stand as the warder and
the active protector Of Austrian in
dependence against Hitlerian en-.
croachments and interference, would