Evening star., 1945-06-02
Letters to The Star
One View of Trieste Problem
Denies City Is Latin
To the Editor of The Star:

To the Editor of The Star:
Most American writer's fail to under
stand the Trieste problem because they
do not consider the following historic
truths:
/. The Roman Empire did not en-
brace one homogeneous Latin race, but
was composed of multitude of differ
ent races.
2. In the 4th century, the Mongolian
tribes, Huns and Avars, overran Europe
and drove before them the dispossessed
peoples. The Yugoslavs moved south
ward from their home in the Galician
plains, stretching from the Baltic to the
Black Sea, and settled on the borders
of the Roman Empire.
3. Emperor Herakleios, in the 7th CEN
tury, entered into an agreement with
the Yugoslavs to settle peacefully the
devastated northern and central pro-
vinces of the Balkan peninsula on con-
dition that they would protect the north
ern frontier of Byzantium.
. A. Carantania, the first Yugoslav
state, $50 to the 9Th century, included all
present inhabited Slovene lands of
Yugoslavia, most of present Austria,
part of Germany which is now Bavaria,
present Tyrol, parts of Northern Italy
from the Adriatic Sea westward includ-
ing Venice and western parts of present
Hungary.
S. Napoleon after conquering Dali
malta, Istria including Trieste, Goritzia,
Carinthia and Carniola together with
part of Croatia, Dubrovnik, united these
provinces into one kingdom of Illyria
with the capital at Ljubljana. He was
the first foreign ruler who understood
the Southern Slav question, and he
united the territories named in one ad-
ministration with complete autonomy
to gain their loyal support. This union
existed from 1909 to 1873
6. Trieste, early English "Triest,"
in Slovene "Trst" is derived from the
Slovene root "Trs" meaning reed. j"
The city is named after the reeds which
grow near there. One cannot find an
Italian root from which word Trieste"
is derived. Trieste was founded, settled
and named by the Early Slovenes and
never was Latin city.
7. In Trieste, during Austrian rule,
Italian was the language of commerce
while Slovene was the language in the
home.
8. An exhaustive study of Austrian
population reports, which never were
favorable to the Yugoslavs, will show
that the Italians were the immigrants
into Trieste and not the Yugoslav peas
ants
9. Trieste and VeniZia Gulia districts
were under Fascist rule for the last GEN.
Grafton with a systematic program of
INFLAMMATION. Italian colonists were
moved in while the Slovenes were ousted
from their homes. Slovene schools were
destroyed and prohibited. Their books
were burned. People were imprisoned for
speaking 'Slovene. Any plebiscite held
before the people have a chance to re-
habllitate themselves would be unfair.
10. The YugoslaVs have fulfilled their
part of the agreement made with EN-
peror Herakleios. They were the guar
dlanS and protectors of European civili-
Zatlon. IL was because of their deter
mlnation and sacrifices that the Turks
and other Asiatic tribes did not pass the
Balkans to destroy European culture.
1t is up to the big Three" who step
into the shoes of Emperor Herakleios to
fulfill the other part of the agreement
by permitting the Yugoslavs to retain
the lands which were granted to them
in the 7th century.
II. Marshal Tito, in occupying this
disputed land, is only doing it to neu-
tralize the earmarks of Fascism and
their forced INFLAMMATION. He is in
position to open the Slovene schools
which the Fascist closed He can re-
habilitate the people of these provinces
which the Allies cannot do as they do
not know their language and customs.
RICHARD J. ZAVERTNIK.
Chicago.