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Ferdinand, a few years before the recent war. Famished hordes recently released from Mohammedan control crossed the Dinaric Alps, pounced upon defenseless Dalmatia and its old and marvelous civilization, its opulent cities, and under government protection endeavored to swamp the native element.

They were given the franchise the day they landed there, and so manipulated and debauched the political life there that up to the day of the recent armistice political and municipal election in Dalmatia was a farce; and the native Italian interests and cause were looked upon as henceforth and forever a forlorn hope.

The first sledge-hammer blow was dealt at the native Italian schools, that had existed there from time immemorial. They and the native teachers were systematically and inexorably choked and stifled out of existence, and substituted by Croatian schools and teachers. The latter were ignorant, uncultured, and brutal. Italian was forbidden. Italian children were compelled to attend Croatian schools and cruelly discriminated against. The intruding teachers had full swing as to corporal punishment. The Press was gradually suppressed by the political machine, under sinister plausibilities and monumental lies. "Obdurate" native editors and publishers were blacklisted and eventually sentenced to ruinous fines, long terms in jail, and banished on the most preposterous pretexts. And an artificial Slav (Croatian) press was set up, sustained by the Government under thin disguise. The honorable and highly respected native Italian judiciary was also uprooted and disqualified by the same means. The judges were "retired" one by one, or "deposed" on bogus complaints or formal, trumped-up charges, while a set of arrogant, corrupt, and unscrupulous Croatian magistrates were installed on the Dalmatian bench. To them, ever since, no Italian need apply, justice and fairness being out of the question for the "rebels," whose life in Dalmatia was made a curse and a burden.

The most shameful pressure was exercised throughout Dalmatia and other unredeemed Italian lands to weed out all the clergy of Italian blood or sympathies. The rural districts and country parishes suffered most in this respect. Filthy ignoramuses, with no other qualifications except their Croatian origin and "loyalty" to the political machine, were forced upon exclusively Italian parishes, to preach the gospel of Croatia and Agram, confess in the name of Vienna, and slander and insult everything Italian. No absolution for the "impenitent." The national clergy had to give in, become the tool of the political machine or leave the land. The slogan imposed upon the populace from the pulpit and the confessional was: "We are no longer Italians!"

The Plebiscite: "All hail self-determination, as President Wilson proclaimed 'it," said a great writer recently, “but it must be somewhat qualified or it can be used as a pretext for criminal injustice!" Clemenceau says the thug brought to justice has no right to self-determination to escape his fate.

Suppose Bernstorff's underhand propaganda had succeeded in including a solid million of the Germanic population of rural Pennsylvania to demand annexation to Germany, would the President and America have bowed to it with a "God bless you"? Would a plebiscite in Alsace-Lorraine, under conditions created there by 48 years of German tyranny and the franchise granted to half a million immigrated Germans, have meant a real self-determination for those Provinces? France was too wise to hear of such a course. Let the highway robber disgorge first, then we may talk it over.

The case of Dalmatia is identical with Alsace-Lorraine's, only aggravated by a longer foreign tyranny and worse conditions created by it under AustroCroatian methods. A "plebiscite" in Dalmatia would be an outrage on the native population, upon common sense, truth, and humanity. The Croatians there are as much foreigners as the 700,000 Italians and the 500,000 Germans in New York. When all shall have been told and Italy shall have annexed all the lands of hitherto "unredeemed Italy," including all Dalmatia, Italy will have reaped less advantages proportionately and absolutely than any of the other nations concerned. Take it in square miles or in the number of people added to the kingdom, and you will find that Roumania will have more than doubled her territory and population. Serbia will have the treble or quadruple of both. With the most disinterested disposition, France will gather in her rightful heritage up to the Rhine. Even beaten Germany will be dangerously the gainer if allowed, in the name of self-determination, to swallow up the Teutonic parts of Austria.

But Italy never meant to and did not go beyond her natural geographic and strategic frontier of the Alps, either on the north toward Germany or eastward

toward Jugo-Slavia. But that frontier on the crest of the Julian Alps, the Velebit and Dinaric Alps, she must have and hold at all hazards and forever. or die. She will not "make" the Adriatic into an Italian sea, as German propaganda gold has led some unwary press agents to declare. But she will doubtless restore and preserve what has been for 20 centuries the "Italian lake" of the Adriatic, though some would fain make it into a Croatian pond and Balkanize all its shores.

Not that Italy should not come to an amicable understanding with the new neighboring State across the Julian and Dinaric Alps and grant Croatia and Jugo-Slavia commercial and economic facilities in some ports of southern Dalmatia, like Cataro, Ragusa, Gravosa or others. But if she should renounce or abandon her political rights on any of the cities and ports of Dalmatia, it would be tantamount to allowing the pan-Slavic camel to stick his nose into the Latin tent, and she would ere long have to fight another and wore life and death

war.

In this question all the Latin powers and the great Anglo-Saxon allies that have saved the world for freedom and democracy have a vital interest.

For Italy to surrender to the Jugo-Slavs what she rescued from Austria at such a staggering cost in blood and treasure would be the height of selfstultification and madness. She has suffered long enough from the mongrel frontiers imposed upon her by cruel neighbors, north and east. Long enough has she supplied distant cities and States with "windows" on her inner sea. and tolerated intruders in all those Roman-Venetian seaports of her eastern Adriatic coast.

To have soundly thrashed Austria and liberated Dalmatia simply to surrender it to the Jugo-Slavs of Croatia because they became a "republic " would be tantamount to having licked Germany and liberated Alsace simply to surrender it to the Junkers of Prussia because they became a “republic at the last gasp of the empire.

Don't the big men at Rome and Paris see it? Are not the native rights of Dalmatia as good as those of our friends in Alsace, or those of the Poles in Posnania? Would the Peace Conference decree that the sporadic colonies of Croatians in Dalmatia and of German in Posnania and Alsace, have canceled the rights of the natives to decide the fate of the lands of their fathers? The Croats in Dalmatia, like the Germans in Alsace and Posnania, are just as truly immigrants in a foreign country as the millions of aliens that have landed on the shores of America within the past 30 or 40 years. Indeed. they are as foreign as the German hordes that have invaded and occupied Belgium and northern France during the past four years.

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The President of the United States said that the Congress of Vienna was a Congress of bosses" concerned with their own interests, not those of the people. The partition of Italy at Vienna was as cruel as that of Poland. It took Italy a century of effort and tens of thousands of martyrs to rise again and complete her unity, which would not be complete if Dalmatia were to be excluded forever. Irredentism would lead to another war ere long, for the liberation of Dalmatia.

It is to be hoped that the Peace Congress will remember the word of one of the geratest British statesmen: "Let us be just to all, but first to our allies, who shed their blood alongside of us!"

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'If the Congress of Versallies does not undo the crimes of the Congress of Vienna against Dalmatia, it will have added another crime to history."

ITALY'S PART IN THE WORLD WAR A CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD.

1914. When Italy emerged from her victorious war against Turkey she was unprepared for a new conflict, having almost entirely consumed her war supply and hundreds of millions of her treasure.

Not being bound to follow the Central Empires in a war of aggression Italy renounced at once (August, 1914) her alliance with Austria and Germany and proctaimed an armed neutrality, to side thus ostensibly with the Allies, in protecting the eastern and Mediterranean fronties of France.

Italy's decision was considered by the Germans as a "casus belli" for the day of their victory, which they then regarded as impending, and was acclaimed by the Allies with the greatest enthusiasm, since France could withdraw 600,000 soldiers from the Italian frontier, enabling Joffre to win the battle of the Marne. It was at that time that the Germans opened diplomatic negotiations with a view to induce Italy to join them, promising through Prince Von Buelow terri

torial compensations to Italy in her unredeemed provinces and in the Allies' colonies.

Although Italy realized what efforts she must make to become equipped for war, she hastened the gathering of a powerful army.

1915. In March, while the Austrian army was victorious over the Russians in Galicia, Italy signed the pact of London with France, England, and Russia, and declared war against the Central Empires, sending to the Isonzo her first divisions, which covered a front much longer than that of the French and English together.

As a result Austria was compelled to precipitiously withdraw large contingents from the Russian and French fronts to prevent an Italian advance; and the enormous pressure against the Russian and French armies ended.

Although deprived of coal and other raw material Italy, having at her disposal a large supply of soldiers, did not hesitate as early as October to send 60,000 soldiers to Saloniki and 20,000 soldiers to protect the retreat of the utterly routed Serbian army.

While the Italian fleet sheltered at that time more than 100,000 Serbian soldiers and 20,000 horses, providing them with food and clothes and transporting them far away from the line of fire for reorganization.

The Italian railroads, in spite of their physical condition and lack of coal for the movement of troops and munitions for the Italian army, were nevertheless able to provide also transportation to British and French divisions destined to Saloniki, contributing thereby to the safety of this expedition, as the Mediterranean was infested with enemy submarines.

1916. The war proceeding with perilous uncertainty at the French-English front Italy launched her decisive attacks on the Isonzo and the Carso. Austria and Germany were obliged to recall a part of their troops from the line of the Somme, to which also Italy sent to that line a reinforcement of 250,000 men. These Italian soldiers remained in France until the end of the war along with other 250,000 Italian workmen who, behind the lines or in French factories, released large numbers of French soldiers for action at the front. By this means the victory of the Somme was hastened.

But as in the meantime Russia and Roumania had fallen, the Central Powers repeated a greater attack on Italy in order to defeat her and thus be able to attack France from the south, as they expected to do if Italy had not sided with the Allies.

1917. The best troops of Austria, Germany, and Turkey being hurled against the Italian front. Italy, fatigued by the long struggle, already impoverished with respect to food, coal, and munitions, asked the Allies for reinforcements of men and material; but in vain.

It will be remembered that when the Italian mission came to the United States such statesmen as Nitti and Marconi kept urging America to send coal, steel, wheat, and munitions to Italy in order to prevent a disaser. Neither of their appeals was heeded.

And while Italy resisted the invasion of the Austrians on the plains of Vicenza, she could not resist the subtle and efficacious Austro-German propaganda which caused Caporetto, where some Italian troops, hungry and be trayed, opened a path to the enemy to the Piave, capturing an enormous amount of artillery, food, and munitions.

Then only the Allies realized too late the menace which was upon them and hurried to Italy two English and one French divisions, which however were not placed by the Italian supreme command on the firing line but in the trenches behind the Mincio; that is to say, 100 kilometers from the battle front.

It was then that Italy gave an astonished world the full measure of her power. Realizing that her cities were in danger, just as France realized before the Marne, awakened from the stupor caused by the unexpected disaster, she re organized her armies and sent to the firing line even boys from schools. With bared breasts, only armed with cold steel, the Italian Army alone arrested Austro-Turco-German armies, once again saving at the Piave the destinies or

civilization.

At last, realizing that Italy's financial conditions were most perilous, the United States Treasury Department gave Italy a credit of $235,000,000 following the appeals made by the American friends of Italy and by the chairmen of the Italian divisions of the Liberty Loan Committee in various parts of the country.

1918. In the spring of 1918 German pressure against the Allies was so great that they were hurled back at Bapaume and Cluny. And while the morale of

the allied armies was extremely low, Italy won the battle of the Piave, giving time to the American Army to organize itself in France, there to arrest the enemy at Chateau-Thierry.

In Macedonia the left wing of the allied army was held by the Italians. They did not give way an inch, thus permitting the advance of the Serbo-French contingents.

Italy, supplied at last with coal and iron, utilized the services of women and children in factories to provide munitions. She could hardly restrain her troops to make a new and desperate attack against the enemy. In vain the generalissimo of the Allies attempted to discourage an Italian offense. Gen. Diaz assumed for Italy the entire responsibility of his action before his country and the adverse advice of the Allies, and on the 24th of October attacked fearlessly and vigorously on the entire front.

For seven days the battle raged from the lagoon of Venice to the Alps, the most grandiose and bloody battle that the world has ever recorded, and at Vittorio Veneto the Austrian armies, utterly defeated, left behind 500,000 prisoners, 7,000 cannon, 50,000 horses, and cattle. Austria was obliged to ask for an armistice, offered unconditional surrender.

As a direct consequence of Italy's victory the southern boundaries of Germany remained unprotected, and therefore, as Italy could now open up the road to Vienna and attack the Germans from the rear, the German armies retired toward its permanent fortifications on the Rhine. Von Hindenburg and Ludendorff, realizing that at Vittorio Veneto they had lost the entire Austrian Army, the last hope of victory, accepted the conditional armistice on the basis of the principles announced by President Wilson.

HOW ITALY KEPT HER WORD.

Mobilized and equipped over 5,000,000 fighting men.

When Russia crumbled, Italy struck Austria so hard that Germany was forced to send help, so relieving her hard-pressed allies on the western front. Italy sent 250,000 soldiers to France, where they fought for over two yearsuntil the armistice.

Italy sent 250,000 soldiers to Albania against the invasion of the Austrians. Italy sent 60,000 soldiers to the support of the allied armies in Macedonia when the Bulgars and Turks were crushed.

Italy sent 40,000 soldiers to the support of Gen. Allenby and his British forces in the Palestine campaign.

Italy sent 250,000 construction men to France, where they labored behind the lines for two years till victory was assured.

Italy rescued over 100,000 Serbian soldiers and Serbian civilians from the Austrian drive, took them to Italy in her own ships, and fed and clothed them from her own meager stores.

In October, 1918, in the greatest military victory in all history, Italy crushed Austro-Hungary, Germany's principal ally, and forced her unconditional surrender of over 1,000,000 fighting men, 6,000 cannon, and enormous military supplies, determining Germany's collapse on the western front. Italy was opposed by over 100 divisions of Austrians, Germans, and Turks and was aided by two divisions of English, one of Franch, one of Czecho-Slovaks, and the Three hundred and thirty-second Regiment of Americans.

Italy's total loss in the Great War, by the official figures, were almost as many soldiers, man for man, as the British, and compared to population she lost as great a percentage as France and twelve times as many as Great Britain and America combined.

Italy's total loss in killed and wounded on the Italian and Albanian fronts were 1,600,000, and of the wounded more than 500,000 were totally disabled. The officia! figures of allied losses follow:

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Italy lost on the French front 2,391 dead and 6,886 wounded.

Italy lost in men of her navy, killed, 3,169, and 309 totally disabled.

Italy lost 61 ships in her naval operations, i. e., 5 battleships, 6 auxiliary battleships, 6 torpedo boats, 8 submarines, 8 destroyers, 8 cruisers, 4 mine drags, and other miscellaneous ships.

Italy suffered a loss of over half of her merchant marine. The advance of Italy in trade with the world in imports and exports had so increased up to the time of the war that her merchant marine could carry less than half of any other allies. The official figures follow:

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Now, when one is asked to consider the pleas of the so-called Jugo-Slavs, remember Italy was a staunch ally of England, France, and the United States; remember what she did in the war, and do not forget that the Jugo-Slavs have been the staunchest fighting mercenaries of the Austro-Hungary autocracy up to the very hour of the armistice, and that they have been fighting Italy ever since!

ITALY'S FINANCIAL CONDITION.

The Italian press commented last spring very favorably upon the proposal of the London Economist that Italy's debt of about £800,000,000 to England be wiped from the slate with one stroke of the sponge. Aside from this, Italy owes the United States $1,500,000,000. The argument advanced by the Economist was that Italy had suffered so much during the war and deserved a recompense of the sort. In other words, something more than mere praise for her part in the struggle.

Senator Ferraris, editor of the Nueva Antologia, discussing the Italian State finances, said that at the beginning of 1919 the cost of the war to Italy was figured at 70,000,000,000 lire, or $13,000,000,000 at the normal rate of exchange, equivalent to $333 per capita. This compares with an expenditure by the United States of $21,500,000,000, or $215 per capita. In those figures no account has been taken of the property losses in the invasion of the Venetian Province in 1917 for which Italy should be reimbursed.

In October, 1918, the Italian State debt was 49,000,000,000 lire, including over 15,000,000,000 lire owed abroad. As the prewar debt amounted to 13,000,000,000 it is estimated that the postwar debt may rise to over 70,000,000,000, including debt contracted for new public works. Before the war the expenses of the State were about 2,500,000,000, while now, on account of increased salaries and increased cost of material and supplies, the expense remounts to 7,000,000,000, including, of course, interest on the debt, pensions, etc., not to speak of the loss on lire exchange, reaching at present 80 per cent.

Before the war Italy's revenues were about 2,500,000,000 a year, which were consumed by the expenses aforesaid. It is figured that the new taxes are providing 2,500,000,000, so that there will be a deficit of 2,000,000,000 unless otherwise provided for by reduction of pensions and administrative economies. However, it seems as though the deficit should be in some manner covered by such indemnities as Italy will receive from her enemies or by new and intensified taxation.

When compared with the United States, Italy is a poor country, yet its debt will soon amount to over 50 per cent of the prewar national wealth, which was estimated at $30,000,000,000. The United States, instead, has a war debt of about $25,000,000,000, or but 10 per cent of the prewar national wealth of $250,000,000,000.

CONCLUSIONS.

Italy, unfortunately, did not organize or finance a forceful propaganda to make her sacrifices known throughout the world, but, regardless of that fact, it is not disputed that Italy was faithful to her allies and has always been faithful to the cause of civilization.

135546-1972

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