ITALY'S WITHDRAWAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17144, 25 April 1919, Page 4

ITALY'S WITHDRAWAL.

The withdrawal of the Italian delegation from the Peace Congress is in every sense deplorable—under certain circumstances it may prove disastrous to the peace of the world. Whatever claim Italy may have had upon the sympathy of France and Britain is forfeited by her injudicious action, and unless she quickly repents of her decision and again associates herself with her allies she will be thrown entirely upon her own resources. The moral isolation which threatens Italy can, in the present state of public feeling, ill be borne by any country, and tne political isolation which will follow a quarrel with the Allies may place Italy in an uncomfortable, if not dangerous, position. There is plain evidence that Italy has lost the prestige she enjoyed at the Peace Congress by obstinacy and greed. She entered the congress with Britain and France pledged to support the territorial claims she had advanced in the Pact of London, signed in the early stages of the war. This treaty was concluded before there was any prospect of the dismemberment of Austria or of the emergence of a, Southern Slav State. It assigned! certain Austrian territory, including portion of Dalmatia, to lta'y, an arrangement which, while iien perfectly reasonable, has since become objectionable. Britain and France are bound by treaty to support Italy's claims, and have thus been placed in a very difficult position. They could §nly make suggestions and trust to the wisdom of the • Italian delegates to recognise the changed circumstances. Their appeal has been in vain. Italy has held to the letter of her treaty, refusing compromises which would have been of great benefit to her without burdening her with the surveillance of unfriendly Slav districts. She ' has even gone the length of claiming Fiume, which was not assigned to b°.r by the Pact of London. Mr. Wilson, who is not bound by any treaty, has been a candid critic of Italian ambitions, and in consequence of his latest statement Italy has decided to withdraw from the Congress. She will gain nothing by so doing. She will seize the disputed territory at her own risk, and if she attempts repressive measures she may have to reckon with public opinion in other countries. Unfortunately Italy's action injures not herself alone. It increases the delicacy and difficulty of the allied task. It may delay the signing of peace, and it will undoubtedly encourage Germany to resist the allied terms. There is yet time for Italy to repair her error, and if she is wise she will not let the opportunity slip,