THE ALBANIANS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 281, 19 April 1913, Page 10

THE ALBANIANS

\ PLEA FOR .JUSTICE FOR AN ancient PEOPLE. (By George Rcnwiek.) The small nationality has few champions in the present-day world of big tilings. The little people may be oppressed by the "greater almost with complete impunity. Yet half the tragedies of the world's history—nay, more than half—arise because the Juggernaut of Might has swept with its crushing weight over small nationalities to make Empires of the Sword. But there have been few real nationalities, however small, which have been wiped out by this grimmest of all the tyrannies. If they have not yet safely ridden the tempest of force and wrong, they provide their oppressors with a troublesome problem, the only remedy for which is the application of free and liberal institutions.

And Europe does not appear to have learned the lesson which its long history teaches, for it appears to be on the verge of ripping up another nationality —the Albanians. The Balkan victors will have their spoils; no one will, or even wishes to, rob them of the fruits of victory. But should those spoils include alf Albania, then a serious Balkan question will remain: Europe will be but putting a rod in pickle for its own back, and be preserving in the Peninsula of Unrest a factor of disturbance which mar ret cost it dear.

To plead the cause of the Albanian mar be to appeal to unhearing ears. His fate appears to be such an unimportant matter to Europe that the Chancelleries are not likely to concern themselves greatly about it. But in slicing up Albania it will be making a patchwork of tragedy. T do not mean to say that the Albanians should at once be given the fullest freedom, or that they are fit or ready for modern representative institutions. They are not. They are still children: but that is no reason why they should be governed by people towards whom they entertain an age-long hate. What Albania should have is the chance to develop. That the people are capable of the highest development is clearly evident. While Macedonia has yielded to the influence of the Roman, the Bulgarian. the Greek, and even the shortlived dominion of the Serb, the Albanians have preserved across the centuries a distinct racial and linguistic unity.

There are large Albanian colonies both in Ttirkev and Italy, and there one sees what the Albanian race eon produce under better conditions than those now prevailing in its rough mountain homes. Tt has provided Turkey with many of its foremost and enlightened men. Tt «ave Italy a Oispi. What the Albanians want, therefovp. is education. Rough and warlike at the present time, oppression will only mean that they will continue to throw themselves in rage end desperation Against their oppressors. Tf- Europe is to ! do Albania justice, then she must see to it that these people are decently ruled, and. above all. properly educated, say. for a couple of generations, Then the Albanians will be fit to rule themselves, and become a factor working for progress in the Balkans.

The task will not be performed by taking the Albanian from the rule of the Turk, at times shadowy and at time tyrannous, and placing him under tip sway of the Slav, his enemv for lons centuries. The Servian obviously will mr do the Albanian justice. He has too many old scores to wipe out. The Montenegrin has had a chance, on a small scale, hut has made a hopeless muddle of it. The Albanian of Montenegro is denied all his rights.

Wp must not let. ndmivatiou for a small. gallant. ittle country like Montenegro Wind us to essential facts. The Montenegrin lias failed to treat the Al-' banian properly, yet Europe does not appear to object to bawling oyer to the same country a large tract of territory peopled entirely by Albanians. Montenegro at the present moment Jias an extent of rich eountrv in the, interior. which, if properly cultivated, would make every Montenegrin comparatively rich. There is. therefore, neither rhyme nor reason in handing over to Montenegro an additional and large slice of country of which she will not make proper use. all the more so when' that, country is inhabited by a totally different people by that section of which Under her own swav she lias failed to I do right.

T believe it is true that before war broke out King Nicholas assurred the British Minister at fettinje that all Montenegro required was a ratification of his country's frontier, qnd that he stated that he would agree to a certain slight and distinctly outlined alteration. This is reallv all that Montenegro can in justice claim, and to allow her to go beyond that will simply be creating the si:" 1 - base of future trouble. The Albanians may be divided into three sections. There are the fineghes of High Albania and the Tosques of the south. Those of the north still preserve their primitive divisions into tribes and "banners." Bound Janina we find the Tosques an agricultural people, greatly devoted to the soil, in a more advanced state than the Oueghes and more ready to adopt and take advantage of modern institution-. 'Retween the two are the inhabitants of the vilayet of Kossovo. who. though also devoted to the laud, retain ancient customs, and among whom the vendetta still exists.

Tint ancient customs, and even the existence of vendetta, is no argument

against the right to freedom. Tf it were, tin >ll more than one European countrv should not be free. Whatever is cruel, whatever is in opposition to enlightenment. can be quickly wiped out bv education from a people brave, patriotic, determined and-capable of progress, a people who quickly win the admiration of .'ill who know them. Tf the frontiers of three great victorious Balkan States are thrown far into Albania, they will, in every case, rule over a people only the small majority of whom are the nationality of the victors. Tn the vilayet of Monastir, for example. 40 per cent, of the inhabitants are Mussulmans. The Oreeks make up onlv 2S per cent. Tn the vilayet of Ralonikaonica. the Musselmans are equal in number to Creeks and Bulgarians put together, and the number of Serbs is infinitesimal. Tll the Sandjaek of Drama

there are 122.(100 Mussulmans out of a population of 104.000. tho Bulgarians numbcrin<r only 4300. Tn tho Seutavi vilayet, with the exception of a few •Tows, practically the entire population is Albanian. Tn the district of Janina, C! recce has for a lengthy ppviod carried on a vigorous propaganda. Slip lias succeeded in introducing her language and religion to a considerable extent, but not even the Orthodox Christian Albanians consider themselves as any other than Albanians. Tt lias often been stated that religious i differences are the cause of strife and disunion in Albania. That is emphatically not the case. Helicon has never been the cause of ill-will and division. Ask an Albanian if lie is a "Mussulman—and (he majoritv are -and he will invariablv renlv that he is an Albanian. Tn TTigh Albania there are many mixed 'banners''—composed of Mussulmans and Christians, and (hey live in perfect harmony together. When the. Christian Albanian U unable to find a priest for his religious affairs, he does not hesitate to call ill (lie imam. Tn the district of dusine. for example, there are oulv nS Catholics in a population of 11.Sl7. a population livino- in a primitive state, and bellicose in character. Yet

religious animosity does not exist. In tiie Mirdit district the proportion is reversed, and peace reigns. The Albanians, in short, have preserved the unifying factors of language and nationality for centuries, despite I all the pressure of Bulgarian, Greek, and Serb. They are determined to have their freedom. Do not let Europe, or England at least, "be guilty of a fresh attempt to force this people into thraldom, either of lightly-veiled Ottoman rule or of definite Slavisation.