ITALY AND JUGOSLAVS

Waikato Times, Volume 89, Issue 13814, 19 July 1918, Page 3

ITALY AND JUGOSLAVS

AUSTRIA'S ANXIETIES INCREASED

The anxieties of Austria with regard to her subject races have been immensely increase*! within the last few weeks hv the drawing together of Italy and the Jugoslavs. I'ntil the present year the antipathies between Italians and the Slavonic populations with whom they come into contact 011 their eastern frontiers and along the coast of Balniatia constituted an of- j fective element of strength to the Ausrian Empire. It is indeed related that I shortly after the Italian declaration tf war upon Austria in May, 1i» 1;1. some of the Southern Slavs who had not yet been conscripted volunteered to serve in the Austrian armies against the Italian enemy. The bitter racial feud that has so long existed between Italians and Slavs is partly due to the general growth of radical consciousness which has been such a factor all over the world during the last half-century, and partly to the deliberate action of the Austrian Government. In the old days of the Venetian Republic numerous Italian settlements were established along the eastern side of the Adriatic in spots where the natural advantages of the coast created facilities for a harbour. It was a commercial expansion leading to the creation of what may be called, in comparison with the corresponding expansion of Britain across the Atlantic, a New Italy across the Adriatic Sea. And as long as Italy herself was divided, and living under various forms of foreign or I ecclesiastical rule, no grave political question arose as the result of this Italian dispersion; but when Italy became united in 1870, her sons and daughters across the Adriatic held out their arms asking for union with her. The Austrian Government promptly realised the danger to themselves 111 such a movement, and proceeded astutely to counter it by giving encouragement to the Slavs as against the Italians. Class interests probably to some extent assists this policy, for the Italians in the main represent the upper and commercial classes. But during the past generation the Slavs have been moving upwards in the social scale, and with that progress their racial conscientiousness has been considerably developed. The favours they received from the Austrian Government have further helped them. It is indeed alleged by the Italians that men of Italian birth who wished for promotion in the Austrian Civil Service had to pretend that they were of Slavonic birth. The net result was that throughout Dalmatia and Croatia, a strong Southern Slav movement has been developed directed primarily against the Italian element in the population, and in the second place against the overlordship of the Austrian-Germans

Obviously when Italy declared war] upon Austria it was her policy to try] to persuade the Jugoslavs to alter the 1 relative position of these two animosities. Indeed, the true policy of Italy was to try to convert the anti-Italiau feeling of the Jugoslavs into a proItalian feeling. That the Italian Government as a Government realised this necessity of the situation there as good reason to believe; but their lianas were tied by the active agitation -Tjf the Italian Irredentist party, inspired bv fhe Italian settlers in Dal mat ia. The action of these latter was intelligible enough. For years they had :*uffered under an Austrian tyranny. At last their Motherland had declare*: war upon Austria, and they thought "they saw the day of their liberation ap-! preaching. In their minds the ittca of liberation was essentially connected with the idea of unity with therr ltali-i an Motherland. Xor could they at i moment's notice shake off tlft bitter feelings that had been generated be - tween themselves and their 'Klavoni c neighbours by a generation of rivalry. Consequently the Italian IrreSentis ts energetically demanded that the Itali?,n Government should insist, as -part jf the price of her alliance with tho Western Powers, on the annexation of Italy of a long stretch of tire Dalm ntissi coast, together with piaxtica 11 y all fhe islands in the Adri&rie, ' ;he wbofce of the Istrian Peninsula, and the important harbour of FSume. 'To sctnie extent the Italian Government had to yield to this urgent political dema ml, wßh the result that tht whole- i!ago? lav movement became even more furiously antHltalian than before.

At last the hard fadfcs of i\cir t.ave compelled the 1 rre dentists to modify their .-demands, and tb>e 'ltalian Government has consequently !i»ran eiableil to adopt a policy which the wiser Italians from the outset saw to be ntcessary. WeMieartily congintiilEft*. oirr Italian ally on this very "happy solution of a difficult problem. This modification in Itafean padicy was ajfjuiwud kiuring the Conference of the Oppressed Nationalities :>Of Austria-lihaaigany wftith was held in Rome ab<o.u.t a aiiuiith:.-ngo. A report of the agreement then reached between a number «f [jutmiiwiit Italians a number ait" ;pn«Kiiin«ifct Jugoslavs is ptblished in the New Europe for 'May. Of necessity the agreement could hardjv be p»i'wine ai* ;to ;i rontier details, though these may ultimately prove to be of critb-ai inrportaii'.-e. But it did lay down sound basic principles. It -recognise 1 that tint- in teres fc yd' the Italians and of the J Jugoslavs asraifiinst Austria wer» the san». 'Ta.> both it of vital importance to fiestrm the power of Auvtria, for »eifhtr ltAb' nor Augo;Hjr'.'ia< ca,»i be senujne <tf national life if the Austrian Irlmpi-r'-mains intact. The tw® parties therefore agree that they «i!l .settle 'their difference's as far as pcwts'il>l<t by tihidflic territi ries in on the basis of Rationality. Thiyfannotin e.v. ry case lie dune, because the two raci'sre intermingled, and therefore the conference thai in every **a« whei-i n minority is compelled to remain under the rule uf another race it sfcill lx "SM&r&uftati I th t right to its owa> language, culture, and moral arid ecu noiti.it- intert-sts." It may be a>v.mm<>H that this ajreemext will be — ijai'bicii j»r©baiMy ntaj'ly has been —fully accepted bv the '.ltalian Government. 33we receutV M. /'lemonreau in Paris, in addressing ri presents ives of the Aihtriau ©jyjiossei natioiualiti»*s, has givm his ent'hiiisiastit' approval to their general poTby. fl'leat it w'i'l meet with approval ijj this .country may now lie taken for But here again conversion ha* c.ome rather late, .lust as the Italian Government in the earlier days of the war :*>ade the mistake of antagonising the Jugoslavs, so the British Government, and t!i«> Americans too for that m!!ttt>r, up till quite recently appeared to hanker after some I kind of agreement wih'i Austria, which I must of nec(»ssijt ha\v negiflived for l all time the aspirations both of the

Jugoslavs and of the Italians. This pro-Austrian policy is m;\v, we mav fairly hope, absolutely dead. \V ( . can allj.ee quite clearly J hat Au-tria-j'lun-gal'v is but iin on ! j.'-i-itl" of tiv ( 1 1 ■ ; , ;j 11 Kmpire. Within:; tiiTi-iaw t !■ e ust.roHungarian Knipirc nil.-. i,re;.k in pieces; '.villi (Vrinauy J he Aust r<>-! luugarian Empire is an instrii.iueat ti/ tyranny ever rai e« wlm. in ;i/i oft ipiotcd phrysc, are " right-y si to trt'e.' i:ii ex reprcsi'ijf ,ir least ha't t'■ c' | *>:■:i':ll inn fit' nutria Hungary, and if their «.-ti\«• assisltuj... can be obtaiacij they \'.i!i inn>tit:it<- \ '• ory :i:ij.'ji-;anl fador i;i the balance o' - st rc-..rth thet j.vi'l i : . • -r;=ti:u> 11., ui tJ.e *•.ar. Alr«-aiijviiarj*

croming from Austria through Switzerland and Holland indicate that the new orientation of tali an polity is producing a marked effect wifc&iu the Emperor Karl's dominions. There are j stories of disturbances created both by j Czechs and Jugoslavs. TThe sittings of j the Reichsratk have been suspended be- j cause the -Government ffiiirtiot trust this j Assembly, wh h its lar<jp 81av member- I ship. Indeed, the Austrian Government! in an apparent lit of r-.'spair, are now taking steps which cluSftrlv lead in the (lirecJSon of at break-up of the Austrian Empire. It %s proposeg that in order to focilitati the distribution of food the German portions of Bohemia and j Austrian Tyrol shall k 1 for this ]"iirj»ose.! treated as part of the- German Empire. 1 To Yrave advanced te this ]ioint brings! utear the ' lav, long dexirrdj bv -many Austro-Gen ians, when all t!u\j Genaan areas in Austria will become; jiart of th* German' Empire. It is al-il most 'unnwessary t* add that every!] HfOTiement in this direction must ; n-'J tensity th* anti-Ger nan feeling of titer) | Slafr«riiv anbjects of the Austrian Ebb- j [ pise-—SjWKvtator.