THE “EVACUATION” OF EPIRUS
informed the Greek Chamber that the delimitation of Northern Epirus would undoubtedly be settled at the Peace Congress. We think, therefore, that it would be a graceful act if Italy were to affirm her solidarity with the Alliance by withdrawing all her troops from Epirus and Corfu and trust the Government of Mr. Venizelos to respect the frontier as delimited in 1913, subject to its reconsideration at the end of the war. Greece being now our Ally may: surely be trusted to guard and to keep open for the benefit of the Alliance the road from Santi Quaranta to Koritsa.
It may, of course, be premature to discuss the evacuation of the “Santi Quaranta triangle,” for quite recently the Italian authorities, in happy ignorance of the decisions of the Paris Conference, were still in occupation of villages as far south as Philiate and as far east as Samarina and Metzovo. Confining ourselves, therefore, to general principles, we would merely remind the strategists of our Alliance that Italy’s primary objective lies in the northern Adriatic and is not brought sensibly nearer by the elaboration of defensive measures against Greek villagers.
We feel bound, in this matter, to call the attention of the British Government to its obligations to Mr. Venizelos, who has proved himself worthy of their trust, and to insist on their loyal support of him in his difficult task. The Allies, in conference in Paris, made promises to him which must be redeemed.
Austria: A Study in Confusion
Political chaos reigns in Vienna. The picture of Austrian confusion presented in these pages on 19 July (see The New Europe, No. 40) still holds good. Emperor, Government, and Peoples are in a state of unexampled disarray owing to the conflicting claims of the nations composing the Dual Monarchy.
The first stumbling-block for Dr. Seidler was the project of a parliamentary Sub-Committee for the revision of the Constitution. It almost brought about a split of the Slav bloc owing to the uncompromising attitude of the Czechs. The Jugoslavs and Ruthenes apparently agreed to take part ip the Sub-Committee while the Czechs were by no means unanimous in the matter, though it was a question
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