STATEMENT OF THE NATIVES OF KORYTSA AND KOLONIA MEMBERS OF THE PAN-EPIROTIC UNION IN AMERICA IN REPLY TO THE DECLARATION OF THE PAN-ALBANIAN FEDERATION IN AMERICA DECEMBER • 1919 BY THE PAN-EPIROTIC UNION IN AMERICA 7 WATER STREET, BOSTON, MASS. *£rt Js,E CHAIRMAN OF THE PEACE CONFERENCE PARIS, FRANCE In the month of May we addressed to your Excellency a memoran- dum stating the reasons for which we believed that the Districts of Korytsa and Kolonia should be united with Greece. 1 That memoran- dum was signed by nearly 2,000 natives of those Districts, residents of the United States of America. The Pan-Albanian Federation in America has replied a few months later, accusing us of having deliberately misstated the case of the Districts of Korytsa and Kolonia. We ask, therefore, the indul- gence of the Peace Conference to reply to those accusations briefly: (1) We are attacked because in our memorandum of May we stated that "the Christian population of those Districts constitutes the object of the Peace Delegation's concern." In that statement the Christian Epirotes were far from advocating that the interests of Mohammedans should be sacrificed to the Christian Epirotes. We have merely stated the opinion already expressed at the Peace Con- ference that whenever Christians and Moslems are intermixed in nearly equal numbers and a decision is to be made as to who should have the right of governing the other, it has always followed the policy of placing the Moslems under the government of Christians, rather than of placing the Christians under Moslem rule. (2) We regret that the Albanian memorandum conveys the impression that our statement concerning the sentiments of the 47,827 Christians in Korytsa and Kolonia was based solely on "letters that are supposed to have been received from people living in those Districts, and upon fantastical school statistics in regard to the Dis- trict of Korytsa." 2 Our memorandum of last May asks the Peace Conference to refer to the French Military Governor of Korytsa and receive from him 1 See Appendix 1. 2 See Appendix 2. 72076 an authentic statement as to the national sentiments of the Christians under French Administration in Korytsa. May we, however, adduce a few more proofs of the Hellenic sentiments of the people of that District? (a) The testimony of foreigners who have visited the Sandjak of Korytsa : Arnold Toynbee, of King's College, London, in his "Greek Policies Since 1883," writes: "Greek nationalism is not an artificial conception of theorists, but a real force which impels all fragments of Greek-speaking popu- lations to make sustained efforts towards political union within the national state. The most striking example of this attractive power is afforded by the problem of Epirus (Himarra, Argyrocastro, Korytsa." (Page 26.) Rene Puaux, in La Malheureuse Epire, 1913, writes: "Ten thousand Epirotes, refugees, have arrived here (Corfu). The Albanians have burned their homes. "But after the fall of Jannina, hope has filled their hearts. In the future the Greek Province of Epirus will be free. Under the protec- tion of the Greek flag, they will return to Parga, Senitsa, Nivitsa, Korytsa." (b) The revolution in 1914 against Albania: "The rising which is now embarrassing Prince William and is causing him to contemplate taking the field at the head of an Albanian Army was only to be expected. The Epirotes are behaving in the manner that could confidently have been predicted." Spectator, London, April 11, 1911. "The 250,000 Greeks who were included in the new Albania by the Powers are reported in revolt. The Greeks of Epirus expected to be united with their fatherland under the treaty parceling out the Balkan territory and were disappointed, so they propose fighting to bring Greek Epirus under the Greek flag. Reports in the European press say that they hold the important town of Korytsa." The Liter- ary Digest, April 18, 1914. 2 In a lecture delivered in Morley Hall, January 7, 1913, entitled "Northern Epirus in 1913," Colonel Murray, A.M.,C.B.,N.V.O., said: "The Premeti and Argyrocastro battalions are composed of as fine a body of fighting men as there are in Europe. "There are five thousand well-trained men of the Sacred Legion in the Korytsa District alone, and even if they do not get enough help from other parts of Epirus, they are numerous and strong enough with their local knowledge of the country to hold their own against the Albanian force which could reach them from Berat. We may depend upon it that if the Epirotes are forced to fight, they will fight to a finish." (c) Other witnesses: The war correspondents of the great European Dailies, Franz Jensen, of the Matin; Rene Puaux, of the Temps; Magrini, of the Secolo; Engnath, of the Koelnische Zeitung; Herr Tschentcher, of the Berlin Central Press; Captain Trapman, of the Daily Telegraph; C. S. Butler, of the Daily Mail, etc. 1 (3) We are accused of having given "fantastical school statis- tics." We give the school statistics of foreigners generally recognized as Balkan authorities, as well as of natives of Epirus. 2 (a) Amadori Virgili, in La Questione Rumeliota e la Politica Italiana, published by the Institute Geographico de Agostini, Rome, 1908, gives for the Sandjak of Korytsa 51 Greek schools, with 10,395 Greek scholars, and only one Albanian school, with 60 Albanian scholars.* Mr. C. S. Butler wrote in the Manchester Guardian of September 30, 1914: "At Korytsa, where my visit coincided with that of the Greek Crown Prince in May of last year (1913), I witnessed a parade of 2,125 Greek school children of both sexes from five years up to sixteen, who beamed with joy and pride as they filed past the Prince, cheering and waving their little Greek flags. The same day I witnessed an enthusiastic parade of the women of the town, foremost among whom I noticed my own hostess, who habitually speaks Albanian in her own home. I find it hard to believe that these 1900 women, all of whom were respectable middle-class matrons, were secretly pining 1 See Appendix 2. 2 See Appendix 3. 3 See Appendix 3. for the delights of Albanian rule and were driven to this demonstra- tion at the point of the Greek bayonet. Indeed, I can testify that it almost required a bayonet to persuade them to disperse after the celebration. And yet, we have been assured for years by Miss Dur- ham and other Albanian sympathizers, that Korytsa is the intellectual centre of the Albanian race ! The only traces of Albanian educational movement I was able to discover there were a small Albanian printing press, established under foreign encouragement some years ago, and now no longer in operation, and an Albanian school for girls, founded and carried on by American missionaries, with some sixty pupils, recruited from the whole Province of Korytsa." Colonel Murray, in his lecture which we have mentioned above, said: "I shall never forget standing at Korytsa, side by side with one of the International Commissioners, who shall be nameless, and who was watching the scene passing in the street below us. A procession was going by the house in the midst of which were the girls of the school, waving their flags and singing national songs of liberty, when one girl stopped before the house and held up a scroll on which she had embroidered with great labor in letters of gold the words, 'Enosis e Thanatos,' Union or Death. She just held up the scroll for us to see, and I never can forget the sweet, gentle, upturned face, majestic in its childishness, and beautiful in its innocence, and yet expressive of her brave determination to suffer, if required to do so, for hearth and home and nationality and faith. I could see the tears stand in the diplomatist's eyes as he turned away with the words, 'I can stand this no longer. If I look any more I shall break down and be accused of being a Philhellene.' Even diplomacy has its human side." (4) We are accused of attempts to minimize the numbers of the Albanians in the United States. The Albanian Federation, in all its memoranda which have come to our attention, declares that the number of Albanians in the United States is from 60,000 to 70,000. Mr. C. Chekrezi, the editor of a book "Albania," declares that the number of Albanians in the United States is 40,000. Mr. Chekrezi is an executive officer of the Albanian Federation in America. The numbers given by the Albanian Federation, as well as by Mr. Chekrezi, are altogether exaggerated. We base this statement upon official information : (a) The United States census of 1910, in stating the number of aliens in the country, gives only 2,235 Albanians. That census was taken on the basis of mother tongue. It is well known that practically all the Northern Epirotes use an Albanian patois as their mother tongue. It is, therefore, not unlikely that many Greek Epirotes are included in the number 2,235, reported to constitute the Albanian nationality in the United States in 1910. (b) Since 1910, the Immigration Bureau has no records of Albanian nationality having entered the United States. The Albanian Federation, in its memorandum under consider- ation, explains the absence of the Albanian nationality in the records of the Immigration Bureau in this manner: "The largest number of Albanian immigrants came to the United States since the occupation of Southern Albania, including Northern Epirus, by the Greek troops, in 1912, and especially after the fatal year of 1914, when fugitives and refugees arrived in America." "Moreover, the report of the Bureau of Immigration that in its records there is no Albanian nationality is easily explained by the fact that the immigration authorities listed the Albanians as Ottoman subjects, the United States having never had an occasion of recogniz- ing the short-lived independent State of Albania." In other words, the Albanian Federation in America admits that until 1910 there were no more than 2,235 Albanians in the United States; that the additional "68,000" Albanians now here have entered the country since 1912; and that they are "listed as Ottoman subjects." We have applied to the Immigration Bureau at Washington. The authorities were very kind to furnish us with the following table, entitled Immigration from Turkey (European and Asiatic) from 1912 to 1919: 1912 Bulg. Armen. and Serb. Europe Asia 394 4,242 3,146 42 Greek 7,134 2,147 Hebrew Roum. 760 135 621 5 Syrian 64 4,654 Other Turkiih Peoples 368 796 Total by Races 19,766 5,683 36,374 6,523 313 21,901 5,188 2,580 281 6,797 Total 14,481 12,788 Total 4,636 3,188 9,281 1,381 140 4,718 1,164 2,861 27,269 1913 Europe Asia 442 7,369 1,589 38 9,374 5,192 1,007 1,046 101 1 48 8,224 303 1,385 1,264 701 14,128 23,955 Total 7,811 1,627 14,566 2,053 102 8,272 1,688 1,965 38,083 1914 Europe Asia 353 6,097 782 37 3,631 4,946 1,408 844 57 7 50 7,772 504 1,683 1,414 330 8,199 21,716 Total 6,450 819 8,577 2,252 64 7,822 2,187 1,744 29.915 1915 Europe Asia 67 526 39 5 647 1,460 156 324 7 8 1,036 25 84 59 108 1,008 3,543 Total 593 44 2,107 480 7 1,044 109 167 4,551 1916 Europe Asia 28 112 229 1,279 23 235 30 8 7 25 7 313 1,670 Total 140 1,508 258 — 30 15 32 1,983 1917 Europe Asia 12 83 3 1 111 205 12 82 — 5 12 10 2 7 152 393 Total 95 4 316 94 — 5 22 9 545 1918 Europe Asia 15 13 __ 9 7 2 — 8 3 11 25 44 Total 28 16 2 — 8 3 11 58 1919 Europe Asia 4 9 2 1 3 — 2 _^__ 1 7 10 19 Total 13 3 3 — 2 8 29 It is easily seen that from 1912 to 1919 the total number of Turks who entered the United States is 5,188, of whom only 1,220 came from European Turkey. It is unnecessary for us to state that all the Albani- ans come from European Turkey. We have, then, 2,235 Albanians until 1916, and 1,220 Turks from Europe until 1919, or a total of 3,455. It is readily recognized that neither the United States census of 1910 nor the Immigration Bureau at Washington could have com- mitted such an enormous error of reporting nearly 4,000 Albanians in lieu of 70,000 which are reported by the Albanian Federation in America. But the memorandum of the Albanian Federation in America tries to give an additional explanation for the absence of the 70,000 Albanians in the records of the Immigration authorities in the United States. It asserts that the Christian Albanians "fugitives and refugees" came to this country "with Greek passports." This asser- tion is altogether absurd. "Refugees and fugitives" fleeing the Greeks could not equip themselves with "Greek passports." 6 The Albanian Federation refers the Peace Delegates to the "statis- tics of registration for the selective draft conducted in June, 1917, by the United States Government." The following is a letter from the Adjutant General's Office at Washington, in reply to our inquiry whether the number of Alban- ians registered under the War Act (Selective Draft) of June, 1917, could be determined: "The Adjutant General's Office Room 248, December 17, 1919 "Dear Mr. Cassavetes: "There is no data at present available from which a statement can be made showing the number of Albanians who registered or were inducted under the Act of 1917, or who registered during the period of the war. Such information may possibly be included in the third and final report which is now in the hands of the printers and is not accessible. "The A. G. 0. — War Dept." It is so curious that the Albanian memorandum should refer us for accurate information on the numbers of Albanians in the United States to the Adjutant General's office. It is evident from the letter of the Adjutant General that the Albanian Federation could not have had any information from that office. In this case also, the insincerity of* the Albanian memorandum becomes very clear. The United States Treasury Department has been kind to inform us that the number of Albanians in this Country is about 4,000/ The Treasury Department has secured its information in connection with the Liberty Loan Drives from the Albanian societies in America. With the United States Census figures, with the figures of the United States Immigration Bureau, and those of the United States Treasury Department, we believe our statement that the Albanian Federation in America deliberately misrepresents facts, is correct. But in order that the Peace Conference may have every available evidence of the unfair methods and the undignified manner in which the Albanian propaganda is attempting to misrepresent the sentiment 1 In reply to a letter from us to the Treasury Department (Liberty Loan Division), we have received the following note on December 3, 1919: "Albanians — Total in United States about 4,000. Largest number in Massachusetts about 1,600." of our people of Korytsa and Kolonia, we beg leave to state that we have ourselves carried out an investigation, the result of which agrees completely with the numbers of Albanians given by the official United States authorities. In the New York Herald (Paris edition of April 1, 1919), the following statement was issued by the Albanian Delegation at Paris: "The following despatch has been cabled from Boston by the Orthodox Albanian Communities settled throughout the United States. It formulates the aspiration of all the Albanian Christians to be attached politically to the Albanian State: To Mehmed Konitza, Grand Hotel, Paris. Boston, Saturday. — Please communicate to President Wilson, Barone Sonnine and Premiers Lloyd George and Clemenceau the following resolution unanimously passed on March 16 by the Holy Council of the Albanian Orthodox Church of America and signed by the Russian Archbishop, Alexander Bew, Albanian clergy and 124 Orthodox Chris- tian delegates, natives of South Albania, now residing in all parts of the United States and Canada : "The undersigned clergymen and laymen, delegates representing the following fifty-two Orthodox Albanian churches and communi- ties of the United States: Boston, Lynn, Peabody, Quincy, Brockton, Taunton, Worcester, Southbridge, Springfield, Fitchburg, Hudson, Marlboro, Framingham, Natick, Woonsocket, Lonsdale, Central Falls, Biddeford, Saco, Lewiston, Bath, New Bedford, Albany, Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo, New York, Manchester, Concord, Laconia, Tilton, Chicago, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Seattle, Detroit, Philadelphia, Brad- dock, Pittsburgh, New Florence, Portsmouth, Atlantic City, Akron, Youngstown, Niles, Barberton, Waterbury, Bridgeport, Grosvenor- dale, Jamestown, Lowell, Cleveland, Rochdale, and representatives of the Roumanian Church, all of them natives of Southern Albania, assembled in convention under the presidency of His Grace the Russian Archbishop of North America, Alexander, for the purpose of the election of an Albanian Orthodox Bishop, protest with indig- nation against the absurd allegation of M. Venizelos that the Ortho- dox Albanians of Southern Albania favor union with Greece. ( Signed ) Kol Tromara.' " 8 We have written to the Mayors of the cities and towns enumerated above and have asked from them a statement as to the number of Albanians. We have also asked whether there were any Albanian "communities" or churches, or schools in the above-cited cities. The following table contains the results of that investigation. The orig- inal affidavits have been sent to Paris to the Greek Epirotic Delega- tion. 1 We hope that they have already come to the attention of the Peace Conference. 1 See Appendix 4. NUMBER OF ALBANIANS IN THE UNITED STATES ACCORDING TO AFFIDAVITS FROM MAYORS OF THE FOLLOWING CITIES: » City Christians Moslems Total Communities Churches Schools Boston 100 50 150 1 1 Lynn 35 15 50 Peabody 40 12 52 Quincy Brockton 45 15 60 Taunton 20 20 Worcester i70 80 250 1 1 Southbridge 15 110 125 1 10 Springfield 3 3 Fitchburg 7 40 47 Hudson ) „_ Marlboro } 35 35 Framingham 90 10 100 Natick Woonsocket 15 15 Lonsdale 35 150 185 Central Falls 18 18 ££??.:::::::::::::::} » *>° ™ • • • Lewiston 15 10 25 Bath 20 15 35 New Bedford 390 10 400 1 1 . Albany 0. Rochester Syracuse Buffalo 40 5 45 Laconia Tilton Chicago St. Louis 45 105 150 Milwaukee 45 19 64 Seattle 53 53 Detroit 33 70 103 Philadelphia 45 450 495 1 1 Braddock 80 80 Pittsburgh 10 200 210 New Florence Portsmouth Atlantic City Akron 60 20 80 Youngstown Niles Barberton 35 10 45 Waterbury 30 300 330 Bridgeport 25 45 70 Grosvenordale 60 60 Jamestown 95 10 105 Lowell Cleveland 32 2 34 Rochdale New York Manchester 120 10 130 Concord 29 19 48 Total 1,809 2,322 4,131 5 5 1 See samples of affidavits, Appendix 4. 10 Our independent investigation shows that the number of the Albanians in the 36 most important centres of Albanians in the United States is 4,131. It must be stated here that in many cities the authorities are unable to discover any Albanians. This is due to the insignificant number of Albanians there. Often the number of Albanians does not rise beyond ten. But for propaganda pur- poses, the Albanian Federation represents even such small colonies as branches of the Vatra, and denominates them "Albanian Com- munities" with the purpose of misleading the Peace Conference to imagine that the number of Albanians there is considerable if they constitute an Albanian Community. The table indicates that there are in the United States only five Albanian Greek Orthodox Churches. The cable to the Peace Confer- ence which was quoted above from the New York Herald was couched to mislead the Delegates to the Peace Conference to believe that there were 52 Albanian Greek Orthodox Churches in the United States. 1 The Albanian Greek Orthodox Churches are under the spiritual jurisdiction of the Russian Archbishop of New York, who ordains the Albanian Greek Orthodox priests in America. In reply to a letter addressed by us to the Archbishop, His Grace was very kind to send us a copy of the "By-laws of the Corporation of the Archbishop and Consistory of the Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic Church" — 1918, from which we take the following statement, on page 44: "ALBANIAN ORTHODOX CHURCHES AND CLERGY "Boston, Mass., St. George Church, Rev. F. S. Noli, 53 Clarendon Street. Rev. Joseph Kondidi, Ass't of Rector. "Philadelphia, Pa., Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Rev. George Sakelarius. "St. Louis, Mo. Rev. N. Czere 820 No. 12th Street. "Worcester, Mass., Church of the Assumption of Holy Virgin, Rev. Pantelimon Sinica, P. 0. Box 668." It appears, then, that the statistics taken independently of the United States authorities, based upon the affidavits of the Mayors of the various cities of the United States, which have been reported by 1 See Appendix 6. 11 the Albanians as centres of Albanian colonies, agree with the numbers of Albanians in the United States as stated in the Census of the United States, in the reports of the Immigration Bureau and of the Treasury Department. It is evident that the Albanian Federation in America has deliberately exaggerated the numbers. (4) The Albanian Federation "Vatra" challenges us to make good our accusation as to "what kind of subsidies" it formerly re- ceived from Austria and now receives from Italy. We admit that we are not in a position to state the "kind of subsidies," but we refer the Peace Conference to the United States Department of Justice for information as to the subsidies which the "Vatra" has been receiving from the sources we have indicated. 1 15) We are also challenged to substantiate our accusation that the "Vatra" is carrying on a proselytising work to convert the Greek Epirotes to Albanian nationalism. Attached we give a few affidavits of Greek Epirotes who have been promised lucrative positions in the Albanian organization in order to win them to the Albanian side. 2 (6) We deem it unnecessary to comment upon the reported "3,000" signatures of Orthodox Albanians which have been attached to the Albanian memorandum. The Albanian Federation has con- cealed to this day the said signatures. We are accused of not having given publicity to the signatures of our last memorandum. The ac- cusation is utterly false. In the month of May, we mailed 500 copies to the leading newspapers and periodicals in America, England, France, Italy, and Greece, to all the Senators and Representatives of the United States Congress, to the State Department of the United States, and to other prominent American gentlemen. So far as we know, we could not give a wider publicity to our memorandum. More than three months have elapsed since the Albanian memo- randum was sent to the Peace Conference. Nevertheless, the "3,000" signatures have not become available to us. The State Department at Washington writes that it cannot find such signatures in its files 8 ; nor has any important newspaper in this country received them as it appears from our investigation. Is there any reason for this secrecy? We are informed that the signatures consist of Chris- 1 See Appendix 5, page 2, paragraph 7 and on. 2 See Appendix 6. 3 See Appendix 7. 12 tian and Christianized Moslem names. Otherwise, the figure "3,000" never could have been reached depending only upon the Albanian Christians from Korytsa and Kolonia. When the Albanian Federa- tion will publish the signatures, we shall be able to prove that in this case also, as in the case of the "70,000 Albanians in the United States," the Albanians have not had respect for truth. (7) We are accused of having procured signatures on false pre- tences. As evidence of this, the memorandum of the Albanians asserts that many signatories to our last memorandum have pro- tested through the official organ of the Albanians, the "Dielli." We are constant readers of the "Dielli." We have seen only one protest for two Epirotes, residing in Marlboro, Massachusetts. The protest is made by the Albanian society of Marlboro. We reproduce the letter of the Greek Epirotic Society of Marlboro, Massachusetts, in which the Society explains the case of Messrs. Michael Charilaou and Basil Manos: "Hudson, Mass., "August 5, 1919 "Epirotic Society, " The Voice of Epirus,' "Hudson, Marlboro, Mass. "National Pan-Epirotic Union, "Boston, Mass. "We wish to inform you about the following matter : A few months ago, Mr. Dedes from Clinton asked us to get signatures of Korytseans, Koloneans and Leskovikians. We had the signatures of all those of Greek sentiment, among whom were two, namely, Basil Manos and Michael Charilaou whom we did not find home. We knew, however, that they were Greeks, and told the Committee on Signatures to add their names. Now, that these two gentlemen have seen the names of those who have signed our memorandum published daily by the "Dielli," and have seen their names also published, either on account of fear of the Albanians, or an account of change of sentiment, they told us that they will protest through the "Dielli." "We intend to publish in the papers and explain that these gentle- men will cease to be considered Greeks by our Society. "Respectfully, (Signed) "Naoum Golias" is i We challenge the Albanian Federation to send to the United States Department the issues of the "Dielli" in which the "numerous letters of protest" have appeared. 1 As to the case of Messrs. Charilaou and Manos, we believe that the Peace Conference will understand how utterly impossible it is to control the membership of our union so as to bar out any Albanians who ask to sign our petitions only in order to deny afterwards that they have signed them voluntarily, and thus place the other signatures under suspicion. It is remark- able that out of nearly 2,000 signatures only 2 have been mistaken. (8) The Albanian memorandum states that the question of the schools of Korytsa has been dealt with by the Albanians in a previous memorandum to the Peace Conference. This memorandum also has been kept secret. We do not know what are the contents of that memorandum. We know, however, that to-day, under French ad- ministration, there are 2,400 children attending the Greek Schools, and only 200 attending the Albanian school of Korytsa alone. The fol- lowing is a cable received on December 5, 1919, from Mr. Adamides, deputy of Korytsa, for the Greek Parliament (1915), and delegate for the people of Korytsa to the Peace Conference: "Korytsa, November 25, 1919 "Pan-Epirotic Union in America "Boston, Mass. "The Christian inhabitants of Korytsa are indignant at the news that false reports have been circulated under the form of 'corre- spondence from Korytsa,' manufactured by certain agents inimical to the people of Korytsa, and finding their way into the American press. The District of Korytsa is incontestably Greek. The great evidence of the Hellenic sentiments of the people of Korytsa is the number of the Greek scholars attending the Greek schools. The number of the Greek scholars attending the Greek schools is 2,400, whereas the number of Albanian scholars is only 200, the latter being the children of Albanian officials serving the Albanian Admin- 1 The Pan-Epirotic Union has on file all the issues of the "Dielli" since last May. We find, on investigation, that, with the exception of the two cases mentioned above, the signatories to our memorandum of last May reported to have protested against us in letters sent to the Albanian Federation are ready to furnish us sworn statements declaring that they have never sent such letters of protest to the Albanians, and the letters are false. The number of protests reported in the "Dielli" are only 32. Two of them alone are genuine. As soon as the affidavits arrive, we shall forward them to the Peace Conference. 14 istration, which was established in 1916 for political reasons by the French military authorities. The Albanian High School had last year 26 students, and this year 13, although it spends large sums of money to attract students. "When in 1916 the French military authorities established an Albanian civil government, the Albanian police and the Albanian Courts were prosecuting and condemning the citizens of Korytsa for the most insignificant exhibition on the part of these of their Hellenic sentiment. The Albanian gendarmarie consists of the lowest types, formerly highway robbers and thieves, because no honest citi- zen of Korytsa would agree to serve in their ranks. In spite of every kind of oppression on the part of the artificial Albanian civil author- ities, the citizens of Korytsa persist in their convictions in considering themselves Greeks, and are day by day expecting the arrival of the Greek troops. The Albanian gendarmarie has become a veritable tyrannical force. Under its auspices, a black-hand society has been organized, which was responsible for the assassination of the super- intendent of the Greek schools of Korytsa, late Guini, last March. During the first days of last September it was rumored that this black-hand society would throw bombs into the Greek schools with the purpose of intimidating the parents not to send their children to the Greek schools. The French authorities took drastic measures and frustrated the Albanian attempt. In retaliation for this action of the French authorities, the Albanian black-hand society twice attempted to blow up the Headquarters of the French Governor. The assassin was seized and sent to Salonica. In spite of all these hardships and intimidations, the Greek schools are filled to capacity with scholars of both sexes. "Fortunately, the French Military Governor has begun lately to take serious measures to insure security of life for all the inhabitants of the District of Korytsa. "Very soon I shall cable you information about the schools out- side of Korytsa where the Greek sentiment is prevalent. I shall also enumerate the murders and assassinations which the Albanian gen- darmarie has committed against the Hellenic population. 1 (Signed) "Adamides." 1 See Appendix 9. 15 (9) The accusation that our revolution in 1914 against Albania was fictitious, we pass as unworthy of reply. The fact that the Great Powers met our representatives at Corfu in 1914, and nego- tiated with them the Pact of Corfu, in which Northern Epirus, Korytsa included, was recognized as Greek in every respect, proves sufficiently the genuineness of our revolution against Albania. (10) Finally, the accusation that our Pan-Epirotic Union in America is governed by men who are not from Korytsa nor from Northern Epirus, "but who are Greeks," is unfair and false. The governing body of the Pan-Epirotic Union consists of a President, who comes from Northern Epirus (District of Delvinon), a Vice- President and a Secretary (from Argyrocastro), and four Trustees from other parts of Northern Epirus, such as Premeti and Himarra, and three from Greek Epirus. Now it is curious that the Albanian memorandum, while claiming that the inhabitants of Greek Epirus are Albanians, denominates the members of the governing Council of the Pan-Epirotic Union who come from Greek Epirus, "Greeks." 1 Your Excellency, we have more than once cabled to the Peace Conference petitions, imploring that a solution be speedily given to our Epirotic problem. The State Department in this country is in a position to inform the Peace Conference as to our numbers and the desire of us all for union with the mother country, Greece. The false representations of our enemies, we hope, will not be taken seriously by the Supreme Council who are to decide upon our future. Your Obedient Servants The Pan-Epirotic Union in America N. J. Cassavetes, Director 1 See Appendix 8. 16 APPENDIX I Christian Science Monitor, October 23, 1919 GREEK VIEW OF EPIRUS QUESTION Proposal to Include Sanjak of Korytza in New Albania Is Condemned as Ethnologically and Geographically Unsound. New York, New York — All information available in reliable Greek quarters goes to show that the real Greek view of the northern Epirus question stands in as great need of being better understood as does the Greek view of the Thracian question. Here, as in the Thracian question, Great Britain, France, Italy, and Japan are all agreed on a boundary line between Albania and Greece in northern Epirus which would run roughly from a point on the coast just northwest of Dryades to the southern end of Lake Ochida, and would include in Greece the sanjak of Korytza. The United States delegates at the conference in Paris alone stand out for handing over the sanjak of Korytza to Albania. Influence of American Missionaries In opposing this view of the United States dele- gates, the Greeks insist that the American delegates are again being influenced unduly by the American missionaries in the sanjak, who, for several years past, have been carrying on the only Albanian school there is in Korytza, and who quite honestly, but, as the Greeks contend, quite mistakenly, have taken up the position that the people of Korytza are really Al- banians and not Greek Epirotes. These missionaries, so the Greeks affirm, insist that the demand for union with Greece, which is everywhere to be heard in Korytza, is largely attributable to Greek propaganda, and that the Korytzan needs to be reclaimed for Albania. To this end they have been working for some time, and as one of these missionaries repre- sented the interests of southern Albania at the Peace Conference, the Greeks maintain that the American delegates have taken their views from him. The Korytzan a Greek Epirote This view that the Korytzan is really an Albanian and not a Greek Epirote is, the Greeks declare, based on a failure to appreciate a very elementary ety- mological fact. The great mass of the people of northern Epirus are bilingual. They speak an Al- banian patois in their homes, but they read and write in Greek, and, until the inauguration, some years be- fore the war, of a vigorous Albanian propaganda subsidized by both Italy and Austria, the northern Epirote never thought of himself as anything else but Greek. To-day, the Greeks point to the fact that after IS years of strenuous labor the one Albanian school in Korytza against the 72 Greek schools rep- resents the utmost that the advocates of this theory, ignorantly though quite honestly acquiesced in by the American missionaries, have to show. All this, of course, only applies to the Christian population, for the population of the sanjak is about equally divided between Orthodox Greek Epirotes and Muhammadan Albanians, with a majority in favor of the Christian Epirotes. The Greeks claim that with the question of nationality so equally di- vided all other considerations, economic, strategic, and cultural would give the sanjak to Greece. Christian Science Monitor, November 21, 1919 CLAIMS OF GREECE AND ALBANIA TO CITY OF KORYTZA Peace Conference Must Decide Which of the Two Countries Shall Own It — Greece Shown to Be the Logical Possessor. By Special Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor. Athens, Greece — As the Peace Conference has yet to determine whether Korytza and the surround- ing country shall be owned by Greece or Albania, it is a matter of interest to study the relation of this city to the surrounding country. Korytza is a city of about 10,000 inhabitants, in the vilayet of Janina, located in a wide plain watered by the Devol River. It was guaranteed to Albania in 1913 after the Bal- kan War, but as the bulk of the inhabitants are Greeks, the minority being Albanians and Slavs, Greece has claimed it on the basis of self-determination, as well as for economic and strategic reasons. Economic and Strategic Aspects In addition to these facts the population of Korytza, demanding union with Greece, is larger than that wanting union with Albania, and culturally the Greeks there are incomparably superior to the Albanians. There are, however, two other considerations affect- ing Korytza of too much practical importance to be disregarded, namely, the economic and the strategic aspects. The Pindus range, running from Lake Ochrida to Thermopylae, cuts southern (Greek) Epirus completely off from southern (Greek) Macedonia. The commer- cial relations established from ancient times between Greek and Serbian Macedonia and Epirus will be completely broken if Korytza is given to Albania. The only commercial route between Janina, Fiorina, Monastir, and Salonika passes through Argyrokastron and Korytza. If Korytza is given to Albania, the nine-tenths of Epirus which will go to Greece will be cut off entirely from all economic intercourse with Macedonia. As a result of this, both Epirus and Macedonia will deteriorate economically. 17 Cut off from Albania On the other hand, Albania will not gain econom- ically by the acquisition of Korytza. A glance at the map will show that the district of Korytza is bounded on the east by Greek and Serbian Mace- donia; on the north by the ranges of the Tomaros Mountains, more than 7,000 feet high, which render communications impossible between Korytza and the nearest Albanian towns of Berat and Elbasan. On the west, Korytza will be bounded by Greek northern Epirus, and on the south by Greek Epirus and Greek Macedonia. No direct communication between Albania and the district of Korytza can be possible for many years to come; Korytza, then, the prosperous district of northern Epirus, will be isolated. Its commerce will dwindle away, and the city of Korytza will cease to be, what it is to-day, the thoroughfare of all the trade between Epirus and Macedonia. It is, perhaps, in place to state here that northern Epirus, including Korytza, is completely cut off from Albania by the Pindus on the east, by the Tomaros and by the Acroceraunean Mountains on the north. The Pindus range reaches 7,500 feet, the Tomaros 8,000 and upward, and the Acrocerauneans 6,700 feet. The only pass through which northern Epirus communicates with southern Albania is a narrow gorge near Tepeleni, wide enough to allow one auto- mobile to pass through it at a time. But the Tepeleni Pass will go to Greece, as it is reported from Paris, and even if Tepeleni were given to Albania, that pass is not an adequate means of communication between Albania and Korytza. Greece at a Disadvantage Strategically, the exclusion of Korytza from Greece leaves the whole of Greek northern Epirus, and, in fact, all of northern Greece in the air by cutting it off from communication with Salonika. The great trunk road from Santi Quaranta to Korytza, Mon- astir, and Salonika will be blocked to the mobiliza- tion of Greek troops from southern Macedonia. If a strong army is concentrated in Korytza and thrown against Epirus, Argyrokastron and Janina will be at the mercy of the enemy. Greece will have to dis- patch troops to Epirus from Macedonia by a round- about sea route from Salonika to the Corinthian Isthmus, and thence to Preveza and Janina. On the other hand, if Greece concentrates a strong army in northern Epirus, Albania cannot hold Korytza. In conclusion, then, Albanian Korytza will mean for Greece economic deterioration of Greek Epirus and Greek Macedonia without any benefit to Al- bania's economic condition. Strategically, the loss of Korytza will be for Greece a constant danger to her northern provinces in case Albania becomes the tool of a great power. Or again, the acquisition of isolated Korytza by Albania may tempt the Greeks to seize upon it without Albania being able to pro- tect it. Thus, an Albanian answer to the question of Korytza would do Albania no good and Greece much harm. There seems, in this case, to be a fortunate agreement between concrete, practical interests, and abstract, national ideals in a decision favorable to Greece. Christian Science Monitor, November 25, 1919 THE GREEK CLAIM TO KORYTZA (Editorial) Although the claim, put forward by Greece, that, in the final settlement of the northern Epirus ques- tion, the town and sanjak of Korytza shall be ceded to Greece, has support from many sources, perhaps the one that makes most immediate appeal is the geographical one. The Greek claim to Korytza on the basis of race is, of course, quite irrefragable. There is no question with those who know anything about the Christian Epirote that he is a Greek of Greeks; whilst it is a matter of simple record that of the two races inhabiting the sanjak, namely, the Orthodox Greeks and the Muhammadan Albanians, the Orthodox Greeks are in a decided majority. From a cultural point of view, the ethnological question being settled in favor of Greece, the claims of the Greek are overwhelming. All the culture in the sanjak is Greek culture. Of the 73 schools in Kor- ytza, no less than 72 are Greek ; whilst the one which is Albanian owes its existence and maintenance mainly to the efforts of American missionaries. It is, however, the "geographic claim" which, other things being equal, is the most striking. From time immemorial, the only road connecting the towns and villages of Epirus with the towns and villages of Serbian Macedonia, as it is to-day, has run through Korytza. Winding in and out amidst the valleys of one of the most mountainous countries in Europe, it finds its way from the Adriatic at Prevesa to the iEgean at Salonika. In passing through Korytza, which lies at the apex of the great triangle formed by the Tomaros and the Pindus mountains, this road makes straight for the only gap between the two ranges, namely, that lying between Lake Orchida and Lake Presba. Korytza has no outlet either to the iEgean or to the Adriatic, except along this road. With Albania, to which the United States delegates to the Peace Conference, alone amongst the represen- tatives of the powers, are desirous of uniting the san- jak, it has no communication of any value at all, from a commercial point of view. The only com- munication of any kind is through the Acroceraunear and Tomaros mountains, by a narrow road running along the banks of the Voiussa River as it forces its way through the pass of Tepeleni. No trade of any importance has ever been carried on over this road, and the people of Korytza have never been accus- tomed to have much dealing with the people at the other side of the great barrier. An Albanian Korytza, therefore, must mean the economic deterioration of northern Epirus, artificially cut off from its natural trade outlet eastward. Whilst for Korytsa itself, practically isolated at it would be, it could only mean deterioration also. The whole proposal to hand over Korytza to Al- bania is based on a curious misconception, for which 18 the American missionaries in the sanjak are largely responsible. The contention is that the northern Epirote, inasmuch as he speaks Albanian, is really an Albanian and not a Greek. Now the great mass of the people in northern Epirus are bilingual. They speak an Albanian patois in their homes, but they read and write in Greek, and until the inauguration, some years ago, of a carefully organized propaganda, subsidized by both Austria and Italy, the northern Epirote never thought of himself as anything else but Greek. Such, at any rate, is the Greek claim, and, whatever the rights of the matter may be, the 72 Greek schools in Korytza to the one Albanian is alone significant evidence in support of it. The Springfield Union, October 30, 1919 GREECE AND KORYTSA Her Claims in Northern Epirus Intelligently Set Forth To the Editor of the Union: Sir — The average American citizen knows some- thing about the claims of Greece to Thrace. It is quite well known here that of all the delegates to the Peace Conference only our own have opposed the desire of the Greek nation to annex the province of Thrace, Constantinople not included. Very few of our fellow citizens know, however, that our Ameri- can commission has opposed the claims of Greece to certain parts of northern Epirus. Northern Epirus has a population of nearly 200,000 people; 120,000 Christian Greeks, and 80,000 Alba- nians, mostly Mohammedans. It is reported that France, England, and Italy have recognized the right of Greece over the entire province, and that the American commission insists upon cutting off for Albania a very important district, that of Korytsa. This district has nearly 93,000 people, of whom 47,000 are Greeks and 45,000 Albanians. Greece lays claim to this district for the following reasons : 1. The Greek element there is at least equal to the Albanian. 2. The Greek element is cultured and civilized ; the Albanian, with a few exceptions, illiterate, and, like all Mohammedan peoples, backward and cruel. The Greeks of Korytsa maintain 68 Greek schools, attended by 4,407 scholars. The Albanians in Korytsa receive instruction in only one school, sustained by the American Missionary Board, and subsidized largely by Mr. Crane, of Chicago. The attendance of this school has varied from 60 to 200 scholars of both sexes. The commerce, the industries, and all the charitable institutions of the district are Greek. 3. The district of Korytsa passes the trunk-road running from Jannina to Monastir. It is the only means of communication between northwestern Greece and southwestern Greek Macedonia. If the district of Korytsa is given to Albania, both Greek Epirus and Greek and Serbian Macedonia will be ruined economically. Communication between Jan- nina — Santi Quaranta and Salonica will have to be effected by a long sea route from Salonica around the Isthmus of Corinth and Preveza, or around the Strait of Corfu to Santi Quaranta. The Pindus Range, which runs in a vertical direction from Lake Ochrida to the plains of Thermopylae, completely cuts off Epirus from Macedonia, except in the district of Korytsa, where the military road runs to Monastir through the Devoli passes. On the other hand, never have there existed any commercial relations between Korytsa and Albania. This was utterly impossible in view of the fact that the Akrokerannian Mountains, 7,500 feet high, and the Tomoros Range, more than 8,000 feet high, com- pletely shut off all northern Epirus from Albania. There is only one narrow pass near Tepeleni which admits from time to time caravans of donkeys. Its width is hardly sufficient to admit one automobile at a time. And this pass is to fall within Greek territory. Thus, if Korytsa is finally given to Albania, it will be completely cut off from Albania by the high and impassable mountains. Under such conditions, Korytsa, whose superiority has depended upon its commerce with Greek Epirus and Greek Macedonia, will dwindle away economically. 4. Finally, the cession of Korytsa to Albania will place Northern Greece strategically at the mercy of any foreign army which may be suddenly con- centrated at Korytsa. With the Jannina road cut at Korytsa, Greece cannot send in time troops from Macedonia to defend Epirus and Thessaly against a sudden invasion with a base in the district of Korytsa. Summing up, on the principle) of nationality, Greece has a valid right to Korytsa. Cession of Korytsa to Albania will do no appreciable good to Albania, but enormous harm to Greece, both eco- nomically and strategically. Will our delegates expose Greece, our friend and ally, to such perils? We cannot believe it. N. J. Cassavetes, Director of the Pan-Epirotic Union of America Boston, October 29, 1919. Atlantis, New York City, June 30, 1919 NORTHERN EPIRUS AT THE PEACE CONFERENCE (Editorial) Northern Epirus is a small province with a popu- lation of nearly 200,000. It consists of the following nine districts: Chimarra, Delvinon, Tepeleni, Argy- rocastron, Leskoviki, Premeti, Colonia, Korytsa, and Starovon (only one-half). Northern Epirus extends, on the Adriatic from the Bay of Phtelia, opposite the Greek island of Corfu, to the Bay of Grammala, or an extent of coast line of nearly 90 kilometres. To the north, the province is bounded by the Acroceraunean mountains, which run from Chimarra 19 on the Adriatic to only five kilometres to the south of the Lake Ochrida, or an extent of 160 kilometres. The Acrocerauneans completely separate Northern Epirus from Albania to the north, these mountains being in no place less than 1,050 feet high. There is one small passageway in the District of Tepeleni, in the valley of the River Drinos, which is so narrow that hardly more than two automobiles can cross at the same time. To the east lies Greek Macedonia, and to the south, Southern Epirus. Access to Northern Epirus can be secured only through Greek Macedonia through the port of Santi Quaranta, and through Southern Epirus. There are no natural barriers between Northern Epirus and Macedonia and South- ern Epirus, connecting Jannina, in Southern Epirus, Argyrocastron, Korytsa, Monastir, and Salonika, or Monastir, Korytsa, Argyrocastron, Santi Quaranta, or Preveza, Yannina, Santi Quaranta. Under the Turkish regime, Southern Epirus and the Chimarra, Delvinon, Argyrocastron, Tepeleni, Leskoviki, Premeti districts formed one province, the Vilayet of Yannina. Korytsa, Colonia, and Starovon formed part of the Vilayet of Monastir in Macedonia. This political distribution of the districts of Epirus into the two vilayets of Yannina and Monastir cor- responded with the economic needs of the districts. Korytsa, Starovon, and Colonia were indissolubly bound to the Vilayet of Monastir for their economic development. Religion and Language The 200,000 inhabitants of Northern Epirus are, generally speaking, of two religions. Nearly 120,000 are Christians, and the rest, or 80,000, are Moham- medans. The Mohammedans are Albanians imported into Northern Epirus in 1806-1822 by AH Pasha, who strove by all means to exterminate the Christians and alter the Greek character of the province. The languages spoken are Greek, an Albanian patois, and Vlach. Of the total 120,000 Christian population, nearly 50,000 speak only Greek, the 60,000 speak an Albanian patois at home, but speak very well Greek, read, write, and carry on business only in Greek; and some 10,000 speak Kutso- Vlach at home, but read and write only Greek, and speak Greek perfectly. The Mohammedans employ in the great bulk only Albanian, although there are those among them who read and write only Greek. Education The schools are all Greek. Thus, in Chimarra there are three Greek schools with 14 teachers and 587 Greek scholars. Delvinon has 24 Greek schools, 39 teachers, and 1,189 Greek scholars. Argyrocastro has 86 Greek schools with 95 teachers and 4,365 Greek scholars, 71 Greek priests, 94 Greek churches, and 6 Greek monasteries. Tepeleni has 18 Greek schools, 22 teachers, and 589 Greek scholars. Premeti has 40 Greek schools, 45 Greek teachers, and 1,189 Greek scholars. Leskoviki has 34 Greek schools with 40 Greek teachers and 1,189 Greek scholars. Colonia, Korytsa, and part of Starovon have 12,500 Greek scholars. The only Albanian school existing in Northern Epirus is in the city of Korytsa, with from 60-100 Albanian scholars drafted from the entire district of Korytsa. The city of Korytsa alone maintains one Greek college for boys with 100 students ; one Greek Girls' High School with 750 girls; two Greek kindergartens with 700 children. In all, in a city of 25,000 there are 2,200 boys and girls attending Greek schools, where instruction in Greek is given by 10 native Greek professors, 15 male and 14 female teachers, and 4 kindergarten instructors. The total appropria- tion made by the city for this instruction was, in 1914, 70,000 francs. The entire school attendance in Greek schools for the district of Korytsa, was, in 1914, 12,500. Commerce The commerce of Northern Epirus is entirely in the hands of the Greek population. The merchants of Chimarra, Tepeleni, Argyrocastron, Moschopolis, and Korytsa do business with Yannina in Southern Epirus, and with Castoria, in Greek Macedonia, or with Monastir in Serbian Macedonia and through Monastir with Salonica. The good public roads con- necting Preveza, Yannina, Santi Quaranta, Argy- rocastron, Korytsa, Monastir, Salonica, make North- ern Epirus, from the commercial point of view, in- dissolubly bound on the one hand to Greek Southern Epirus, and on the other to Serbian and Greek Macedonia. There is only one possible commercial route to Albania, that is the narrow pass in the district of Tepeleni in the course of the River Drinos. This route has been opened by the Italians since 1915. Previous to this year there was no direct commercial intercourse between the cities of Northern Epirus and Southern Albania. This route connects Santi Quaranta. Argyrocastron and Valona, Korytsa which has been occupied by the French is still isolated from Southern Albania. Owing to lack of means of communication, if the districts of Chimarra, Tepeleni, and Argyrocastron are given to Greece, as it is already announced, and Korytsa is allotted to the prospective state of Al- bania, the entire district of Korytsa will dwindle away into insignificance. For, this fertile district bounded on the north by the high and impassable mountains will not have connections with Berat and Elbassan to the north. On the east there will be Serbia and Greece, on the south Greece, and on the west again Greece. If Korytsa is given to Albania, not it alone, but also the entire province of Northern Epirus will suffer economic deterioration. For, the entire Prov- ince of Epirus, Northern and Southern, was depend- ing on Macedonia and Salonica for a very great por- tion of its business. The connection of Epirus with Macedonia is effected only through the Yannina- Argyrocastro-Korytsa road. By giving Korytsa to Albania, and Argyrocastron to Greece, the natural links between Epirus and Macedonia are broken, and Epirus and Macedonia will suffer economically. Not only culturally and ethnologically, but also economic- ally Korytsa must remain either a part of Macedonia, or a part of the entire and undivided Epirus. 20 Future Disposition of Northern Epirus Mr. Venizelos has asked that the entire province of Northern Epirus be given to Greece. This prov- ince, in 1913, on the insistence of Austria and Italy, was annexed to Albania. The Greek troops which had occupied it in 1913 were ordered to evacuate it. Upon the evacuation of the province by the Greek troops, the Albanians entered the city of Korytsa. A struggle ensued. The native citizens refused to sub- mit to the motley forces of Prince William of Wied. More than 200 citizens of Korytsa were killed in the fighting in the streets. The Epirotes of the district of Premeti rose and defended their district against the invasion of the Moslem tribes from Central Al- bania. Then followed the Chimarriotes, and in less than one month the entire province of Northern Epi- rus was aflame with the spirit of revolt against the Albanians. After nearly nine months of fighting the Albanians were forced to retire, and the Great Powers through the protocol of Corfu, in 1914, recognized the complete autonomy of the Northern Epirotes. In the fall of 1914, after the beginning of the great war, the Powers asked Mr. Venizelos to reoccupy the province. The inhabitants gladly hauled down their autonomy's flag and hoisted the Greek flag, declaring their union with Greece. In 1915, Italy occupied the province and drove away the Greeks; abolished the Greek language, closed the Greek schools; drove out the Greeks priests and proclaimed Northern Epirus a part of Albania and Albania under Italian protection. The inhabitants of Northern Epirus are divided in their aspirations. One hundred and twenty thousand of them, the Christians, the merchants, the cultured class, declare that they will not submit to Albania and demand union with Greece. The minority of nearly 80,000 Albanians (mostly Moslems) desires union with the Mohammedan state of Albania. The news from Paris is that the districts of Chi- marra, Delvinon, Premeti, Tepeleni, Leskoviki, and Argyrocastron have been recognized as Greek. The American delegates expressed themselves in favor of Korytsa being included in Albania, claiming that Korytsa is the centre of Albanian culture. Now Ko- rytsa, as stated before in this study, has only one Albanian school run by the American missionary, Reverend Kennedy. Its attendance is from 60 to 100, whereas the native Greeks of Korytsa maintain their own schools with an attendance of 2,200 Greek pupils for the city, and 12,500 Greek pupils for the entire district. If it is claimed that Korytsa is a centre of Albanian culture because of the solitary Albanian school there, how can our delegates ignore the fact that Korytsa has been for nearly two centuries the greatest centre of Greek culture? It is to be hoped that the delegates will accede to the just claim of Mr. Venizelos and give the entire Northern Epirus to Greece. APPENDIX II Contemporary Review, No. 641, May, 1919 NORTHERN EPIRUS: AN IMPORTUNATE QUESTION There are so many interesting new questions just now that people have got no time to spare for the old ones, which are dull because they are old. But many of the dull old questions still are unsettled, and ready to come and put themselves to us in the most embarrassing way if they consider themselves neg- lected for younger and fresher rivals. The ques- tion of Northern Epirus is one of them. It is an old question enough, but not really dull. Age can- not wither it, nor custom stale. Until it succeeds in getting itself answered it will go on putting itself to Europe in its youthful way about once a year, in the shape of a local war or a revolution. It would probably save time and trouble in the long run if the Conference could spare a minute to provide it at last with the answer for which it has so long been asking. It must, of course, be the right answer. Often and often have the bothered Powers tried to pacify the importunate question with the wrong an- swer, and the question has always refused to be pacified, and organised another "outbreak." What is the question? It is the question of the political destiny of a strip of mountain, vale, and hill about forty miles wide, that forms the northern part of the province of Epirus opposite Corfu. There are two important towns in it, Argyrocastro and Cho- ritsa, and a port, Santa Quaranta, and it has a popu- lation, mostly village-dwelling, of about 230,000. Turkey had it before the first Balkan war, and now Greece and Albania both claim it and that is the question. It is not really dull, because 230,000 hardy warfaring peasants are not likely to allow a question to be dull which, they believe, deeply affects their spiritual and material welfare. In an interesting article about "Albania at the Peace Conference," in the April number of this Re- view, Mr. H. Charles Woods gives the question a simple and a summary answer. "Greece," he writes, "animated largely by nationalistic motives, but also partly by a desire to secure the port of Santa Quar- anta and its hinterland, ... is endeavoring to extend her northwestern frontier at the expense of Al- bania." There, certainly, is the matter in a nutshell. At least, there certainly is a nutshell, and there is something inside it, but there may be a doubt re- maining whether what is inside it is the matter in question. Are we not all vociferously agreed now- adays that the political destiny of a country should be decided, not by the wishes of neighbouring States, but by those of its inhabitants ? Shall we not be more up to date, then, if we say that the answer to the question of Northern Epirus is not to be found by reference to the ambitions, legitimate or illegitimate, of Greece or of Albania, but by reference to one thing only, the wishes of the Northern Epirotes? If we do say so, we shall not be able to find so simple or so 21 summary an answer as that of Mr. Woods, because the population of Northern Epirus is a mixed and not a simple population ; but we may have a better chance of finding the right answer. What are the wishes of the Northern Epirotes? They have never been expressed, directly by a plebiscite, and perhaps they never can be. To get a fair plebiscite there it would be necessary to shut every inhabitant up in a separate room under an adequate armed guard while he cast his vote. Evi- dence about their wishes must be sought indirectly, in their racial, linguistic, and religious characteris- tics, and in their recent history. The inhabitants are divided into two camps, the Mohammedan Albanian Epirotes and the Orthodox Greek Epirotes. Between the two, competent ob- servers are, I think, agreed that there is no clear distinction of race. Amongst the Mohammedans there may be more (Albanian) Tosc blood, amongst the Christians more pure blood of the indigenous Epirote race, which, it may be said, it is now very difficult to distinguish from the Greek race. But on the whole the inhabitants are all much alike phys- ically, and their divisions are not due to differences of descent. Language affords no clearer dividing line. The Christians all speak Greek, and nearly all the Mohammedans speak Albanian ; but most of the Christians speak Albanian too, and many of the Mohammedans speak Greek. Wherever the two camps come into close contact, the population is, in fact, bilingual ; and an observer of Albanian sym- pathies who relied solely on language as a guide might pass through the countryside and find noth- ing but Albanians, where an observer of Greek sym- pathies, proceeding in the same manner, might find nothing but Greeks. It is not race or language that separates the camps, but religion. The most im- portant figures then are these, that of the 230,000 inhabitants, 120,000 are Orthodox and 110,000 are Mohammedans. The preponderance of the Orthodox is not very great in numbers, but it is very great indeed in other and even more important matters, in culture and civ- ilisation, in energy, in progressiveness, and in a con- scious spirit of unity and nationality. Whenever the country has been left free for a time to follow its own devices, this moral preponderance of the Ortho- dox element has always asserted itself in an imme- diate and determined movement towards union with Greece. •Auticle 6. — Italy will receive in absolute proprietor- ship Valona, the Island of Saseno, and sufficient territory to ensure the military safety of the possession thereof. It is proposed, for instance, that this territory shall be that extending as far as the river Vojuza to the north and east, and to the frontier of the Chimarra district to the south. Article 7. — After having received Trentino and Istria, under Article 4, Dalmatia and the Adriatic islands under Article 5, and the Bay of Valona under Article 6, Italy will offer no opposition, in the event of the formation of a 6mall neutral State in Albania, to the possible wish of France, Great Britain, and Russia to divide between Montenegro, Serbia, and Greece the frontier districts in the north and south of Albania. The southern coast of Al- bania, from the frontier of the Italian territory of Valona to Cape Stylos, will be neutralised. Nothing has so much confounded counsel on the Balkan scene as the digging up of ancient and irrele- vant history. Pyrrhus, Basil Bulgaroktonos, and Skanderbeg were interesting people, but their interest is for the historian, and not for the peasant who drives his plough to-day under the hillside of Ar- gyrocastro. On the other hand, in our search for a guide as to that peasant's political sympathies, we cannot do better than consult the record of his po- litical actions in the immediate past. They are not at all irrelevant, because they are the only means that he has had of making his opinion known. The story of his recent doings is familiar. When the Powers made an Albanian State in 1913, after the second Balkan war, they sent a Commission to fix its southern frontier. The Commission decided to take language as a guide — in a bilingual country I It would have been hardly less sensible to have said that they would divide the inhabitants into those who had a left leg and those who had a right leg. By firmly closing their eyes to all right legs, in other words, by ignoring the Greek speech of all bilinguals, the Commission succeeded in arriving at the conclu- sion that the country should belong to Albania. The Greek troops thereupon withdrew, and the inhabi- tants immediately rose, and declared Northern Epirus an autonomous State in sympathy with Greece. After some months of fighting with the Albanian forces, they received, in 1914, from a Congress at Corfu, full recognition of their national autonomy, in formal allegiance to Albania. When the great war began, and Albania resumed its accustomed anarchy, North- ern Epirus obtained the full achievement of its de- sires in the form of a mandate for its occupation and administration by the Greek Government. An un- fettered election was held, and representatives were returned to the Greek Parliament. But this bright chapter was soon to close. Real politik brought in the Italians for a military occupation, and the people were subjected to a new foreign domination. On this last and still unfinished chapter of their history, however, we need not dwell. In view of Articles 6 and 7 of the secret Treaty of London,* nobody, I imagine, is prepared to contend that Italy has any per- manent business south of Valona. What business she has at Valona, indeed, is a thing that we have never had explained to us, according, at least, to the new gospel of self-determination. But perhaps it is hardly a question for us to ask. Italy can give such a baffling answer by a silent glance westward to the Straits. On the only recent occasion, then, on which North- ern Epirus has been left free to follow its own de- vices, it has immediately and with a spontaneous and irresistible motion swung right over towards Greece. The autonomous Government of 1913-14, which gave the impulse for the swing, was demo- cratic, efficient, well organised, and progressive. It was created and controlled by native Epirote patriots under the leadership of M. Christaki Zographos, himself of Droviani. Its volunteer army was well disciplined and led, and had little difficulty in repel- ling the attacks of the Albanian bands from the north. During a visit to the country in June, 1914, I saw well-managed hospitals and refugee camps, communications and transport well maintained, and 22 I received a strong impression of a people rejoicing in new-found liberty, and in the dawning hope of advance in civilisation and prosperity, given to them after so many centuries of stagnation and oppression by the military cordon which was protecting them from their age-long enemies in wild Albania. Safe at last from the north, all eyes were turned south towards Greece in hope and confidence. There can be no doubt that they are doing so still, behind the veil which the Italian occupation has drawn over the country. If we are to consider only the wishes of the people, it is very clear from their recent history that we must be prepared to give their question a Greek answer. Language, race, faith, culture, and tradition all draw them more strongly in that direc- tion than in any other. Practical considerations draw them thither far more strongly still. From the point of view of material advantages, which State would it be better for them to join: civilised and orderly Greece, a land of settled government, or uncivilised and disorderly Albania, an embryo in the family of nations, whose separate existence, even, is still for the future to decide? The North- ern Epirotes have made up their minds very defi- nitely about their answer to that question. "We will not be shut up in a house with savages!" they used to say. The question of Northern Epirus has been left so long unsettled that it has grown up and had a family of little questions. The eldest of them is the ques- tion of Chimarra, a true chip of the old block. The village and district of that name lie on the south- western slope of the Chika (Akrokeraunian) moun- tains, the range which runs S.E. and N.W. to the south of Valona, and sticks out into the Adriatic as the promontory of Glossa. There are about eighteen small villages or settlements in the district, and 10,000 inhabitants. Protected by the mountains on one side and by the sea upon the other, the Chimar- riotes succeeded all through the long centuries of the Turkish night in maintaining special privileges, which amounted to partial independence. They were governed by their own chief, the Archigos ; they were exempt from taxation and military service; and an annual tribute was their only concession to the nom- inal sovereignty of the Sultan. The Chimarriotes were the Suliotes of the North, less fortunate, but more splendid, in their greater isolation and obscur- ity. No Byron ever came to celebrate their long and glorious struggle for freedom. The secret of their indomitable courage and pertinacity was, and still is, a burning spirit of loyalty to their Greek nationality. Perhaps they are the descendants of some country- men and contemporaries of Ulysses that came to these sea-board villages in ships, and drove the Al- banian natives back across the mountain passes above. Knowing how ardently they love Greece and Greek culture, and with what faithful devotion, century after century, as long as history can remem- ber, they have longed for union with Greece, one cannot but believe that the blood running in their veins is Greek blood of some pure and ancient strain. When the opportunity of Northern Epirus came in 1913, they were the first to seize it. Led by their Archigos, an office now hereditary in the house of Spiromilios, they rose, proclaimed the autonomy of Chimarra in alliance with M. Zographos' Government at Argyrocastro, and fortified their passes against their hereditary enemies, the Albanians. During the struggle that followed they, in their mountains, were the pivot on which the left wing of the Epirote line rested. Their privileges were confirmed by the pact of Corfu, and they shared with their Epirote fellow- countrymen the joys and sorrows of the subsequent occupations by the forces of Greece and Italy. Like their fellow-countrymen, they have now disappeared behind the Italian veil. Many of the kindly and spirited men with whom I sat in 1914 under their fig trees on the mountainside are now exiles on the barren Italian island of Favignana. Some have died there. It is all rather hard to understand, when their one desire was to settle down in peace and quiet under Greece. "But things like this you know must be After a famous victory." One thing, however, is easy to understand, for anybody who knows the Chimarriotes, who has watched with them on their passes, and listened over the camp fire to tales of old Albanian wars, who has been to their schools and heard the children singing their Greek songs with a note of passionate longing in their voices that would have moved a stone — that it would be utterly iniquitous, and not less in- iquitous than foolish, to crush the national aspira- tions of the Chimarriotes, and to force them under the rule of a people that they loathe and despise. Another little question, the offspring of the ques- tion of Northern Epirus, is the question of Choritsa, in the northeast. The population of 70,000 in the city and district of that name is about equally di- vided between Orthodox and Mohammedans. The Albanian language is spoken generally, but there is a strong Hellenic spirit, especially in the city. Bangas, one of the most munificent benefactors of the Hel- lenic revival, came from Choritsa ; and the citizens support at ordinary times 44 Greek schools, with about 3,500 scholars. During the war the district has been occupied by French forces from Monastir. When Greece was in disgrace because of the per- formances of the traitor Constantine, our French Allies, with that naivetf which they sometimes dis- play in their dealings with alien peoples, established a "Republic of Choritsa" under Albanian leaders an- tagonistic to the Greeks. The result was unfortunate. The Albanian leaders were found to be Austrian spies, and were shot. On the principles of self-determination, Choritsa is a hard marginal case. With the population so evenly divided between Orthodox and Mohammedans, it would be difficult to arrive at a just decision by counting heads. If, however, we are to consider, not only the number of heads, but what is inside them, the case for union with Greece becomes clearer. Here, as elsewhere in Northern Epirus, the progres- sive and civilising elements are those that desire a Greek future, and there can be little doubt that the town will be better off as part of an ordered and established State than as part of one that is likely for many years to come to be unsettled and turbulent. 23 There is, however, another consideration affecting Choritsa which — although we may admit that it has no relation to the principles of self-determination — is nevertheless of too much practical importance to Epirus as a whole to be entirely disregarded by even the most uncompromising follower of President Wil- son. The Pindus range cuts Southern (Greek) Epirus completely off from Southern (Greek) Macedonia. It is not until one has travelled as far north as Cho- ritsa that one finds a way through by the passes of the Devoli. To include Choritsa in Albania would be to cut off Northeastern Greece from all direct communication with Northwestern Greece. A trav- eller from Janina to Fiorina, for instance, would then have to go round by sea, unless he were prepared to ride over the passes of Metsovo, and I can answer for it that that is not a route that any one would care to follow if he could go any other way. There is no road, the wolves are unfriendly, and the hotels are not good. Inhabitants of a level land like ours can hardly realize how vitally such a matter as this may affect the inhabitants of a mountainous land. For them, access to a pass may make all the differ- ence between economic progress and decay. The con- sideration must be faced that to cut Greece off from the Choritsa gap is to inflict a grave material injury upon the whole of her northern territories. That should not, no doubt, be allowed to weigh in the bal- ance were the national sympathies of Choritsa quite clear. But since consideration of her sympathies leaves the balance trembling, perhaps the practical consideration may not unreasonably be thrown in to tip the scale. To give the Greek answer to the question of Northern Epirus does not imply any hostility on the part of the giver towards the Albanians. On the contrary, it would surely be far better for Albania as well as for everybody else that Northern Epirus should be left outside her future borders. She has troubles enough before her, and the worst of her troubles will be her lack of homogeneity. The future has yet to show what form of government can be devised to keep the internal peace between the moun- tain clans, between Catholic and Mohammedan Ghegs, and Mohammedan and Orthodox Toscs, and the ex- ternal peace between Albanians, Serbs, and Greeks. Whatever the Government may be, it will have no bed of roses. Surely they are not very prudent friends of Albania who would have her add to her many troubles an alien population of at least 120,000 souls, all inspired with an ardent nationalism that for centuries has been in direct and bitter opposition to her own, all seeking the first opportunity of break- ing free from her, and bent on giving her all the trouble that they can in the meanwhile. The equi- librium would be hopelessly unstable. There are in any case 45,000 Greeks in admittedly Albanian dis- tricts north of Northern Epirus, and that should be enough for Albania to go on with. She will have enough ready-made domestic troubles without adding to them the troubles incidental to an imperialist policy. The Northern Epi rotes, it would seem, have given a very clear Greek answer to their question in the revolution of 1914; and it is the answer that one would expect from their interests, characteristics and traditions. An Albanian answer would do Albania no good and Greece much harm. There seems in this matter to be a fortunate agreement between concrete practical interests and abstract national ideals. Might not the Conference, then, pluck up heart and set the uneasy question of Northern Epirus at rest with the answer that it has so long desired? E. Hilton Young. APPENDIX III Chicago Daily News, July 21, 1919 SCHOOLS IN KORYTSA We read a letter by an Albanian gentleman in the Daily News of July 11, in which he takes ex- ception to an assertion about the schools of Korytsa. He admits that there are 120 Greek schools in the district of Korytsa ; he, moreover, does not deny that the teaching is exclusively Greek, and that there is an Albanian school with an attendance of from 60 to 200 pupils, where the teaching is exclusively Al- banian, and where Greek is not permitted. But he claims that the pupils are Albanians. Why should Albanians support 120 Greek schools and only one Albanian school? Why should more than 10,000 pupils of Korytsa attend the Greek schools, and less than 200 the Albanian school? Would Americans support 120 Japanese schools and only one American if they were really Americans ? But the Albanian gentleman claims that Albanian schools were not permitted by Sultan Abdul Hamid. In the first place, the one Albanian school in Korytsa dates from the days of Abdul Hamid ; and, in the second place, Abdul Hamid has been out of power eleven years. Korytsa has been under French control since 1915. At that date the French authorities established the so-called republic of Ko- rytsa. The inhabitants were given freedom to estab- lish their own national church and schools. If the inhabitants of Korytsa had once been forced to have Greek schools, why, since 1915, have they not changed the Greek schools into Albanian schools? The attendance in the Greek schools of the city of Korytsa, according to information sent by the American Red Cross committee, is 2,300 pupils; the attendance in the Albanian school is only 200 pupils. I am a Korytsean and I know that our children in the Greek schools are taught to hate the Moslem Albanians as tyrants. The pupils in the Albanian schools are taught to hate the Greeks. There is no love lost between the Greeks and Albanians. Why, then, should Albanian parents prefer the language, the history, and the culture of their enemies rather than that of their own? The other day an American general, Bellis, visited Korytsa. The citizens went out to meet him with 24 Greek and American flags, and shouted "Long live America ! Long live our union with our mother country, Greece !" If the Korytseans want union with Greece, what other can they be except Greeks? Gregory Petrou, Boston, Mass. Native of Korytsa. Jamestown (N. Y.) Morning Post, June 19, 1919 Goritza, Albania, June 18. — (By Mail) — An Am- erican commission has been here to determine what the opinion of the population of Albania is with re- gard to their national future. The commission, which arrived soon after an American Red Cross unit of thirty people under Major Glenfred C. Bellis, was received with great enthusiasm. Two thousand pupils of the Greek schools waved Greek and American flags and cheered as the dele- gates entered Goritza. Albanian gendarmes attempted to prevent the pupils from manifesting their senti- ments, but were driven off by the French authorities. Brooklyn (N. Y.) Eagle, July 10, 1919 NORTHERN EPIRUS Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle: On the occasion of the discussion at Paris on the Province of Northern Epirus, may we state the case in brief for the benefit of those who desire to know the facts about it ? Northern Epirus has a population of 200,000, of whom 120,000 are Christians and 80,000 Moslems. The Christians, with a very negligible number among them, demand union with Greece. The Moslems prefer a Moslem Albanian State. The culture of the province is Greek. There are, in all, in Northern Epirus, 360 Greek schools, and only one Albanian school with an attendance of 22,595 for the Greek schools, and only 200 for the Albanian school. This Albanian school is in the city of Korytsa. For this reason, the Albanians claim that Korytsa is the center of Albanian culture. The city of Korytsa maintains one Greek college for boys, with 100 stu- dents ; one Greek girls high school, with 750 girls ; two kindergartens, with an attendance of 700 chil- dren of both sexes. In all, the Greek schools of Korytsa give instruction to 2,200 boys and girls. The Greek schools for the district of Korytsa are 120, with 180 teachers and 10,000 pupils. For the same district, the Albanians have one school with 200 pupils. The fact that the boys and girls are sent by their parents to learn Greek rather than Albanian, and to study Greek history rather than Albanian, is proof of the will of the Christian Epirotes to be Greeks and to be united with Greece. Peter Pakdias. Springfield Sunday Republican, July 27, 1919 SAYS ITALY OPPRESSES GREEKS IN EPIRUS President of Greek Orthodox Community Takes Exception to Charles Upson Clark's Letter on Albanian Conditions To the Editor of The Republican: May we make a few remarks upon the letter of Charles Upson Clark, regarding the nationality of the inhabitants of the district of Korytsa? In the first place, we notice with regret that Mr. Clark is very inaccurately informed on the historical and ethnological facts dealing with Epirus. He claims that Jannina has been conquered by the Greeks and Hellenized. Z. D. Ferriman, one of the foremost British journalists, who has known Epirus through years of travel there, writes in the Daily Chronicle, April 17, 1914: "When Athens was in darkness, the appanage of a eunuch in the seraglio at Stamboul, Jannina was a focus of Greek learning. It is a matter of wonder that Epirus had to wait so long for her emancipation while other regions which deserved it less have long enjoyed it. Districts as Greek and as cultured as Jannina, Argyrocastron, Moschopolis, and Korytsa, where a Greek printing press was established nearly 200 years ago, have been excluded from Greece, be- cause a company of gentlemen seated around a green table in London have drawn a line on a map and decreed otherwise." Has Mr. Clark read Pouqueville, or Lamouche (whom the Albanians delight to quote) ? Has he read Mr. Rene Puax's work, "La Malheureuse Epire," the correspondence in 1913 from Northern Epirus by Mr. Butler in the Daily Mail, Mr. Stevens in the Daily Telegraph, De Jessen in the Matin, Charles Vellay in the Journal, Magrini in the Secolo, and Eng- nath in the Koelnische Zeitungf If he has not read this cloud of eyewitnesses, how can he do justice to a cause which has cost the Northern Epirotes nine months of war against Al- bania, in 1914? Mr. Clark ascribes to us "animus against Italy." We have no quarrel with the Italian people, for whose independence, in 1856, no other nation, except the French, did so much as the Greek nation. That we have grievances against the imperialist government of Italy is not a secret. All Americans know the selfish foreign policy of Italy. Every effort on the part of Mr. Clark to whitewash it will only evoke the pity of all right-thinking people for his un-American taste. Mr. Clark claims to have received information that the Italian forces of occupation in Northern Epirus have not closed the Greek schools, and so on. Like the rest of his information, this, too, is absolutely inaccurate. The Italians, since June 3, 1917, have closed down the 260 Greek schools in the territory they occupied. They have forced the parents to send their children to Italian schools, where the Albanian language is taught only two hours per week, whereas, the Greek language has been altogether banished. The leaders of the Greek communities are in prisons in Sicily and Tripoli because they have refused to turn into Albanians. 25 But have the Italians been more generous to the Albanians than to the Greeks ? Decidedly no. Un- der the title, "Albanians kill officials, peril for Italian control," the correspondent of the Chicago Tribune sent on July 4, 1919, a long cable, in which we read : "Details which have reached me from the surest possible sources indicate the Italians are paying a heavy price for the privilege of occupying Albania. Responsible men who have closely observed the re- cent assassinations of Italian officials by Moslem Al- banians, state that they mark a sudden revulsion of feeling against Italian occupation. Animosity against the occupants is becoming fiercer every day." And now a word as to the inaccuracy of Mr. Clark, relative to the Greek school. Mr. Clark is using the useless argument which appears in every Albanian and Bulgarian propagandist pamphlet, namely, that the Greek schools in Korytsa have been forced upon the natives by the Greeks. Indeed, only Mr. Clark has dared to make a statement that the Greek schools of Korytsa were not built and supported by the na- tives themselves. Korytsa's schools were flourishing in the 18th cen- tury, long before Athens had had a single Greek school. It is so strange that Mr. Clark does not know such a cardinal historical fact! Then, Mr. Clark claims that Albanian schools were not permitted, and the inhabitants had to send their children to the Greek schools. Now perhaps, Mr. Clark does not know that there existed in Korytsa, under Abdul Hamid, one Albanian school ; that since 1915, when the republic of Korytsa was established, the French authorities have given complete freedom to all races to have their own schools. What has been the result ? We read in reports published in numerous papers in America : "Goritza, Albania, May 19 (By Mail) — An Am- erican commission has been here to determine what the opinion of the population of Albania is with regard to their national future. The commission, which arrived soon after an American Red Cross unit of 30 people under Major Glenfred C. Bellis, was received with great enthusiasm. "Two thousand pupils of the Greek schools waved Greek and American flags, and cheered as the dele- gates entered Goritza. Albanian gendarmes attempted to prevent the pupils from manifesting their senti- ments, but were driven off by the French authorities." The public gave an ovation to the American com- mittee, and they and their parents shouted "Long live America ; long live union with Greece !" We suppose Mr. Clark is not in possession of these facts, else how could he imagine that patriotic Albanians would send their children to the schools of the hated Greeks, and cry, "union with Greece" ? In the districts occupied by Italy, where the 260 Greek schools have been closed, the Greek Northern Epirotes refuse to send their children to the Italo- Albanian schools. As under the terrible days of the red Sultan, the Greeks keep their schools and churches in their cellars, because to be a Greek and to admit it in Northern Epirus, where Italy rules, is a crime for which you may be assassinated. This is the case of Northern Epirus if Mr. Clark cared to learn and speak out the truth like an American. Respectfully, P. Hector. APPENDIX IV Mr. John Gorgolis, June 13, 1919 1506 Belfield Avenue, Atlantic City, N. J. Dear Sir: I have investigated the religious and political or- ganizations of Atlantic City, and I find that there is no religious body or incorporation of ALBANIANS. I am veiy much in touch with the religious life of Atlantic City, and I am very sure that the statement I make above is perfectly correct. Very sincerely yours, H. M. Mellen, Per K. McE. Certified to by Harry Bacharad, Mayor STATE OF MAINE CITY OF BANGOR, MAINE Mayor's Office I, John F. Woodman, Mayor of the city of Bangor, hereby certify that there is no society, association, or organization of any kind in this city of Albanians so far as I have knowledge. Dated at Bangor, Maine, this 30th day of April, 1919. (Signed) John F. Woodman, Mayor of Bangor. Main Office, Stafford Springs, Conn. THE FABYAN WOOLEN COMPANY County of Androscoggin, State of Maine This is a statement of the various estimates of the Albanian population of the city of Lewiston. It ranges from 45 to 50 and as high as 60. Of these there is said to be about 15 Mohammedans. R. J. Lawton, City Clerk of Lewiston. April 15, 1919. Fabyan, Conn., March 25, 1919. His Excellency Carapanos, Paris, France. I, the Selectman of the town of Thompson and Fabyan, representing 4,800, among whom there are 50 from the district of Liaskoviki and of surrounding towns of Northern Epirus. They are protesting against some Albanians, who sent a false cable to the 26 Peace Conference, stating that there were not in the above towns anything but Albanians, which is not the truth. They are only Greeks, their wish being to be united with Mother Greece. Signature, Leon N. Walker. To Whom It May Concern : This is to certify that to the best of our knowledge there is dwelling in Marlborough, Mass., a total num- ber of 35 Albanians, no Mohammedans, 35 Christians. There are no societies with membership. There are no Albanian communities. (Signed) Charles F. McCarthy, Mayor. Bath, Maine, May 19, 1919. To Pan-Epirotic Union, Boston, Mass. Gentlemen : This is to certify that after numerous inquiries from men in a direct position to know, we, the un- dersigned, believe that there are only 33 Albanians in the city of Bath, Maine. Of these 33, there are 20 Christians and 13 Mo- hammedans. There are several of these men who wear the "Vatra Union" button. We should say that only about half of these people wear any button at all. There are no Albanian churches or schools in the city of Bath, Maine. J. G. Drake, Mayor of Bath. Abram C. Oliver, City Marshall of Bath. To Whom It May Concern : This is to certify that to the best of our knowledge there is dwelling in Biddeford and Saco, Maine, United States of America, the said cities of Biddeford and Saco being one community and located upon both banks of the Saco River, a narrow stream which sepa- rates them, a total number of Albanians (Moham- medans) amounting to 400, and 17 Christians; that there is only one Albanian society, viz., Vatra ; that the membership of said society is 127, of which mem- bership 110 are Mohammedans and 17 are Christians; that the 17 Christians in said society are from the cities of Coritsa and Argyrocastron and vicinity; that there is no Albanian community in said Bidde- ford or Saco. Edmond Bergeron, City Clerk of said Biddeford. Thomas Stone, Chief of Police of Biddeford. Ernest H. Mills, City Clerk of said Saco. Justis B. Cobb. CITY OF LOWELL Office of the Superintendent of Police Lowell, Mass., May 6, 1919. To Whom It May Concern : This is to certify that to my knowledge, I never heard of an Orthodox Albanian Church in the city of Lowell, neither have I heard of an Albanian com- munity organization in this city. Respectfully yours, Redmond Welch, Superintendent of Police. Braddock, Pa., May 21, 1919. Pan-Epirotic Union, Boston, Mass. Gentlemen : Your circular letter of April 27th at hand with copy of despatch from Boston by the Orthodox Al- banian Communities in the United States, attached. On the face of the despatch it appears that dele- gates representing the above-named church from Braddock signed the same, whereas, upon investiga- tion, we find no church or denomination in this town, never has been and not enough people at the present time to organize any size church. From personal interviews we find a few Albanians in Braddock, but they all deny allegiance to the church named in copy of despatch. We have a society in this town of about 80 members who profess to be Albanians, but who are not Christians, calling themselves Mohammedans, and they surely can have no connection with the Christian church. From our conversations with a few of the leading Greek merchants here, we are forced to express the opinion that an injustice is being done a lot of people who never even authorized an expression of their views in the much complicated affairs of the present Peace Conference. If we can be of any further service to you in this matter, we are yours to command. Yours very truly, George Ziacon, James J. McCarthy, Chief of Police. 27 APPENDIX V 4. 5. 6. 105 West 40th Street (Room 1204), New York City, May 2, 1919. His Excellency Alexander Carapanos, 17, Rue Auguste Vacquerie, Paris, France. Your Excellency : After due investigation, we have found the fol- lowing facts to be true relative to the number of Albanians in this country (compare with table and enclosed affidavits) : 1. Only 25 of our branches have hastened to reply. From these 25 affidavits we gather that (1) there are not more than four Albanian Or- thodox communities. 2. Twelve States of the Union are covered. 3. There are in 23 cities enumerated 733 Ortho- dox Albanians and 340 Mussulmans, or a total of 1,573 Albanian natives of Northern Epirus. There are 606 Albanians outside the limits of Northern Epirus. The total number of Albanians in the 23 cities, which are the most important centers of Al- banians, rises in all to 2,179. The membership of the Vatra is 1,204 Albani- ans (Christians and Mussulmans from North- ern Epirus and from without). 7. There are only 16 branches of this society. We wish to call your attention to certain facts which tend to show that the United States census figures about Albanians are correct : 1. The other 29 cities in the cable published in the New York Herald of April 1, 1919, are places where only a few tens of Albanians are to be found. We shall report on them at our earliest opportunity. We are investigating. The number in these 29 cities cannot be even one-half of that in the cities we have tabulated. But let us give the benefit of the doubt to the Albanians, and count as many Albanians in the 29 cities as there are in the 23. We shall have not more than 5,000 Albanians in the United States at the most. 2. In the tables, wherever a branch did not report the number of Moslems, we have put the entire num- ber to the credit of Christian Albanians. And wher- ever there is no mention as to the native place, we have again credited the Albanians by placing the number under the column indicating natives of Northern Epirus. You will see, then, Your Excellency, that we have put everything so that we may obtain the maximum number for the Albanians May we also call your attention to some methods used by the Albanians in America to deceive the Peace delegates? Cables have been sent, we are informed, and signed by would-be 200 Albanians, whereas there were only 20 in that locality. Mussulmans are induced to sign Christian names in order to indicate that the Orthodox Albanians are numerous. Five or ten of them, as may be easily seen from the table, are made to cable, to mislead the Peace delegates to imagine that a large number of Al- banians are sending the cable. We urge that the American delegates be asked to investigate both our numbers and those of the Albanians. We have al- ways tried to tell the whole truth, and have often stated much lower figures for ourselves than the actual numbers. Your Excellency may perhaps ask how these few Albanians support their propaganda. I must state certain results of my investigation. Before the ar- mistice I was connected with the United States De- partment of Justice (unofficially). I was told by the Department of Justice that Rev. Fan-Noli, the leader of the Vatra here, was in the pay of the Austrian Government. This fact is known to many Americans in Boston. Italy was paying, through her Consulate in Boston, a certain Albanian from Korytsa, Dako. Such was the animosity aroused between Fan-Noli and Dako that they attacked each other in their newspapers. Dako accused Fan-Noli of being an Austrian agent and Fan-Noli accused Dako of being an Italian agent. The Department of Justice assured me that both were right. Before the armistice, Fan-Noli openly prayed for William of Wied, and said that the only hope for Albania was an Austrian victory. After the armistice, Fan-Noli turned to Italy, and to-day the Vatra is taking a leading part in trying to exonerate Italy from her criminal actions in Northern Epirus. It is easy to understand that Italy is paying the Albanians in America. Enclosed kindly accept copies of cables sent to President Wilson and to the Temps. We will appreciate it if we could learn of the activities of Rev. Erickson at Paris. We have been informed that the Board of Missions has recalled hiin. Respectfully, Director Pan-Epirotic Union in America. APPENDIX VI Commonwealth of Massachusetts December 18, 1919 Worcester, ss. Affidavit of I of the ince of Argyrakostro, North Epirus, do, under oath, depose and say that Louis Pantos, President of the Albanian Federation Vatra, Worcester Branch, who is now in Corytsa, North Epirus, offered me money and other emoluments, if I, the said City of Worcester, County of Worcester, Common would sign a statement that I wealth of Massachusetts, formerly of Frastani, Prov- was of Albanian nationality instead of Greek nation- 28 ality, the said statement being as of May 10, 1919, in consideration of which I was to receive a lucra- tive position in Albania. In witness whereof I hereunto set my hand the day first above mentioned. (1) Commonwealth of Massachusetts Worcester, ss. Then, personally appeared the above-named and made oath that the above statement subscribed by him is true to the best of his knowledge and belief. Before me, Stephen H. Bennit Justice of the Peace My commission expires January 23, 1925 Commonwealth of Massachusetts December 18, 1919 Worcester, ss. Affidavit of I of the City of Worcester, County of Worcester, Common- wealth of Massachusetts, formerly of Vouno Province of Chimara, do, under oath, depose and say that Louis Pantos, President of the Albanian Federation Vatra, Worcester Branch, who is now in Corytsa, North Epirus, offered me money and other emolu- ments if I, the said would sign a statement that I was of Albanian na- tionality instead of Greek nationality, the said state- ment being as of May 10, 1919, in consideration of which I was to receive a lucrative position in Al- bania. (1) Commonwealth of Massachusetts Worcester, ss. Then, personally appeared the above-named and made oath that the above statement subscribed by him is true to the best of his knowledge and belief. Before me, Stephen H. Bennit Justice of the Peace My commission expires January 23, 1925 Commonwealth of Massachusetts December 13, 1919 Worcester, ss. Affidavit .of. in the City of Worcester, Ccunty of Worcester, Com- monwealth of Massachusetts, being first duly sworn, deposes and says that he was born in Caroci, Prov- ince of Delvino, North Epirus, that he had been re- quested to change his present nationality of Greek to that of Albanian, and that in consideration of same he has been offered a lucrative position and other emolu- ments if he, the said and other men of his nationality from said North Epirus would vote and change into said Albanian na- tionality, said consideration, promises, and induce- ments have been made to me as well as to others of said Greek nationality by Louis Pantos from the city of Corytsa, President of the Albanian Federation Vatra, Worcester Branch. And the said deponent further deposes and says that said offer was made to him in the city of Wor- cester, Massachusetts, on the fifteenth day of May, 1919. (1) Commonwealth of Massachusetts Worcester, ss. Then, personally appeared before me the said and made oath that the above statement was made of his own free will and absolutely true to the best of his knowledge and belief. John C. Mahoney Notary Public My commission expires July 1, 1921 (*) Owing to the fact that the Albanians are using vio- lent means for intimidating the Epirotes who have the courage to sign the memoranda of the Pan-Epirotic Union, the Union does not consider it always safe to divulge the signatures of those who have given us the affidavits. The original affidavits, however, have been deposited with the State Department which will be thus enabled to investigate and establish the truth. APPENDIX VII STATE DEPARTMENT Washington December 19, 1919. League of Friends of Greece in America, Boston, Massachusetts Gentlemen: I am sorry that I am not able to find the Albanian memorandum and signatures about which you ask. (Signed) Breckinridge Long, Third Assistant Secretary of State. APPENDIX VIII New York Times, July 13, 1919 DEFENDS EPIROTES HERE Cassavetes Says They only Tell the Truth about Italy's Aggression N. J. Cassavetes, Director of the Pan-Epirotic Union in America, in a statement issued yesterday, took exception to the assertions concerning his or- ganization made recently by Charles Upson Clark, a member of the American Academy at Rome. "It is true that our union, like other national unions, has been organized for the purpose of bring- 29 ing to the attention of the American people the facts in the case of Northern Epirus," he said. "We know that the people of America want to know the facts, and we have tried to the best of our ability to tell the whole truth in our case. We are striving for liberty. We are endeavoring to secure our union with our mother country, Greece. That is all of our terrible sin that has aroused the ire of Mr. Clark." Mr. Cassavetes said that Mr. Clark evaded the real issue, "which is that Northern Epirus is Greek in the large majority; that Italy has invaded the province without a mandate from her allies." "She had a mandate for Valona, but not for Northern Epirus," continued Mr. Cassavetes. "She has shut down 260 Greek schools, driven away the Greek clergy, exiled the leaders of the Greek com- munities, imported Moslem Albanians from Central Albania to terrorize the Christians into Italianization, has founded Italian schools, to which the Greek Christians refuse to send their children ; gives in- structions only in Italian and two hours per week in Albanian, aiming at Italianizing both Greeks and Albanians. "Are these facts, or are they not? Let not Mr. Clark evade an answer to these questions. That is the issue. "Today Northern Epirus is not free to express its national will. To speak Greek there is a crime. To refuse to sign a petition to the Peace Conference that you want Italian rule constitutes high treason for which you may be assassinated over night by the famous Albanian bands of Guegaria. As to whether or not the Albanians want Italian rule, we state that only a month ago the Albanian delegation from America addressed a strong protest to the Peace Council against any Italian interference. "When Mr. Clark makes the implication that the Greek Government was not tolerant of the Moslems in Northern Epirus, he shows how very little he knows both of Northern Epirus and the Greek Gov- ernment "In 1915 the British Minister went to Mr. Venizelos and asked him to reoccupy Northern Epirus in order that the Moslem Albanians, who, after the departure of the Greek Government from Northern Epirus, had been driven out of the province during the nine months' revolutionary war against Albania by the Northern Epirotes, might return to their homes. Mr. Venizoles asked if Italy would consent. The British Minister consulted the Italian Government, which agreed only under the condition that Italy occupy Valona. Now, Britain, France, Russia, and Italy, in having asked Greece to reoccupy the province, knew better than did Mr. Clark that the Greek Government would be a protector of, and not a butcher of, the Moslems. And the Greek Government was so kind that to-day, if the Italians evacuate the province and the United States occupies it for six months and applies a plebiscite, the majority of the Moslems would vote in favor of Greek rule." APPENDIX IX Korytsa, Northern Epirus, December 25, 1919 "Continuing what has taken place in Korytsa, I inform you that the French authorities have given permission, besides the city of Korytsa, to only twelve Greek villages to open the Greek schools. These villages are Darda, Vithcouki, Sinitsa, Viglista, Grapsa, Yourassi, Polena, Phloki, Progri, Hotsista, and Bratvitsa, which had last year 1,150 pupils and this year many more. Twenty more Greek villages have asked the French authorities permission to re- open their schools. The French Military Governor at Korytsa receives daily such petitions. "The Albanians are employing a hundred ways of forcing the inhabitants to accept Albanian teach- ers; but the villages either drive them out or leave them without pupils and thus force them to go of their own accord. The Greek population prefers to have its children remain illiterate rather than to send them to Albanian schools. I give you examples : In the village of Zetsista the children refused to attend school where an Albanian teacher was sent by the Albanian authorities to teach the Albanian language. In other villages where the Albanians have imposed upon the Greek inhabitants Albanian teachers, these teachers have either been forced to abandon their posts or to remain at them merely to draw their salaries without having anybody to teach. In the purely Mohammedan villages only a small number of Albanian children attend the few Albanian schools. You can imagine that in spite of all sorts of pressure exerted by the Albanian gendarmerie in the entire district of Korytsa outside the city, the Albanians have not succeeded in enrolling more than 700 pupils, and they are practically all Mohamme- dans. But the Albanians prepare false statistics with the intention of deceiving the foreigners who are ignorant of the local conditions. In Darda the Greek schools have an enrollment of 200. The Al- banian school only 18 ; in Hotsista, the Greek school 250, and the Albanian school last year only 10. This year the school has not even opened its gates. "I now come to the question of the Albanian po- lice force. As I have already wired you, all the evil elements of the district have enrolled in the notorious Albanian police force. Not a single decent citizen has enrolled in it. Only 15 Greeks serve as assistants to the French police force. The Albanian policemen are a veritable scourge to the Christian villages. Fortu- nately, for some time now the French Governor sends French policemen to the Christian villages instead of Albanians as before. "I mention only a few of the crimes committed by the Albanian police force in the last few months un- der the very eyes of the so-called Albanian Govern- ment in Korytsa. The Moslem Albanian Corporal Safetk Potomi, killed in Darda on the 20th of June, the Greek Kolia Pappas. This policeman was cap- tured and imprisoned, but was very soon released with the assistance of his Albanian colleagues. The same policeman killed on the 7th of September the Greek Constantine Polica, and wounded many others. The Moslem Albanian policeman, Ahous Souleiman, attempted, on the 25th of August, to assassinate in 30 the city of Korytsa the Greek S. Panarite, who re- "In another message I intend to inform you how fceived two bullets, but has escaped death. The Al- the Albanian Club of Korytsa spread out false news banian policeman, Tsanl, was sent by his superiors of a reported advance of the Greek troops in Ko- to escort the Greek merchant, Kalemeran, from the rytsa. This same club urged 500 Albanians who had village Dousari to the village Gergevitsa. The said been more or less implicated in activities against the Albanian policeman, having understood that the Greeks to run away from Korytsa and telegraphed to Greek merchant was carrying money with him, killed Europe that 15,000 Albanians had fled from Korytsa. him. The murders and assassinations committed by "(Signed) Adamides." the members of the Albanian police force are very numerous to be enumerated. 31 ft V 3 *» "° Photomount Pamphlet Binder Gaylord Bros. Maker* Syracuse, N. Y. NT. JA* 21, 190* 57207fi UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY