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Show were waiting for word from the president, presi-dent, which would have settled tho w hole matter, d 'Annunzio marched into Fiumc on Friday, September 12. President's Refusal. When on September 16. Tittoni left Paris, he called on Mr. Tolk and asked that President Wilson bo notified that tho Italians withdrew their second alternative al-ternative because the Rome government felt unable to accept that solution for the time being. At that time no reply-had reply-had been received from President Wilson. Wil-son. This action by Tittoni left before Wilson only the proposal that Flume go to Italy, -with the port remaining free, a proposal which Wilson was not expected ex-pected to accept and which it is now reported he has rejected in a meseasra to tho Italian delegation. Had the Italians submitted their alternative proposal a week sooner, Wilson would nave had time to accept the second suggested sug-gested solution. It is entirely probable that had that happened and the peace conference taken final decision, d 'Annunzio. even had he taken his bold step, would not have received the support he now has in Italy, for it would have meant standing out against the nations of the world, whereas today, d 'Annunzio technically tech-nically stands out only against the Italian Ital-ian government. Does Not Stand Water. There is a disposition among Italians in Paris to throw the blame on President Presi-dent Wilson for not answering the Italian Ital-ian proposals more quickly, stating that there was a waste of time between Septomber 10, when the proposals were sent, and September It!, when the second sec-ond proposal was withdrawn, for Wilson to have answered. The argument does not hold water. It is extremely doubtful doubt-ful that it was possible for the president's presi-dent's answer to have reached here by September 16. If it had reached here that day it was then too late, by Tittoni 's own statement, for the Italian acceptance of the settlement for d 'Annunzio had gone to Fiume on September 12. It was certainly cer-tainly not possible for the president to have answered between the time of sub-missal sub-missal of the proposals and d 'Annunzio 'Annun-zio 's coup, after which day, as the Italians Ital-ians say, their peace delegation could not have accepted any Finnic settlement settle-ment which did not give the citv to Italv. The Americans point out that had Ti-tonni Ti-tonni submitted his free state proposal earlier, the outcome might have been different. But, after nil. if American slang may be used in discussing European Euro-pean politics, it was d 'Annunzio who ''spilled tho beans." ADJUSTMENT IS BALKEDBV COUP D'Annunzio's Adventure in Fiume Upset Plans for Amicable Settlement. Series of Circumstances Interpose In-terpose to Upset Arrangement Arrange-ment by Paris. By EDWIN L. JAMES. (Xew York Times Cable, Copyright.) PAJtIS, Sept. 27. The tragic fact now conies out that the Fiume controversy, contro-versy, which today looms as a possiblo cause of the downfall of the dynasty, and spreads tho shadow of a new international in-ternational struggle over war-worn Europe, came within inches of being settled. Tho peace conference was on the very edge of agreement, when, even as the scales swung into a final adjustment, ad-justment, d 'Annunzio rushed into tho Adriatic city on his poetic adventuro and ruined the calculations of statesmen. states-men. Had d 'Annunzio waited ono or two days, had a diplomat 's mind quit hesitating hesi-tating one or two days sooner, had President Wilson a quicker way of communicating with Paris than by cablegram, ca-blegram, had half a dozen other factors fac-tors not been just what they were, tho whole story would have been different. As it is, the fate of men and nations has been put in jeopardy becauso of a remarkable series' of circumstances. Series of Incidents. For weeks the supreme council had teen laboring for a solution of the Adriatic Adri-atic question. Suggestion a'ter suggestion sug-gestion had .been weighed and discarded. discard-ed. Argument after argument had followed fol-lowed one another around the conference confer-ence table. Knowing that the world was wearying of the prolongation of their labors, the diplomats at Paris had been struggling to compromise the apparently uncom- fromisable attitudes of different na-ions na-ions on the vexatious question. Then on September 10, the Italian delegation submitted an alternative proposition, first, that Fiume should go to Italy, with the port facilities remaining free under the league of nations, and, second, sec-ond, that Fiume and the adjacent territory, terri-tory, including sections claimed by the Jugo-Siavs, should go into one free state, under the league of nations. It was the insistence of the American delegation, dele-gation, reflecting Wilson's unwillingness unwilling-ness that Italy should have Fiume, which was largelv responsible for the second of these alternatives. Deferred to Wilson. When Tittoni handed this alternative proposal to Frank Polk, head of the American delegation, to be relayed to President Wilson, he knew that the French and English would agree to either solution Wilson agreed to. It was the belief of the American delegation delega-tion that Wilson would accept the second sec-ond alternative and it was tho belief of the Enp-nsh and French delegation that he would accept it. The Americans cabled this Italian proposal to the president, pres-ident, in high hope3 that at lat the Fiume issue was about to be settled. Mr. Polk sent this communication to Washington in code, to be forwarded to President Wilson, who was in the west. The cable was dispatched on the evening eve-ning of Wednesday Sept. 10. It was calculated that it reached the president on Saturday Sept. 13, allowing for cable ca-ble delays, delay in decoding and delay de-lay in transmission to the president. And then, whiie the Paris delegation |