Some of the leading citizens of Rieka formed themselves into a Croat
National Council; Dr. Bakar[vc]i['c] and Dr. Lenac went up to the
Governor's palace, and with them went Dr. Vio, as delegate of the town
council. He said they recognized the Croatian Government, on condition
that the town's municipal autonomy was guaranteed. To this they readily
consented, with respect to the Italian language, to their schools and to
the existing town administration, thus agreeing to every suggestion
which Dr. Vio made. Moreover they gave him the town register (of births,
etc.), which the Magyars had appropriated and which was now discovered
at the palace. This was at 9 a.m. on October 30. Dr. Vio said that he
was glad that everything had been arranged so amicably. But on the same
evening the Italian National Council elected itself, for a large number
of the Autonomist party had now become the Italian party. There still
remained, however, an Autonomist party, which was no longer inspired,
like the old Autonomists, by despotic sentiments towards the Croats, but
by a feeling that in consequence of this long despotism the Croats were,
as yet, not fit to govern such a place as Rieka. This is a matter of
opinion. These Autonomists considered that, at any rate for several
years, the town should not belong to Yugoslavia or to Italy, but be a
free town under Allied, British or American, control. After five or six
years there could be a plebiscite, and during that period the population
would be encouraged to devote itself more to business and less to
politics. This would tend to make them a united people, with the
interests of the town at heart. But the Italian party, said the
Autonomist leader, Mr. Gothardi, did not appear to think these interests
important; when it was argued that Rieka would not flourish under Italy,
because of the competition with Italy's other ports and especially
Triest, because of the vast Italian debt, and for other reasons, the
Italian party answered that even if the grass grew in Rieka's streets it
must belong to Italy. "Very well," said the Slavs, "then we will develop
the harbour at Bakar" a few miles away. "Infamous idea!" exclaimed the
Italianists; "Rieka is the harbour for the hinterland." There the
Autonomists agree with them, that the town should finally belong to the
State which has the hinterland. Mr. Gothardi's party gathered strength
and he himself became so obnoxious to the Italianists that when I saw
him in the month of May 1919 he had been for several weeks a prisoner in
his flat, on account of some thirty individuals with sticks who were
lurking round the corner. His figures were as follows:
6,000 Socialists.
3,000 Autonomists.
1,500 Yugoslavs.
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That is, 10,000 voters out of 12-13,000.
One may mention that he, like some others of his party, belongs to a
family which has been at Rieka for two hundred years, whereas of the
fifteen gentlemen who called themselves the Italian National Council,
only one--a cousin of Mr. Gothardi's--is a member of an old Rieka
family. Most of the others we are bound to call renegades.
It may be asked why the Italian National Council was established, and
why its members swore that they would give their lives if they could
thus give Rieka to the "Madre Patria." Some of them believed, I am sure,
that this was for Rieka's good, cultural and economical; others
entertained the motives that we saw at Zadar--personal ambition and the
desire to satisfy some animosities. And there were others who remembered
what occurred in the great harbour warehouses. They hoped, they thought
that if the town fell to the lot of Italy no questions would be
asked.[15] There must also have been some who could not bear to
contemplate the loss of their old privileged position.