It is strange that this order should have been so scurvily treated in
the town of [vS]ibenik, where it was issued and where the Admiral
resided until the beginning of June, after which he transferred the seat
of government to Zadar. At [vS]ibenik, by the way, the population
comprises 13,000 Yugoslavs and 400 Italianists. On February 20, 1919,
there arrived from Zadar, in consequence of an invitation from Admiral
Millo, the Italian professor Domiaku[vs]i['c] who, according to the
sixth clause of the Armistice, was justified in assuming the functions
of school-controller, but was not authorized to become the inspector or
in any way to interfere in didactic matters. Two inspectors existed in
Dalmatia, one for the elementary and one for the secondary school, but
the chief school authority of the province and the two inspectors under
him were not informed of Professor Domiaku[vs]i['c]'s nomination. If the
Governor intended him to abide by the stipulations of the Armistice, he
must have been astonished at the schools being shut on the day after
his arrival. And they remained shut, both the modern school and the
middle-class girls' school for months, because the Professor's quite
illegal attempt to usurp the inspectorship was resented. The secondary
school was closed and the teachers who had come to [vS]ibenik with their
families, but whose permanent domicile was elsewhere, received an order,
delivered by carabinieri, that they would have to leave the town in four
days. A few Italians were brought from Split and the school was
reopened, but the attendance, which had been about 200, was now 24, and
of these only two were the sons of Yugoslavs--but Yugoslavs who had
taken office under the Italians, one as President of the Court of
Justice and the other as prison inspector; these gentlemen took their
boys by the hand and led them to school. Perhaps the Admiral was unaware
of these transactions; but various Yugoslav officials, whose salaries
had been withheld because they would not sign a paper asking to be made
Italian officials, continued, notwithstanding, at their posts for two
months; after which the Government perceived that by the clauses of the
Armistice they were compelled to pay them. Each of them received exactly
what was due, while some Italian teachers who had signed the paper were
given a war bonus, extending over five months, of 80 per cent. Whether
the Admiral knew of this or not, it does not harmonize with his exalted
sentiments. And the town-commandant spoke very darkly[37] on various
occasions to the leading citizens of what would come to pass if the
Italians by any chance were told to leave the place. His brave fellows,
the arditi, so he said, had plenty of machine guns and of ammunition.
But this fair-haired German-looking officer was a rampageous sort of
person who discharged, according to his lights, the Admiral's "truly
lofty mission of civilization." It was not he, but another of the
Admiral's subordinates at [vS]ibenik, who, when approached by a certain
Mr. Iva[vs]a Zori['c] with the request that something might be done to
release his son, a prisoner of war in Italy, replied: "Your son shall be
released in eight days, provided that you declare, in writing, that you
are content with the Italian occupation." On Mr. Zori['c] saying that he
was unable to do this, "Very well," said the officer, "then your son
will be one of the last to be set free."