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the boundary of, her territory, the régime set out in the first paragraph of Article 332 and in Articles 333 to 3381 of the Treaty of Peace with Germany.

ARTICLE 17.

All rights and privileges accorded by the foregoing Articles to the Allied and Associated Powers shall be accorded equally to all States Members of the League of Nations.

THE PRESENT TREATY, in French, in English and in Italian, of which in case of divergence the French text shall prevail, shall be ratified. It shall come into force at the same time as the Treaty of Peace with Austria.

The deposit of ratifications shall be made at Paris.

Powers of which the seat of the Government is outside Europe will be entitled to inform the Government of the French Republic through their diplomatic representative at Paris that their ratification has been given; in that case they must transmit the instrument of ratification as soon as possible.

A procès-verbal of the deposit of ratifications will be drawn up. The French Government will transmit to all signatory Powers a certified copy of the procès-verbal of the deposit of ratifications.

DONE at Paris, the ninth day of December, one thousand nine hundred and nineteen, in a single copy which will remain deposited in the archives of the Government of the French Republic, and of which authenticated copies will be transmitted to each of the Signatory Powers.

Plenipotentiaries who in consequence of their temporary absence from Paris have not signed the present Treaty may do so up to December 20, 1919.

IN FAITH WHEREOF the hereinafter-named Plenipotentiaries, whose powers have been found in good and due form, have signed the present Treaty.

(L.S.) FRANK L. POLK.

(L.S.)

HENRY WHITE.

(L.S.)

TASKER H. BLISS.

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SERB-CROAT-SLOVENE STATE.

1919.

TREATY BETWEEN THE PRINCIPAL ALLIED AND ASSOCIATED POWERS AND THE SERB-CROAT-SLOVENE STATE.

Signed at Saint-Germain-en-Laye September 10, 1919.1

Chapter I.

ARTICLES.

1. Establishes articles 2-8 as
fundamental laws of the
Serb-Croat-Slovene State.
2. Full protection without dis-
tinction of birth, national-
ity, language, race, or re-
ligion; free exercise of re-
ligion.

3. Residents of territory as re-
sulting from treaties ipso
facto Serb-Croat-Slovene na-
tionals; right of option.
4. Admits Austrians, Hungarians,
or Bulgarians by birth to be
Serb-Croat-Slovene nationals
ipso facto.

5. Option of nationality not to
be hindered.

6. Serb-Croat-Slovene

ity by birth.

national

Chapter I-Continued.

7. Equality of Serb-Croat-Slovene
nationals before law.

8. Treatment of minorities.
9. Language instruction in edu-
cational system.

10. Musulman usage protected.
11. Guaranty of League of Na-
tions.

Chapter II.

12. Maintenance of treaties.
13. Equitable treatment of com-

merce.

14. Most-favored-nation treatment of shipping.

15. Communications and transit provisions.

16. Extension to League of Nations members; ratification.

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, THE BRITISH EMPIRE, FRANCE, ITALY AND JAPAN The Principal Allied and Associated Powers,

on the one hand;

And THE SERB-CROAT-SLOVENE STATE,

on the other hand; Whereas since the commencement of the year 1913 extensive territories have been added to the Kingdom of Serbia, and

Whereas the Serb, Croat and Slovene peoples of the former Austro-Hungarian Monarchy have of their own free will determined to unite with Serbia in a permanent union for the purpose of forming a single sovereign independent State under the title of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and

Whereas the Prince Regent of Serbia and the Serbian Government have agreed to this union, and in consequence the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes has been constituted and has assumed sovereignty over the territories inhabited by these peoples, and

Whereas it is necessary to regulate certain matters of international concern arising out of the said additions of territory and of this union, and

Ratifications have been deposited by the British Empire, France, Italy, and Japan. The Serb-Croat-Slovene State acceded on December 5, 1919.

Whereas it is desired to free Serbia from certain obligations which she undertook by the Treaty of Berlin of 1878 to certain Powers and to substitute for them obligations to the League of Nations, and

Whereas the Serb-Croat-Slovene State of its own free will desires to give to the populations of all territories included within the State, of whatever race, language or religion they may be, full guarantees that they shall continue to be governed in accordance with the principles of liberty and justice;

For this purpose the High Contracting Parties have appointed as their Plenipotentiaries:

THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA:

The Honourable Frank Lyon POLK, Under-Secretary of State;
The Honourable Henry WHITE, formerly Ambassador Extraor-
dinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States at Rome and
Paris;

General Tasker H. BLISS, Military Representative of the United
States on the Supreme War Council;

HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF
GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND AND OF THE BRITISH
DOMINIONS BEYOND THE SEAS, EMPEROR OF INDIA:

The Right Honourable Arthur James BALFOUR, O.M., M.P., His
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs;

The Right Honourable Andrew Bonar LAW, M.P., His Lord
Privy Seal;

The Right Honourable Viscount MILNER, G.C.B., G.C.M.G., His
Secretary of State for the Colonies;

The Right Honourable George Nicoll BARNES, M.P., Minister
without portfolio;

And

for the DOMINION OF CANADA:

The Honourable Sir Albert Edward KEMP, K.C.M.G., Minister of the Overseas Forces;

for the COMMONWEALTH of AUSTRALIA:

The Honourable George Foster PEARCE, Minister of Defence; for the UNION of SOUTH AFRICA:

The Right Honourable Viscount MILNER, G.C.B., G.C.M.G.; for the DOMINION of NEW ZEALAND:

The Honourable Sir Thomas MACKENZIE, K.C.M.G., High Commissioner for New Zealand in the United Kingdom;

for INDIA:

The Right Honourable Baron SINHA, K.C., Under-Secretary of
State for India;

THE PRESIDENT OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC:

Mr. Georges CLEMENCEAU, President of the Council, Minister of
War:

Mr. Stephen PICHON, Minister for Foreign Affairs;

Mr. Louis-Lucien KLOTZ, Minister of Finance;

Mr. André TARDIEU, Commissary General for Franco-American
Military Affairs;

Mr. Jules CAMBON, Ambassador of France;

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HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF ITALY:

The Honourable Tommaso TITTONI, Senator of the Kingdom,
Minister for Foreign Affairs;

The Honourable Vittorio SCIALOJA, Senator of the Kingdom;
The Honourable Maggiorino FERRARIS, Senator of the King-
dom;

The Honourable Guglielmo MARCONI, Senator of the Kingdom;
The Honourable Silvio CRESPI, Deputy;

HIS MAJESTY THE EMPEROR OF JAPAN:

Viscount CHINDA, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of H.M. the Emperor of Japan at London;

Mr. K. MATSUI, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of H.M. the Emperor of Japan at Paris;

Mr. H. IJUIN, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of H.M. the Emperor of Japan at Rome;

HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF THE SERBS, THE CROATS,
AND THE SLOVENES:

Mr. Nicholas P. PACHITCH, formerly President of the Council of
Ministers;

Mr. Ante TRUMBIČ, Minister for Foreign Affairs:

Mr. Ivan ZOLGER, Doctor of Law;

Who, after having exchanged their full powers, found in good and due form, have agreed as follows:

The Principal Allied and Associated Powers, taking into consideration the obligations contracted under the present Treaty by the Serb-Croat-Slovene State, declare that the Serb-Croat-Slovene Štate is definitely discharged from the obligations undertaken in Article 35 of the Treaty of Berlin of July 13, 1878.

CHAPTER I.

ARTICLE 1.

The Serb-Croat-Slovene State undertakes that the stipulations contained in Articles 2 to 8 of this Chapter shall be recognised as fundamental laws, and that no law, regulation or official action shall conflict or interfere with these stipulations, nor shall any law, regulation or official action prevail over them.

ARTICLE 2.

The Serb-Croat-Slovene State undertakes to assure full and complete protection of life and liberty to all inhabitants of the Kingdom without distinction of birth, nationality, language, race or religion. All inhabitants of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes shall be entitled to the free exercise, whether public or private, of any creed, religion or belief, whose practices are not inconsistent with public order or public morals.

ARTICLE 3.

Subject to the special provisions of the Treaties mentioned below the Serb-Croat-Slovene State admits and declares to be Serb-CroatSlovene nationals ipso facto and without the requirement of any

29479-S. Doc. 348, 67-479

formality, Austrian, Hungarian or Bulgarian nationals habitually resident or possessing rights of citizenship (pertinenza, heimatsrecht) as the case may be at the date of the coming into force of the present Treaty in territory which is or may be recognised as forming part of the Serb-Croat-Slovene State under the Treaties with Austria, Hungary or Bulgaria respectively, or under any Treaties which may be concluded for the purpose of completing the present settle

ment.

Nevertheless, the persons referred to above who are over eighteen years of age will be entitled under the conditions contained in the said Treaties to opt for any other nationality which may be open to them. Option by a husband will cover his wife and option by parents will cover their children under eighteen years of age.

Persons who have exercised the above right to opt must within the succeeding twelve months transfer their place of residence to the State for which they have opted. They will be entitled to retain their immovable property in the territory of the Serb-Croat-Slovene State. They may carry with them their movable property of every description. No export duties may be imposed upon them in connection with the removal of such property.

ARTICLE 4.

The Serb-Croat-Slovene State admits and declares to be SerbCroat-Slovene nationals ipso facto and without the requirement of any formality persons of Austrian, Hungarian or Bulgarian nationality who were born in the said territory of parents habitually resident or possessing rights of ctizenship (pertinenza, heimatsrecht) as the case may be there, even if at the date of the coming into force of the present Treaty they are not themselves habitually resident or did not possess rights of citizenship there.

Nevertheless, within two years after the coming into force of the present Treaty, these persons may make a declaration before the competent Serb-Croat-Slovene authorities in the country in which they are resident, stating that they abandon Serb-Croat-Slovene nationality, and they will then cease to be considered as Serb-Croat-Slovene nationals. In this connection a declaration by a husband will cover his wife, and a declaration by parents will cover their children under eighteen years of age.

ARTICLE 5.

The Serb-Croat-Slovene State undertakes to put no hindrance in the way of the exercise of the right which the persons concerned have, under the Treaties concluded or to be concluded by the Allied and Associated Powers with Austria, Bulgaria or Hungary, to choose whether or not they will acquire Serb-Croat-Slovene nationality.

ARTICLE 6.

All persons born in the territory of the Serb-Croat-Slovene State who are not born nationals of another State shall ipso facto become Serb-Croat-Slovene nationals.

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