St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-10-15
AN ASININE ACTION.
Emperor Williams Snub to
Count Won Taafe an I'm
fortunate Error.
No More Inopportune Moment
Could Have Been Chosen
For 1t.
A War of Races in Austrc-
Hungary Will Re-
suit.
This, Of Course, Cannot Fail
to Weaken the Triple
Alliance.
Special to the Globe.

Special to the Globe
VIENNA, Oct. 13.-Since the departure
of Emperor William from Vienna the
question whether his visit will result in
a lasting injury to the dual empire is
being eagerly discussed. 1t is conceded
by number of Austrian politicians
that the young emperor's snub to
Count Won Taafe, the Austrian
premier. was an unfortunate circum-
stance to the Austro-Hungarian govern
ment, coming, as it did, almost on the
heels of the severe rebuke of the En-
peror Francis Joseph to DIR. Stress
mayer, bishop of DiakOvo. The irrita-
ton of Emperor Francis Joseph with
his great bishop was Ineligible enough.
DR.. Strossmayer was born in Sla-
yonia-at Essek-on-the-Drave the
year 1915, and early became a
devoted advocate of the CrOatian
national cause. The bishop has since
admitted that he desired union of all
Serbs. and regretted that the Serbs of
Servia had not, like the Greats, adopted
the Latin letters. The division of al
phabets corresponds to that of relig-
ions. The CrOatS are simply Catholic
Serbs, whereas the subjects of King
Milan are orthodox. The Serbs of BoS-
MIA are partly orthodox and partly Ma
hOmetan. From the politicians point
OF view it was
AN ILL-CHoSEN TIME
for DR.. StroSSmayer to pay cOmpli-
ments to Russia, when for two years
past the Austro-HungarIan monarchy
has been arming to defend itself
against the Russians. The politicians
also believe that a more inOppOrtune
moment could not have been
chosen for Emperor Williams rebuff
to Count Won Taafe, as it will
undoubtedly increase the tension be-
tween the different races of the dual
empire, and greatly strengthen the
Nationalist movement among the sew
eral peoples which has for some time
caused embarrassment to the govern
ment. The Austrian emperOr's sub
jects are of many races. There are
the Germans of Austrian and the Tyrel
and the German minority of Bohemia,
who are as good as any Orangemen
against the Nationalist movement of the
Czechs. The CZechs, the Moravians
and the Poles form the SlavOnic group,
from which, perhaps, the Slovaeks and
RutheneS must be distinguished. Then
Hungary contains besides the Mag
vars, large Roumanian population,
whose eyes are apt to turn towards their
kinsmen whose capital is at Bucharest
The national government in Croatia
finds its first enemies in the MagyarS,
who are the chief anti-RuSSian movers
i'll the empire, and this antagOniSm is of
itself likely to rouse feelings of SYM
patty with Russia In the breasts of the
Greats. The fact is that
THE DIFFICULTIES OF AUSTRIA
are almost inSurmountable and it is
a perpetual wonder that she exists at
all. The experiment of giving home
rule to Hungary a wider home
rule than it has ever been proposed to
give Ireland-haS undoubtedly been
made Hungary loyal and con-
tented partner in the common
concern. But the circumstances
of Austria, composed of a number of
different races, which are counted by
millions and which occupy great terri
tories, make it very difficult and dan
gerous to stop on the way to federation.
Bohemia, at least, will never be fully
trustworthy in the hour of dam
germ the hour of great
war with Russia-untiI she gets
NUdJ SOG Ill lCOU. luC
Guilty lies in the fact that Bohemia has
Just as Hungary has its Ulster in the
Greats. 1t is pretty certain that Aus
tro Hungary cannot stand still. The
disaffection of her Slavonic sub
Jects. with the exception of the
Gallician Poles, is at present SO
widespread that the empire would not,
in all probability, emerge intact from
the strain of even successful war. The
offense of which Count Taafe was guilty
in the eyes of the Emperor William
was committed about year ago, when
the Hungarian premier succeeded in
driving a strong wedge into the
THEORY OF A DUAL EMPIRE,
by passing bill for the recognition of
the Czech language in Bohemia. The
Germans of Bohemia loathe the CZechs;
the CZechS hate the Germans. 1t is
claimed that Taafe'S measure must re-
suit sooner or later in the browning of
Francis Joseph. under a Czech alias,
at Prague, hence the Austrian prime
minister received no decoration at the
hands of Emperor William, but received
instead a Snubbing which is already be-
ginning to have the effect of extending
the bitter feeling of the CZechS toward
the Germans to the other nationalities
in Austro-Hungary, and conse-
quently weakening the force of
the triple alliance in the eyes
of Russia. This event, slight as it
appeared at first has caused a furry
among Russian financiers, and is UNI
doubtedly at the bottom of the predic-
ton of heavy fall in the price of Rus
sian rOubles, which is the chief barom-
eter from which the pessimist takes his
indications of an approaching storm.
The price of the rouble DUR
ing the month of August and
September advanced 40 per cent on the
prospect of the maintenance of peace,
notwithstanding the fact that an i'm
perial decree for the immediate issue of
1900, eco rOubles was authorized, while
this week there were large fluctuations
in the price each day, showing lower
figure at the close.