Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-03-17
ONE WORD MAY
SPLIT AN EMPIRE

Vienna, Feb. ga word is a very lit
tie thing, and yet things apparently as
inconsequential have been the cause of
wars and revolutions that lave changed
ed the history of the world. Today it is
Austria-Hungary that is threatened, and
1t is a single word that is at the bottom
of the matter.
Years ago Prince Bismarck predicted
the downfall of the Observation-Disclosures
empire. Prince Bismarck was a wise and
far-seelng diplomat, and it begins to look
as if his prediction was to be realized.
He said that the lays of the present en-
pire We're numbered, that the collapse
would come much sooner than would be
anticipated. and it now looks as if the
eruption might occur within a compare
lively short time.
The language question has long been
a sore point in Austrian politics, and it
it upon this rock that the empire seems
destined to split. For months past the
been increasing steadily, and affairs were
practically at fever heat when the en-
peror settled the matter officially by his
declaration that "hier," not 'zde,' must
be used in answering the roll in the
army. While this decision in regard to
the use of a word may seem Of little i'm
portance, it is Of such great consequence
to the people of Austria that it is not at
all impossible that it may bring about
the dissolution of the empire.
That is what may happen, and this is
the reason for 1T all:
The Austrian army regulations require
that soldiers must report each year to
the control commission and that each
man, as his name is called, must stem
forward and present a pass which GER
titles to his having performed his service
in the army.
1t has become an established custom
that each soldier shall answer with the
word here" although this is not pre-
scribed by law. The language of the en-
tire army during service being German.
\ tue soldiers are expected to use the Ger
man word "hier,' but it has been just as
much the custom in some parts of the
empire to permit the Czech soldiers to
make use of the Bohemian equivalent.
"zde."
This year the emperor has declared
thai he has taken sides with the Germans
and thai the word "zde" must no long
err be used, and, as the result, the anger
or ,zechs increases every hour
Inc real question that is at the bottom
OF all this commotion is whether Austria
is to be German or Slav. Is the coun-
Try to be a centralized state, with Ger
man law. language and ideas of govern
meht, or is the empire to be broken UP
INTO a number of semi-independent prov
inces, each claiming an equal status with
Austria proper and ruled by the nation
atty that predominates in each prov,
ince? Nv
Today this fight has formed itself into
a oattie OF languages. and. apparently,
the whole trouble rests upon the one
word here but students of European
pohtics know that the present struggle
~ or much greater proportion, tina it is
a racial battle between Teuton and Slay,
INTO which all the bitterness that arises
from difference of speech. RELIGION in
stlnct and ideas has been precipitated
IN ORDER to fully understand the Ans
tr1an question it is necessary to exam
me into the construction of the empire.
or tho two 1iH,icir,~ A,4..
the least homogeneous in it's population
and least compact in it's geographical ex-
tent. The POPULATION, which consists of
ABOUT $4,000 coo people. is divided about
as fma,oWs; Slays: 10000, 900; Germans. s.
100000; Poles, 400, 900, while about 900
geo consist Of Italians. Roumanians etc.
Inc are compact in Austria
proner. and form a considerable element
IN bohemia, especially on the Rayarian
and. Saxon borders. The Slavs. however
are divided. There are about 300 ono II,
bohemia ard Moravia. Czechs and Slo.
Naks the former greatly in the maioritv.
l,zuooeo sloVenes. chiefly in Styrit; $40. 900
osoatian. ana servians on the borders
Galicia. III
IN hungary the Magyars, to the n1,,n-
Der or about $500. 900, occupy the central
part of the country, and they are sur
rounded by a fringe of 2.000, 600 Germans
on the west, 9 1000 900 Czechs and Slovaks
on the north. 2,50o. 600 Rumanians on the
east and 1000, 900 Croatians and Servians
on the south.
The entire population of the empire
consists approximately Of "A 800. 900 SIavs
lH.50ao oA Germans, 1900 600 Magyars. 8,
00o.0 900 Poles and 5000 900 Rumanians
The language divisions correspond yerv
closely to the racial. while in religion the
Roman Catholic church predominates
although the Greek church and the Pro,
tcstant Lutheran church are largely rep
resented.