The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-04-05
ONE WORD NAY
SPLIT An EMPIRE.
Austria-dungarY Threatened with
Disruption Because the Emperor
Prefers 'F1ier7 to @Zde."

Vienna, Mar ga word Is a very little
thing. and yet things apparently as incon-
geQueutial have been the cause Of wars
and revolutions that have changed the
history Of the world Today it is Austria
Hungary that is threatened, and it is a
single word that IS at the bottom Of the
matter.
Years ago Prince Bismarck predicted
the downfall OF the Austrian Hungarian
Empire. Prince Bismarck was a wise and
far-seeing diplomat, and It begins to look
as If his predictions was to be realized
He said that the days Of the present en-
plre were numbered, that the collapse
would come much sooner than anticipated.
and it now looks as II the eruption might
occur within a comparatively short time.
The language question has long been
a sore point IN Austrian politics and II
is upon this rock that the empire seems
destined to split. For months past the
public agitation over the question has
been Increasing steadily. and affairs were
practically at fever heat when the en-
per0r settled the matter officially by his
declaration that ''hier." not "zde," must
be used in answering the roll call in the
army. While this decision in regard to
The use Of a word may seem Of little i'm
portance. IL is Of such great consequence
TO the people of Austria that il 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 Il all:
The Austrian army regulations require
that soldiers must report each year to the
control commission ard that each man.
as his name is called. must step forward
and present a pass which certihes TO his
having performed his service in the army
Tt has become an established custom
that each soldier must answer with the
word here although this is not pre-
scrioed by law. The language Of the en-
tire army during service being German.
man word ''hier." but it has been Just as
lLlucA eHe Custom "a some parts OF lne
empire to permit the Czech soldiers to
made use of the Bohemian equivalent
This year the emperor has declared
that he has taken sides with the Ger
mans and that the word ''zde" must
no longer be used. and. as sthe result the
anger of the Czechs increases every hour
Ihe real question that is at the bottom
Of all this commOtiOn is whether Austria
try to be a centralized State. with Ger
man law. language and ideas of govern
ment, or is the country TO be broken up
into number Of neutrality-suspicious. pro
vinces. each claiming an equal status
with Austria proper and ruled by the ma
tionaHty that predomtnates in each pro-
vince
Today this fight has formed itself into
battle Of Languages and. apparently the
here but students of European politics
know that the present struggle is of much
greater proportion. that it is a racial bat
Tie between TeutCn and Slav, into which
all the bitterness that arises from differ
ence OF speech. religion, instinct and ideas
has been precipitated-
In order to fully understand the Aus
trlan question IL is necessary TO examine
mo me SYliSl fuction OF the empire OF
the two divisions, Austria proper is the
least homogeneous in its population and
ledsL compact IN Its geographic extent
The population, which consists of about
z3.500OOO people. is divided about as fol-
lows. Slavs 10000. 600: Germans $500 OO3:
/ cor
sists of Italbns, Rumanians. etc
The Germans are compact in Austria
proper and form a considerable element
In Bohemia especially on the BaVarian
and Saxon borders The Slavs. however
are divided There are about $500 900 in
Bonernla and Morav1a- Czechs and SlO-
yaks the former greatly in the major
Ky ;;,,l ~ sioyenes,, chiefly in Stayria;
ders Of Croatia, and 100000 RUthenians in
Galicia-
In Hungary the Magyars, TO the num-
Der Of about 7.500.000. occupy the central
founded bv a fringe Of 90 f.o Go az,
on the west. 100000 Czechs and Slovaks
on the north. 2.5300O0 Rumanians on the
east and 2,QQ0o COO Croatians and Servians
on the south.
The entire population Of the empire
consists approximately of IL. 800 900 Slavs
050O. GOO Magyars. 100000 Poles and 3.009.-
w Humanlans- The language divi-
stons correspond very closely to
the racial while in religion the Ro-
man Catholic church predoninates al
though the Greek church and the Protest
ant Lutheran church are largely repre-
scented.
Many years ago there was actual unity
between the Crown states but today that
unity Is a thing of the past. Thirty years
ago IL looked as If the BOhemians might
as Wen give up their mother language.
put today they are more Czech than ever
and il is the German element who will
have to look 10 the sword if they intend
70 carry out their original plan which
was TO absorb the rival race OF course
II now looks as tt the emperor intended
70 use force if force be necessary, to
bring about this desired result
That the emperor is strong in his pIr-
pose Is beyond question. but that he has
sufficient strength to carry out that pur-