The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1908-11-05
SITUATION IN
EUROPE TODAY
BALKAN TROUBLE Is BY NO
MEANS OVER AND ARMED
CLASH NAY SWEEP
CONTINENT. A

London, Nov. 5.--The very immensi4
ty OF European war that would al
most certainly result from any clash
OF powers is the great deterring ele-
ment today In the Balkan tangle. q.
The powers talk in high-sounding
phrases OF the sacredness of inter-
national pacts--such as the Berlin
treaty---and the rights of the smaller
powers and the reprehensibleness Of
territorial aggression, but the one big
bogey is none OF these, but the cer-
tain knowledge that q conflict would
draw all the great powers into its de-
vastating whirlpool and entail loss
I'm men and money that would stagger
Europe for decades to come.
Balkan war scares have been so
frequent for years, that European
statesmen were pretty well used to
them when the present sQuabble arose.
But this years commotion was the
real thing. It's no mistake to refer to
1t as scare"
Nor is the danger over yet. It
won't be over until some sort OF con-
ference is held and the Berlin treaty,
the international agreement by which
the powers In 1878 undertook to de-
fine the rights OF the various big
and little nations with interests in the
Balkans, is definitely amended to ev-
eryone's satisfaction. Even this may
not suffice, for the old treaty has been
broken and new one might be.
Europe regards the Balkan question
as good as America would regard
100000 tons of dynamite.
AS long as 1t is left alone it harms
- a. 4. 4. -
potentiality Of blowing nearly hem
isphere OF the map.
And for some reckless power to
come along and start throwning rocks
at the magazine Is considered posi-
lively crininal--not only suicidal SO
far as the rock throwing power is
concerned, but murderous in it's re-
lation to all the rest.
Real Reason for Anger.
This feeling accounts for the storm
Of abuse heaped on the Austrians res.
ponsible for the present row.
The mere grabbing OF two prov
inces which belonged to someone else
wouldn't have given the other gov
ernments such shock. They're used
to that kind of thing.
They might have objected to IL, tust
as anyone objects to being beaten
at any game, but they wouldn't have
called names and made faces and ac-
cuseda the grabber OF deceit and
treachery the way they did this time.
It was really a very remarkable sit
uation
Experienced diplomats at Vienna
men whose business 1t Is to look po-
lite however they may feel, with
whom sauvity is second nature and
whose stock In trade is the ability to
conceal their real opinions--were SO
mad they wouldn't speak to Austria
Foreign Minister Won Aerenthal ex-
cept purely on affairs OF state, and
turned their heads away when they
passed him in the street.
High oficials of the foreign Offices
In London, Paris and st. Petersbure
ssaiu right out that Won AerAnthal was
tliar."
The press OF England, France and
Russia declared 1t an infsinite pit,
that after so long and respectable
career, Emperor Francis Joseph oi
Austria had made up his mind tc
end his days as 'deceitful old fraud. I
All the Austrian proclamaticns rel.
ative to its annexation OF Bosnia and
Herzegovina were denounced os 'hy.
pocrisy and cant"
Ferdinand OF Bulgaria was termed
petty intriguer" whose conceit mad.
him willing to risk plunging Europe
into war in order to change his It'll.
OF price" for that OF "czar." 1t was
freely remarked that, in case war tiit
come, Ferdinand would take goot
care to look on from a safe distance
because no one knew him to accep
any personal risk that he could avoid
Germany and Italy and even Russis
came in for some unfiatteping com,
ment, too, but as 1t was impossibl,
to prove Just how deeply they wer,
In the plot, the remarks concernin,
. them were not so strong.
They denied, indeed. that they wer,
mixed up in 1t at ALL
Russian Foreign Minister rsolsl,
did 80 with considerable force.
Calls Austrian d Liar.
Won Aeranthal, the Austrian. pro
voixed him to 1t by saying that Isol
sky needn't talk---that he knew wha
was going on all the time and an
proved OF it
Upon which Isolsky--then In PART
lis quoted as referring to Won Asr
anthal by short and ugly word
England and France were undougt
ediy little suspicion that Russi,
really was party to the conspirac,
but, being out-generaied by Austria
pulled out OF the plot and got owe
on the other side.
Still, the suspicious against Russi,
were only suspicions--nothinR more
1t is conceded that perhaps the cza
played fair, and that he ought to b
given the benefit OF the doubt.
Gerrnany's denial took the form o
statement to the Turkish govern
ment, through Ambassador Won Bte
berstein, at ConstantinopIe that til
kaiser had nothing whatever to d
with either Austria,s or Buigaria's ac
tion.
Without going so far as to say the
don't believe this announcement to b
true. the London, Paris and SIT. Peters
burg foreign offices don't try to con
ceal q lurking doubt whether German,
didn't engineer the whole thing.
italy is not supposed to have take
any active part in the coup bu
simply to have known what was afou
and to have been bribed, with promise
of territorial concessions, to kee
quiet and let matters take thei
course.
How II Al Happened.
There never was such mixed u
affair, It happened like this:
Hosnia and Herxegovina were Turk
ish provinces until 1873. Then tn