Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-16
l0STRE1S BOLD MOVE
Reasons for Annexation of
Near Provinces.
FEARED SERVIAN CARBON
Old Dream of Serbs for United Coun-
try Was Taking Form.
TALK WITH DR.. A. HRDLICKA
Noted Anthropologist Explains
Causes Leading to the Crisis
in the Balkans.
FEARED SERVIAN CARBON
TALK WITH DR.. A. HRDLICKA

Since the recent annexation of the prov
inces of Bosnia and Herzegovina by AUS
trla there has naturally been much SpeCu-
fatlon az to why this step should have
been risked ut this time by the big en-
pire. which. as il is, has many troubles
with dissatisfied elements under its con-
troll, what connection there between
this action and the proclamation of indie
pendence by Bulgaria. and what We're the
reasons of the sudden desperately belli-
cose attitude of Servia and Montenegro
toward Austria At least partial ex
PLANTATION was furnished in the course of
an interview yesterday with DR.. A. Hrd
licka, the well-known anthropologist of
this city, who is born bohemian, and is
in general we'll informed on the subject
of the races and affairs in the Balkans.
DR.. Hrdlicka said:
The action of Austria. though perhaps
not without German advice. was the result
of necessity. due to the recent great
changes in Turkey and the growing res
tiveness of the people of the two provinces
under German and Magyar administra-
ton. in which they had no voice. The
Savs of Bosnia and Herzegovina would
have preferred. under the new liberal con-
ditionS to become again part of Turkey.
where they could participate in the new
liberties of the people, and there to await
the realization of their final hopes, the
political reunion with their western breth
rem, the Serbs and Montenegrins.
The Old Servian Carbon.
Bosnia. Herzegovina, Servia, Montene-
gro, a part of Macedonia, and a part of
Croatia are all peopled by the Serbs.
who before the Turkish invasion formed
important czardom in southeastern Eu-
rope. This was the old Servia. And 1t
has long been the dream of these kindred
people to reunite in single kingdom or
confederacy. Since the last RussoTurk
iSh war this dream assumed gradually
more concrete FORM and finally seemed
at least. for the parts of the old country
south of Australia near realization.
The threads of this whole process of ma
tional aspiration and the intrigues against
it are OF great interest and are but little
known in this country. With Austria
annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
the Serbs hopes receive an almost mortal
blow. which explains the agitation in
Servia and Montenegro. At the same time
there is done away with real non-Ger-
man empire south of Austria Whlcn
might prove in more than one way trou-
blesome and an obstacle to certain nom
Slav aspirations.
The act of annexation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina by Austria was preclpltated
by the report of special emissary, Baron
Burian. whom the Austrian government
sent recently to the two provinces to
report to the emperor was followed soon
by a visit to the emperor of Prince Ferdl-
nand of Bulgaria. Immediately after TINS
visit. 1t is well known. came the proc
lamation of Bulgarian independence This
act was an infractiOn of the Berlin treaty,
which united The hands of Austria in re-
gard to the same agreement. The Bull
garians are a proud. warlike branch of
the Slavic people, speaking dialect which
differs somewhat from the Servian.
Vast Field of Political Intrigue.
The general situation in central and
southeastern Europe is strained. The
region from Saxony to Crete and from
the eastern boundary of Switzerland to
the shore of the Black sea is a vast
field of life and death struggle of nation
alitieS. in which those who dominate show
mercy to those who are subjected And
civilization advances the weaker, who
are imposed upon, struggle and die harder.
The world at large and America in par
ticular, are permitted to know but little
of these conditions. All the telegraphic
and most of other news is controlled by
official news bureaus. subjected to those
who hold the political power.
"A focus of political and national strug-
gle, only second in interest to that of
kingdom of Bohemia. This country, one
of the main components Of Austria. is
peopled by over 4,O00,OOO of the Bohemians
or Czechs uheir total number in Austria
Husites. highly advanced cuturally hav-
ing the least percentage of analphabets
in Europe. and by about 2,GOO,0O0 of Ger
man-speaking population, composed of the
descendants of old German immigrants
and of GermaniZed Rohemians. Up to
the present emperor the rulers of Austria
were all crowned specially kings of
Bohemia. In the case of Franz Joseph
however and doubtless in part under
the influence of Hungary which is peo-
Piled mainly by Magyars the coronation
ceremony was omitted. although the en-
peror. whom the BOhemians regard high
ly, promised unequivocally on a number
OF occasions to go to Prague and be
crowned. The German Boheinians occupy
a strip of land bordering on Bavaria,
SaXony and Prussia. They have always
been numerically and in the extent of ter
Titory occupied inferior tn the other. the
mother race. of the country, but. belong
ing to the dominant German element in
Austria. they held for a long time the
preponderance of political power, as well
appointments
Conditions Could Not Last.
This state of affairs however. could
not continue forever I'm modern times To-
day the German speaking element. feeling
their privileged ground TO be slipping away
demand separation of the territory in
which they are in larger numbers from
Bohemla as new province, and finding
great opposition TO these plans on the side
OF the Czechs. and no greater support of
the same on the part of the Austrian gov
eminent, they mar by obstruction and
violence all deliberations of the diet of the
country, proclaiming there is no pros
pect OF peaceful cooperation between
them and the Czechs. and at the same
time they have manifested pronounced
pro-German tendencies one of the recent
sittnSs OF the Bohemian diet the German
speaking delegates concluded by singing
In chorus the ''Wacht am Rhein." the
hymn of the German empire and the
meeting after they made impossible by
the behavior mentioned in "A very mild
form In The Star of the 18th instant
The Czechs can never agree to the
scheme OF the breaking UP OF their an
cient Kingdom. for which millions of them
bled since the origin of their history. IL
the scheme would be carried out Ii would
rob Bob" mia of over a quarter of her ter
ritorE and mean the forcible absorption
or dispersement of hundreds of thousands
OF Czechs living now IN those border dis
trictS.
Results Impossible to Foresee.
THE results of this caldron no one can
foresee with certainly. The falling health
of the old emperor, respected by all par
ties. adds TO the bitterness and urgency
of the strife. Meanwhile the Czechs are