Evening star., 1909-02-24
Efforts to Avert War.

The object of this measure is to keep
all men of military age at home.
Efforts to Avert War.
LONDON, February 24-The foreign Of
flee is busy in a supreme effort to cheek
the events which. in the regretful opinion
of the best informed circles, seriously
threaten the peace of Europe.
1t is still possible to avert a clash of
arms between Austria and Servia, and
vast endeavorS to that happy end are
being put forward not only in London.
but in Paris and ST. Petersburg.
There is, however. lacking, and 1t will
remain impossible to achieve, that unanim-
ity of action on the part of neutral pow
ers which alone can assure against hos
tilitieS.
Germany absolutely refuses to join Eng
land, France and Russia in offering ad-
vice to Vienna long advice is not
asked for. All neutral nations admit the
which include a fiat demand for the ces-
! sion by Austria of strip of territory to
| unite Servia and Montenegro and the
| concession of autonomous government to
| Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Servian Tactics Warlike.
| The German position is that the repre-
| sentations should be made at Belgrade
| but it is we'll known that Servian tactics
| are always to clamor and threaten war,
and that with the greater nation lies the
decision, whether peace or war.
| This conviction is not entirely shared in
| diplomatic circles The belief that dip
| lomatic intervention at Belgrade may yet
| effect a change for the better is still cher
| shed in quarters where the factors in the
situation are accurately known
| A singular fact that troubles all the
capitals is that the renewed strain of the
| last few days is not the result of new
| moves by Servia. but of sudden devel-
| opment of bellicose tone by the Vienna
| now wspapeEs, which has evoked only a
| spondent at Vienna telegraphs that it is
unfortunately impossible to report any
| improvement.
The composition of the new Servian
| cabinet and official kilograms from Sofia
saying that Servia maintains the claims
| which Austria Hungary declares mad
missible helped to spread tie conviction
| that war Is now but a question of weeks,
| perhaps days.
Austrian Motives for War.
! The belief has grown here that Austria
desires to precipitate conflict over the
question which eventually the Hapsburg
monarch must deal with. and definitely
| settle as to the predominance of Teuton
or Slav in the empire. 1t is suspected
| that the emperor believes he can do this,
| especially with Germanys countenance,
| better now than later
| To this general consideration is to be
added the particular one that if Austria
| does not deal with Servia now she must
perpetually maintain at ruinous expense
preparations to repel some sudden future
| attack by Servia, which is chronlcally
and profoundly the enemy of Austria.
| If Servia should ever win momentary
| success it would inflame the Slav popu-
lation of the dual monarchy. To have the
| conflict now and end 1t would seem to be
| the shrewdest Austrian policy, and Eu-
rope believes she holds this opinion.
| All the dispatches from Berlin refer TO
! the depth of the Russian popular feeling
| at the prospect of an Austrian invasion Of
! Serb territory. Official Russia is anxious
| to avert war in which the sympathes
| of the Russian people are so profoundly
| involved. If hostilities were to break out
| it is an open question whether the Rus
| sian government could Withstand the in
evitable popular clamOr to assist the
southern Slavs.
| Within a few months diplomatic action
| has successfully dealt with two dangerous
Balkan crises--the annexation of Bosnia
| and Herzegovina and the Bulgarian decla-
| ration of independence. While it now
| confronts an apparent impasse, there is
| still reaso to hope ii may avert the pres
| ent danger.