Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-07-24
Once insignificant Consumptive
Now neof Europe Big Masters

The tragic death OF the FlFOWH efTlHCr
Rudolph. Franz Ferdinand became heir
| to the throne. he was at once set to
work. The future emperor was treated
as Junior clerk. At first the arch
duke merely carried out orders. A lit
tie later; he was entrusted with the
conduct OF. minor affairs. When some
trifling. question was raised about the
transfer of picture from the Hof..
burg palace to the Imperial art gallery.
when some minor problem of military
discipline arose, the emperor made a.
practise OF initiating herreport under
discussion with the syllable Err.
meaning that the Erzherzog" (the
archduke) could settle the matter at
his discretion. For ten years, the heir
worked at, these tiresome tasks.
At last. confident in his powers and
experience and feeling that the weak
policy of the old emperor and of his
Minister Goluchowsky. would bring
the Empire to ruin, he is said to have
muttered impatiently: when will his
majesty send me his boots for re-
-pair?"e-A -talesteller>~ brought the story
to Franz Josef's ears. An estrangement
followed But a few years ago. the old
kaiser, conscious of failing powers. reaii
soned that his heir was in the right,
He first"entrusted him with the milf
stary, later with the foreign affairs of
the vast empire 1t was a decision Of
tremendous amount. On the day it
was made Autria ceased to be
a quiescent decadent state, and en-
tered upon thesactive, aggressive policy
which has since kept Europe in con-
tinual tension and continual dread.
HE REFORMS DEPARTMENTS
The archduke's first act was to re-
form the great departments of state.
where ever since the days of Marie
Therese, few great families have held
all the power and emolument. Him
self naughty In manner and autocratic
by instinct.pthe archduke nevertheless
knows we'll that blood is mo proof of
brains To the horror of the aristocrats.
he cleared out of the ministries of
war and foreign affairs all of their
bluest- blooded and most incompetent
Officials The emperor's old comrada
and favorte, won Beck was drive!,
from the war office, and replaced as
chief of the staff by q man of no
4"thc swearing trooper" Conrad Won
Hoetzendorf Whose first act was to
send about f6fty decrepit generals on
pensions to their country estates.
From the Austro Hungarian embassy
at st. Petersburg was brought Alois
Won Aehrenthal. scion of an obscure
Jewish banking family, who immedi-s
dlSiya EDeSdll poliSf
which was destined to set Europe In
turmoil and nearly bring about a first
class war. 1t was Aehrenthal's tren-
chant reports about the DISCRIMINATION
of Russia, with whose minister
Izvolsky he had quarreled, which COM
imended him to the archduke, The am
bassador declared roundly that Russia
no longer counted as a European pow
er. Events We're to prove him right.
ARIsToCRACYs LAST HIT.
vienna's aristocracy stood aghast
at some Of the new appointments. A
scandal arose when the new chief of
staff recommended the son of a
Galician merchant for command of a
smart guards regiment on, what seem
ed the absurd ground that he was a
brilliant tactician. But the archduke
stood. by his nominee, and backed his
reforms. From being unpopular with
the army, the heir became its hero. He
would lead it, so. 1t was announced. in
case of war. Young ambitious officers
of talent saw. that they stood to gain
from the new regime; and the old
English toast, :. bloody war ana
quick promotion" was heard for the
first time in the mess rooms of Vienna.
a project was drawn up for adding 4
new battalion to every Austro- Hun
garian regiment; and finally the arch
duke set about the tremendous task
of creating great Austrian fleet.
This naval reform was the most diff
hnult of all. Not only is there no
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