Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-04-15

.'-------------- -------------
mics will come not from Berlin but
from Vienna, originating in the brain
of this clerically inspired hothead.
What is his purpose? Partly the ag-
grandisement Of Austria, but the cler-
ical argument, used in the conferences
the priests are having with the intrig
uing Princess HOhenberg, is that if
he temporal power of the pope can
be restored and his holiness declares
for the princess as of royal rank, the
aged emperor will have To submit and
her son will be sure OF the succession
To the throne. The arehduke and Cen
eral Baron Conrad wanted to use the
opportunity of Italy'sal preoccupa ton
in fTripoli to push the Austrian adj
vantage in Northern Italy. Won Aeh-
renthal, who arranged the annexation
of Bosnia and herzegovina as part Of
a far reaching plan for peaceful ac-
QUESTION. argued that there was more
| to be gained by developing his Danu-
| bian policy of amity. now that Italy
| was unable to act as a Balkan mis-
| chief-maker That was an unpalata
| BILE prospect for the archduke and his
| war chief, SO the duel began between
| them and the emperor and Won Aeh-
renthaI, the first blood of which was
| drawn by the latter when General Ba-
| ron Won HoetZendorft fell. Ever since
| the dual monarchy has been seething
| with intrigues. The staider, calmer
| minds are for the maintenance of the
| triple alliance and peace with Italy;
| the young and daring spirits are for
| the archduke, Baron Won Hoetzendorff
| and war.
| Who are these leaders of the jingo
blades of Austria? His admirers
claimed that Conrad Won HoetZendorff
| is the only soldier in Europe The 9TH
ers are strategists. tacticians and mill
| itary administrators: but HoetZendorff
| is a soldier pure and simple. He be-
| lieyes that a soldiers business is to
| fight, that there is no Use having an
| army unless you fight, and that if you
only fight hard enough you are GER
| tain always to win. That was the
| source of his quarrel with Aehrenthal,
| who has been removed by death from
the contest.
Aehrenthal believed that Italy will
remain Austria's friend and ally. Ho-
etzendorff says Italy is about to alb
jure the triple alliance: all the more
so because if she conquers Tripoli she
| will depend upon the Mediterranean
naval powers, France and England.
| Hoetzendorf brought the matter TO a
head by protesting against the slow
ness of the new army bill and demand
ing $4,000 additional annual recruits at
once. Behind Aehrenthal stool the
Hungarian minister, Count Khuen
| laatr nj
man, stood for peace. Prudence and
age won as against temerity and
youth, and now Hotspur Won Hoet-
zendorff is merely army Inspector
where he has infinite powers still to
prepare for war. but none at all to
bring it about.
Hoetzendorff was discovered In 1905
by the hardly less fiery Archduke
Franz Ferdinand. He was born fifty
odd years ago, the son of a good sol
der and when discovered was COM
mander of the eighth infantry division
at Innsbruck in the Tyrol. Der lieb-
enswurdige Schinder'-the kindly
hangman-was his nickname, and il
expressed admirably his queer mixture
of chivalrous generosity and terrible
martinez zeal Hoetbendorff has
written three books on tactics, the
keynote of all being fight" In 1907
there We're maneuvers in South
| Tyrol, to test the defences against an
Italian irruption. The hardly known
| HoetZendorff suddenly developed the
ways of Napoleon. He made his reg
iment scale precipices, drove then
over impossible" passes, made then
disappear for days, and emerge In
| places fifty miles from where they
were expected. Everywhere went ''tht
kindly hangman. swearing. cursing
encouraging and embracing his mos
reckless officers-quite as in real war
The then chief of staff. drowsy ole
| Baron Won Beck, was Mortified, He
said that he had never seen war made
in this original way, and that il VIC
lated the well known hand books oil
!, Goerlitz, Braun, Stefani, Moster ant
Klopps.
But Archduke Franz Ferdinand, who
has an eye for a man after his owr
heart was looking on. In a series oil
angry interviews with the emperor he
secured the radiance Of Beck, and in
| stalled Hoetzendorn in his place. just
| over fifty years of age a new era be-
gan for military Austria. The KINDLY
hangman" set about to convince the
army that war was inevitable and that
il was good thing; that Austria could
eat up Italy. He wrote and inspired
articles, arranged military meetings
and demonstrations and fiereely COM
hated the theory that Austria's army is
nothing but defensive weapon and
can not possibly have sphere of fight
ing outside the Austrian frontiers.
HoetzendorH spent 5000. eco in two
} years in preparing the Austro- Italian
frontier for war. He did this on the
J principle that to attack italy was the
hest way to foil ltaly's attack. He in
creased the Tyrol garrison. Nominally
the garrison consists of two army
corps, one at Gratz, the other at Inns
burke. Without formally changing
this strength, he rushed down two 9TH
er army corps in separate divisions.
His intention was to appoint over al
four corps commanderin-c chief. In