The Washington herald., 1912-12-01


King OF Hungary, is the grand old
man" OF Europe. He Is in his eighty
third year and has occupied the throne
since Is4& In his long and active life
Che Is today vigorous enough to take q
personal part in endeavoring to untangle
the Balkan knott he has seen q great
deal Of trouble and has known disap-
pointments and griefs as man and as
a sovereign, as / have had occasion to
narrate repeatedly. His personal life has
been touched by two tragedies that would
have shaken from its base any mind
less strongly founded than his. He stood
beside the body Of his wife, who was
assassinated by an anarchist, and beside
the body OF his eldest son and heir. who
died by an obscure hand-and disgrace
FULL. Az the head of the House OF Aus
tria he has known great humiliations;
the expulsion of Austria from Italy in
1853. and from Germany In 1866. In the
latter year Austria ceased to be a Ger
man Power, to adopt Bismarck's phrase
ology, and from that moment II began to
look for compensations. These, in part,
Austria found by the resumption of a
line Of development which was headed
southeasterly.
Almost two centuries ago Austria had
ambitions to push down towards south
eastern Europe. to conquer the border
land Of the Turks and to get an outlet
to the sea that should be broad enough
to carry on its current commerce and
prestige and to supplement its present
limited access to the ocean (the Adriatic).
This ambition was sidetracked rather
than abandoned, and after the disasters
of lSfK the Ranfng Austrian
manship, revertlng to the old time pro-
ject, fixed its eyes on SaIoniki. The
AGENTS of the Austrian crown who carry
out Its schemes are patient. but they
never miss an opportunity. They found
one in the Congress OF Berlin in 1878 when
Russia and Turkey Were being squeezed
In the interest of European harmony.
Austria took the 'trusteeship'' of Bosnia
and Herzegovina for the Sultan and,
waiting patiently more than thirty years,
converted that trusteeship into annex
alton four years ago.
So far SO good. Franz Josef had added
to the area OF his dOmnions and he had
made the addition where it fitted in with
the policy Of his dynasty. Now comes
the Balkan war, and to the surprise Of
everybody in the chanceIlories and head
quarters Of Europe. 1t is short, sharp and
decisive. The Sanjak Of Novi-Bazar has
been conquered Servia, long an inland
nation, Is reaching out its arm across the
Sanjak to seize port on the AdriatiC
Greek troops have occupied SalOniki.
Any one of these events means trouble
for Franz Josef, who. by the consent OF
his people, is his own foreign minister
in a crisis, but two of them at the same
time mean a great deal OF trouble.
The SanJak lies directly across the line
Of Austrian progress; that is, the line
that Austria had marked out for itself,
with Salonih as its terminus. The task
Of the Emperor now is to get a right
Of-way through the Sanjak and terminal
facilities at Saloniki To get them at
the least expense. that is peaceably. OF
course. is his purpose. To go without
them altogether would set his people to
wondering II their much-Ioved sovereign
was the astute diplomat they always had
taken him for. With him appears to he
Germany. which in 1908 supported him
against Russia, when the latter sought
to interpose in behalf OF Servia, whose
sensibilitles had been outraged by the
annexation OF Bosnia and Herzegovina.
But Russia. though A great patron and
friend of Servia, seems inclined to give
the latter this time nothing more than
good wishes.
The pressure Of Austria and Germany
against the Balkan allies, who may be
exhausted by their exertions in the war
and who certainly will be very poor in
cash. will be very powerful. Franz
Josef. therefore, may get his way in part.
II not in whole, and II he has to accept
a fraction OF his project. or If he has to
plunge into war TO expel Greek and
Servian from the regions they have con-
quered. there will be trouble enough for
any Octogenarian.
II he can gid the story of his last
years with the glory of an extentiOn OF