The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1914-08-15
CAUSE OF THE WAR.

|
to the throne of Austria-Hungar and
his morganatic wife at Sarajevo three
weeks ago is the pretext and not the
cause for Austria's war against Servia,
says an exchange Sarajevo is part
of that territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina
which is peopled by Serbs and which
Austria seized in 1909 from the weak
government of Turkey, so weak that
Bosnia and Herzegovina were already
looking forward to the day when the
union could be made with their brother
Serbs in Servia.
Such a union would have laid the
foundations for truly great and men
acing Servian empire. 1t would have
forever barred Austria to the Aegean
sea. 1t would have drawn under it's
banner the millions of Serbs in the
empire of Austria-Hungary, numbering
half as many as the Austrians of Ger
man lineage in Austria, actually almost
as many as the Austrian-Germans in
Hungary, and about one-fourth as
many as the Hungarians in Hungary.
| Servia at that time had to hide her
disappointment over the Illustration Of
her dreams of empire. The then Crown
Prince George, eldest son of the king,
was deposed from his position and set
aside because he loudly and incautious-
| ly declared that he would never mount
the throne of Servia unless the people
would take solemn oath to help him
free the Serbs Of Bosnia and Herze-
govina from Austrian rule. Many
stories were set af1oat about the de-
PRAYED character of Prince George and
that this was the cause of his being
set aside for his younger brother,
Prince Alexander. The only reason
was the Servian desire to dwell quiet
ly and peacefully beside her powerful
and menacing neighbor, Austria, and
not to provoke her unduly.
The Servians, who are the Serbs of
Servia, deeply deplore the assassina-
ton of Francis Ferdinand and the
duchess of Hohenberg by a Serb in
Bosnia The Servians at once regard
ed it as a serious blow to their ambi-
ton to occupy their proper position
and receive due respect from the great
nations of the world.
sympathy for their brothers of Bosnia
and Herzegovina, unwilling subjects to
Austrian rule, it would be idle to deny,
But there is not national appreciation
of the murderer's act
The enc important fact which does
not seem to have penetrated the Aus
Itrian b lwarks erected to keep the
world from being correctly informed
upon any questions relating to the
Serbs is the fact that the Serbs OF
Bosnia and Herzegovina had the right
to fly their own flag if they wanted tc
INSTEAD of the Austrian flag. This is a
right granted to them by the imperial
decree Of the Emperor Francis Joseph
| When the emperor's heir entered the
Serb territory which Austria had seiz
ed, and the Serbs unfurled their flag
in his face, they committed an act o.
the grossest discourtesy-if they coult
be expected to be courteous under the
circumstances. But when Francis Fer
dinand commanded that the police teal
down the flag and hoist instead onl!
that of the dual monarchy his act was
more than mere discourtesy. 1t wa!
an abrogation of the emperors author
ity, making his own superior, and i
was fragrant violation of right.
Francis Ferdinand was generally al
; extremely silent man. He made rev
public utterances on questions of {
public nature. But when he did speal
it was, in the majority of cases, t.
give vent to his implacable hatred o
: the Serbs. Many were the indiscree
utterances he let fall, in public an,
private, to show his disgust and hi
enmity of these people whom he ez
pected to rule some day.
: The Servian minister in Vienna di
not need to possess any secret or spe
ial information to be in position t
advise the archduke to keep ava
from the Serbs of Bosnia and Here
govina.
v Gov. Hall says that he is glad tina
!, Louisiana has no short terms on he