Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-08-08

estly for a reputation as man OF
, peace, that the warfare and blood
shed of the earlier part OF his career
are often forgotten. The war in Hun
gary and the means that we're taken
to uuell the revolution and restore
absolutism are one OF the dark chap
tiers Of his long reign the memory of
which has never ceased to be painful
to him. Shortly after this came the
campaign in Italy with the disasters
of Magenta and Solferino and the at
tendant loss of the highly valued TIA
liam provinces Lombardy and Vene-
tia. A few years later came war
with Prussia, and fresh humiliations
in the defeat of Sadowa and the loss
OF still further territory.
In those days the pride OF the
Hapsburgs" still meant something
and the frequent lessons that the
naughty lord of the Danube was re.
quired to submit to did not come east
~. Bismark and Won Moltke each
took a hand in teaching the man who
believed that he, Lad been called to
be a leader of Europe that in the Or
chestra OF nations he was to play only
a second fiddle Francis Joseph never
won a great battle or a great diplo-
matic victory; he never tasted the JOY
OF returning to has capital with the
acclaim OF victor.
Ambitious as he has always been
for the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and expansion
CT his country, the Emperor of Aus
tria has during his entire reign found
his carefully worked out and develop
ed diplomatic policies checkmated,
not more by rival Powers than by the
forces Of blind circumstance. In the
beginning of his reign Francis Joseph
looked to the westward for the field
of his eountry's expansion. Prussia
and Italy were to furnish the material
for the glory of the house of Haps-
burg. But the unitication of Italy and
the formation of the German Empire
closed these doors for all time, and
the Emperor was forced to evolve a
new foreign policy which looked tol
the south, to the turbulent Balkan
country, for its development. The
Berlin treaty of 1879 really crystalliz-
ed this policy, and set forth AUSTRIA
admission that her ambition lay to-
ward the south with SaIonica and
Aegean Sea as its aim.
For more than 80 years all the EN-
peror's efforts were directed to this
end. Year by year he saw Turkey |
growing weaker. and year by year the
goal semed to be nearer. Then by
totally unexpected political eonvulsion.
the war Of the Balkan allies against
Turkey, he saw all his hepes over /
turned, his carefully reared diplomatic |
and stragetic policy thrown down Ike !
a card house, while he himself was
helpless. held in check by, Powers he
did not dare defy. In all Francis Jo-
seph's long reign he has accomplish
ed but one brilliant piece of diploma
cy, the success of which was measur.
ed by that final political yardstick. the
ACKNOWLEDGMENT Of his country. That
success was the annexation of Bosnia
and Herzegovina. 1t is grim fact
that this single piece of fortune has
now been boomerang to him, for
from them has come this last crush
ing blow to his pride.
From the beginning of his reign
Francis Joseph has seen his country
racked by internal conflicts that he
has been powerless to reconcile, A
relaxation of absolutism was early
forced upon him. but the measures
adopted we're futile in creating a spirit
of union. while frequent military and
defeats served further TO
iisunite her antagonistie elements.
The dualistic compact with Hungary +
was made in the interest of homogene.
lty and much was expected of it. Butt
tie Emperor was disappointed in this
as in everything else, for although it
has served as a fairly successful stop
gap Francis Joseph is too astnte a
politician not to recognize it for what
/ is, a political expendient and moth
ing more. So far as bringing about
actual homogencity in the empire is
1t never had the faintest
possibility of achieving such result i