The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-05-15
RUSS-AUS TRIAN DIPLOMATIC
 RELATIONS ARE BADLY STRAINED

Vienna, May 13 One of the shrewdest members of the diplomatic corps in Vienna when asked recently about the relations between Austria Hungary and Russia, bluntly answer ed that there were none. For the past two years there practically has been no Russian ambassador at the court of Vienna. Nominally of course there has been an ambassa- dor, but he has always found some
 pretext for: being absent from his post, leaving the official duties to councillor of embassy who has care fully abstained from doing anything. Similarly, Austria -Hungaryss diplo- matic representation at St. Petersburg has been almost equally perfunctory Count Szapary was appointed anbas- sador to Russia last October but up Ito the present has spent only three weeks at his post; his absence being vaguely ascribed to family reasons For some time past there has been considerable tension in the relations between the two empires, the precise reasons for which are difficult to ex- plain. The whole situation is full Of complications. There are religious and racial questions involved affect ing primarily the two countries alone. Then there is the old rivalry for pre- dominance in the Balkans and finally the many differences between the Triple Alliance and the Triple En- tente which exert a most Important influence on the relations existing between the individual countries in each group.
 BEGINNING OF BREACH
 Up to the time of the Austrian. an nexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1908, the relations between the two countries had been apparently quite friendly. They had made a working arrangement in the Balkans regarding conditions in Macedonia, and although it had not accomplish ed much, everything was moving along smoothly.
 But the precipitate move of the late |sAustrian foreign minister, Count Aehrentfial. in the annexation of Bos- mia, upset everythfn g. The Russian minister Iswo oIsky felt that he had been duped by his Austrian colleague and never forgave him. Since then Iswofsky has been Austro-Hungarys sbitterest enemy, and since he is one of Russian national committee, he has been able to make things very dis agreeable in many respects for the dual monarchy. 4 sssss
 Indeed there is very good author ity for believing that an Austro- Rus the Balkan war broke out in the fall of 1912. It was only through the strong personal efforts of the vener- able Austrian Emperor Francis Jo- seph that such a catastrophe was prevented. It is thought that the Emperor Nicholas was just as much opposed to a war, but he is no po1l-. tician and by no means strong enough to hold back the hrebrands in the Russian national comnittee.
 TWO EMPERORS CORDIAL.
 The personal relations between the two imperial families are of the most cordial character. It Is sometimes even said that the HapsbHrgs are real |ly pro-Russian. The late Archdukei Charles Louis, brother of the Empe- TOT, was always a great friend of Russia and his sympathies in that di- rection are believed to have been to some extent inherited by his son.
 sArchduke Charles Louis who was the patron of the principal Austrian industrial associations and a very far sighted man percefved the important role that commerce and industry would one day play in international relations, at least twenty years be- fore European statesmen had begun to pay any attention to these factors. He knew very well that Russia would never be likely to injure Austrfa's s foreign com mmerce very much. while. Germany would some day ruin it. Russia, besides having no enormous
  Iy no great industries while Germany is constantly on the lookout for new markets to conquer.
 Events have proved the correctness of the Archduke's views Twenty-Five years ago Austria-Hunzary almost monopolized the trade of the Balkans and Turkey and Egypt To-day the bulk of the trade in these countries has gone into the hands of the Ger mans, Indeed the aggressive meth
 1n <-g. to capture Austria's commerce in the near East are bitterly resented by their Austrian rivals
 RUSSIA sEEKSs CONTROL
 The sympathies and feelings of the two governments and the two peoples are very different from those prevail ing between the rulers. The so-caH- most violently anti-Austrian and is straining every nerve to gain abso- HIte control of the Balkans. The fight is largely a religious one, Russia wanting to bring all the Balkans un- der the sway of the Orthodox church and to force the Roman Catholic part of the population. as well as the M Jus tselmen, to acknowledge the supren1a- cy of the Russian church. It is this which explains Russiass hostile atti- tude to King Ferdinand of Bulgaria, who has remained a Roman Catholic although he permitted his elder son.
 Prince Boris, to Join the Orthodox church. Russia would never consent to gratify Catholic Ferdinand's ambi- ton to become ruler of the Balkans.
 So far from tending to clear up the complications in the Balkans. the re- cent wars have left the situation more complicated than ever. Count Wits,
 the Russian statesman, recently de-
 c1ared that only the first act in the
 great drama has yet been played.
 Now is the interval between the acts. | How long this will last nobody knows l-perhaps year, perhaps only few | months
 ROU1LANIA'S ATTITUDE.
 One nportant result of the Balkan