The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1917, 1914-05-15

ambition TO become ruler OF the Bal
kans.
So far from tending TO clean I'D the
! complications in the Balkans the re.
/ cent wars lave left the situation more
complicated than ever. Count Witte,
the Russian statesman. recently de
clarcd that only the first act in the
/ great drama had yet been played
Now is th: interval between the a:ts.
How lca2 this will last. nobody knows
perhaps 4 perhaps only few
months
One important result OF the Balkan
conflicts IS the change In the attitude
OF Roumania towards Austria Hungary
and up until few months ago Rus
Bia was always locked uron as being
a fr! md OF Austria. Military stratc-
gists. indeed in considering Austria
! hungary negotiations strength usual
! ly added 4Dumania's five army corps.
! But in the negotiations over the treaty
OF Bucharest, Russia's diplomatists
clcverly contrivcd to place Austria in
an unfriendiy position towards Ro.
mania
Count -Bcrchtold's efforts to secure
revision of the treaty In the interests
! OF bulgaria gave great offcnse to the
i:ioumarians who have already been
very Jealous of the threatened suprem-
acy Of that country In the Balkans.
humania's geographical position com
pN!s hcr to RELY either upon Austria.
! Hungary or Russia. And IL the dual
monarchy i8 going TO side with Bull
'garfa, l'1umania will have no alter
nate but to turn to Russia.
But here again dynastic views must
htsf fDl f,,l
| II strong ruler who has always been
fr,andlv TO Austria. neither he nor his
ministers are likely tn be greatly NOV
ed by tho popular outbursts. They
rare convinced that close union with
TIE Triple Alliance is the Burest way
10 defend their country against the
overwhelming might of Russia. But
whether King, Charles successor will
take ali equally strong stand against
fpGblic opinion is another question
From the violent tone OF the arti-
clcs recestly published in the semi-of-
( &cial journals in st. Petersburg, Wen
ma, and also in Berlin, Il might be i'm
I asiinned tsas: q 55--sa: European war was
QevitaDle, hut happily this view finds
( no support in responsible quarters.
TIE truth is that several comparative
~ small things have occurred recently
to excite much Irritation between hus-
sin and Austria-Hungary. Austria in
troduced very vexutionus passport re-
striction5 on the frontier which caus-
ed much annoyance 10 Russian trage!-
erS. Galicia is said to be swarmed with
| Russian spies while Russian Poland
Ia oyerrun with Austrian secret SER
vice agents. There has been series
| OF espionage trials in Vienna where
the accused have been shown to be in
the direct employment OF the Russian
| military attache aud contrary to the
usual practice In these proceedings,
| Do attempt was made to keep secret
the name of the foreign country I'M
plicated. Many thousands of Russian
roubles are alleged to; have been
spent in, trying to corrupt the poor
psaRants of Gaiicia, while Austrian
fspies have been doing their utmost to
persuade the Poles across the Russian
frontier thnt they would be much bet
ter off under austrian rule. -
There have been other things too OF
Importance. Eussia has been spend
/ ing large Sums in increasing forces In
Poland along the German and Aus
trian frontier and also is building
| some hundreds of miles of new rail-
ways for strategic purposes. 1t is be-
iieved that France is urging hcr along
having made her large ioa- upon the
understanding that mos. of 1t would
be spent or armaments. And just now
the Russian minister of the navy has
ordered tile materials he bought for
Russian dock yards or private ship
| building yards, from either Austria
/ | HIN gary III Germany. This action is
the most serious as the greater part
OF such materials is purchased outs.Ns
Russia.
But in spite of these things no Sc
rious person talks OF war. In fact
none of the. players interested are real
" ready. Russia wants to complete
Her railway and increase her army SUI.
flciently to repress the revolution that
certainly would break out at home
Immediately were war declared. AND
Austria-Hungary is just now changing
her army from three years to a STA
/ years which means considerable dis.
location Of the military forces, and 81
1t is generally agreed in the. most
competent quarters that after all. the
peace of Europe Is in no imminen