Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-08-06
VITAL QUESTIONS
IN EUROPE'S WAR
Will It Make Russia More Pow
erful and Make Eng
land Weaker?
HOW WILL ARMIES BE FED?
The Treaties, and Some Of the His
tory Leading Up to the Pres
ent Trouble
New York WORLDLY

NNeN 1bEh w VI AG-I
Germany and Austria OF the triple
alliance. perhaps also with Italy, their
third partner in this pact OF nations
stand on one side OF the European
battlefield. Russia. with England and
France, bound together in the more
elastic union OF the triple entente,
have unsheathed their swords in the
face OF the triple alliance.
II is now a war of giants. They
will fight TO the death. unless all signs
fail. Il will be the most stupendous
war mankind has ever known.
Little Servia is lost sight OF. She
is but a cipher in the game, a pawn
upon the checkerboard.
We shall hear much OF encounters
on land and sea IL the cOnhagration
OF a great war sweeps over Europe.
lighting its torch in the nations Of
the triple alliance and the triple en-
teate. But two vital questions will
be ever uppermost in the minds OF
the statesmen who sit at the helm of
government in the capitals OF St. Pet
ersburg, London, Vienna, Berlin, Paris
and Rome. directing the affairs Of their
different states
The two vital questions OF this war
will be:
The possibility Of Russia becoming
so powerful that she can go to
Constsntinople and stay there.
The possibility OF England becom-
ing so weakened that she can no long
er adequately guard her passage to
and fro through the Mediterranean
sea.
These are questions, both of them
older than either the triple alliance
or the triple entente. They are re-
sponsible. as primary motives. for the
formation OF both of these divisions
OF national powers. They viii inevi-
tably become ultimately affected one
way or the other by the consequences
. OF this war.
The arrayinE of Germany and Aus
tria against Russia, with whatever as
sistance Russia may get from her al
lies. is spoken OF as a conflict for SUI
premacy OF the Saxon or the Slav
IN Europe. But the supremacy OF
the Slav means nothing more or less
than that the mighty Slay nation OF
the north. ever winged Ike a huge
bird ready for fight to the sea. shall
have freedom TO make its way to Con-
Gtantinople, and from thence through
the Bosphorus and the Black sea, to
asia
The Mediterranean.
And the supremacy Of the Saxon,
in other words, the victory OF Aus
tria and Germany, means nothing
more or less than that England shall
lose her liberty OF passage through
the Mediterranean.
Russia must needs go through the
Bosphorus and the Black sea to get
close to ner Asiatic possessions. Eng
land must needs have free passage
through the Mediterranean in order
TO be able to obtain food for susie
nance.
Austria and Germany may fight
together against Russia on one pre-
text or another. but what they want
finally as their reward is control OF
the Mediterranean sea Germany has
no place upon II to call her own. With
an enormous feet. second only TO that
OF mighty England. Germany has no
Mediterranean port Austria has the
port of Trieste and that of Fiume
upon the Adriatic, an arm of the Med
ftsrranean sea Could the two Sax
on powers prevail in this war. they
could bottle up England's food sup
plies, coming TO her from all parts of
the world through the Suez canal and
from there into the Mediterranean,
from Egypt. over which England has
a protectorate. from Australia, New
Zealand and from India.
England raises in her own land of