The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-10-09
RITER SEES NEW RE EAS0NS FOR WAR

Editor of The Farmer. Sir:
 Tt was just six years ago, Oct. g. sos. that Austria-HungaEy annexed Bosnia and Harzegovina, and thus ex- tInguished the patriotic hopes of q struggiinx people racially,N religiouslys And snolitically related to Servia and Russia Two days later, by auto uraph orders from Emperor Franz Joseph to. the preniers Of the two states, the sovereignty of the Haps- burgs was formally extended over the two little countries. Thus was the . fflse 7aad which led inevitably to the. tArribIs connagration of this y ear In ] lhtlae lisEl1t Of events, the student of his tory finds in st11e action of Austria the real beginning of the struggle which has devastated Europe or course the causes go much farther back, through centuries of Germanic and slav racial antipathy. through decades of modern 'swe1tpolitik, but f4 was not until October of 1908 that. fhe fates decreed that univ ersai war become the only arbitraLrlaent pr the
 Dramatic ssddennesa marked the. Action of Russia Austria in this mo- 4lienz af dest1I1y. Two days after the anhounce1nent Of the annezation or. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria de- clared her compIete independence of Turkey, SerVia launched her armies against the Austrian frontier and stopped on the verge of 2. deciara- stton of war sagainst her powerful llei nls1 6 Llsls ssalS taIie ssacrces Of the Balkans and Turk icy prer areds for renfict. The ottonat1 EoyeEnment protected to the powers, and Turkey declared a boycott of Austrian goods, ~ llfcfa was lifted upon Austriass 8 agreement to pay an fndeTnnity,
 gervia was not easily plaEcated for the shattering of her hopes of union
 q Montenegro was up in arms against the restrictions placed upon her on the Adriatic seaboard. The Serb axinEdofns hoped for the support of Russia, but that nation, weak ened by tha war with Japan. was not in a position to render assistance. Great Britain announced that any modid- cations Of the treaty of Berlin. or which the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. was an open violation, must receive the approval of an Eh1- ropean congress and France and Rus. sia supported the British govern ment in this claim.
 War was in the air but at the critical moment in 1909 the German
 Emperor appeared fin shining ar nor with a peremptory declaration that Germany would support her ally, Austria, with all her forces At this word, realizing that the choice was between war or surr enders the opposi- lion to the Austrian program col- lapsed. and the Triple Entente recog-s ntzed the annexations But the ten- sion continued. and the nations re- sufned preparations for the inevitable conflict with feverish vigor-
 The annexations increased the ter- ritory Of Austria. but atsa tremendous cost. The indemnity to Turkey was only the beginning of her payments. There was the vast sum spent in preparation for war with Servia. There was the loss of the friendship Of the Balkan states. The boycott on Austrian goods caused another great financial loss. The total aliena- t1esa sf the powers of the Triple Erteyte had to be added to the total sxxe. assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo. Bosnia, was a mart of the price And now war aeath and. destruction, and what may follow
 The Congress of Berlin authorized kustria-EfungaTy to administer Bosnia iad Herzegovina sin the name of the Slllfants From the first the absorp- ton of the provinces was the purpose Of the Vienna government The con- quest was costly in blood and money.
 introduced a new element of dis cond into country already rent by raciaI discord.
 Tor five years after the Berlin treaty of 1878 the Serbs of Bosnia S~sseht vainlg against the Austrian oe-