The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-08-27

Now there Is no getting over the
hard facts Of their crimes and cruel
ties. But they have to lee kept in their
proper proportion to the tremendous
issues now before the world
Let MS call IN "A few figures that VIII
fix the scale. The Scrvian people num-
Der altogether more than ten Millions
the Rumanians as many. There are
more than twenty million Poles
and perhaps seven million Bulgarians.
The Czcchs and Slovenes total six or
seven millions. the MaEyars exceed ton.
and the Ruthcnians stil under Aus
TRAN control four millions.
II is manifest 10 every reasonable
Englishman now that very few of these
sixty or seventy million people are
likely to be socially or politically happy
until they get themselves disentangled
from intimate subsection to alien rulers
speaking unfamiliar tongues. and 1t Is
equally manifest that until they are
reasonably content the peace Of the
rest Of Europe will remain uncertain.
So IL is upon these regions that the
peace Of England, France, Germany
Russia and Italy rests. The lives
therefore, Of hundreds OF millions II
people must be affected for good or
fNll bN "A sum- lFllhIIlllN anu bh' Hi'
ton of southeastern Europe.
Mere Asssssination DwindIcs.
In that sane remappIng and pacifca-
ton We are in fact dealing with mat
ters 30 gigantic that the mere assassi
nation Of this person or the murder W
that dwindlcs almost to the vanishing
point.
1t surely Is preposterous that the
murder of an unwisc young king who
subordinatcd his nations dcstincs 10
romantic love affair. a murder done
not by a whole nation, not even 10y
mob. but by less than hundred officers
who were at least ne patriotic as they
were cruel, or even the net Of con-
splracy that killed the Archduke Franz
Ferdinand should stand in the way Of
the liberation and unity OF millions OF
Serbs who were as innocent of these
things as any Wiltshire farmer.
An nations have had their criminal
and sanguinary phase, The British
and American people. who profess such
/ horror of Scrvia's murders and Bull
! garia's massacros. must be blankly ig-
/ norant of the history Of Scotland and
| ireland and the darker side Of the red
/ Indians destiny.
! Tho sooner we clear our minds OF this
! self righteous cant against the whole
! Servian race because OF n few horrors
| natural to "A state Of harbaric disturb
| ance the sooner We shall he able 10
help these peoples forward 10 the free
/ dom and security that alone can make
such barharites impossible
II would be lust az reasonable ~
vow undying hatred and pitlless VEN
EeanCe against the whole German
speaking race Of seventy millions or so
because Of the burning and killing In
Licge.
Stihcd nations and outraged races are
the fortresses of resentful cruelty. This
war IL no clnematograph melodrama.
The deaths Of queen Draga or Arch
duke Franz Ferdinand are scarcely In
this picture Mt all II IN not the bust
ness Of statecraft TO avCnge the past
but 20 deal with the possibilities OF
the present and tho hope of the future
and the open possibility Of the present
Is for us to bring about revival OF
the Balkan League and To identify our
selves with the reasonable hopes NJ
these renascent peoples, In that revival
England may play an active directing
part
Tho break up Of the first Balkan
League was n deep disappointment 70
liberal opinion throughout the world
hut was not an irrcvocahle disaster
And tho rupture itself was very largely
due to tho thwarting NJ Serva, not by
her associates nut by Austria.
NoW Austria H. out Of consideration
For Rumania and for each Of three
Balkan Powers there Ia = plain honor
~
mon agreement and concerted actor
with MS now. There are manifest com
pensations for Greece in Epirus and tn,
, stands and We can spare II cyprus
, FOR bulgaria there is generous reciti
4 cation of Macedonia. The natural ex
panson Of two northern States ha