The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-02-09

Ry GRInLEY nEnN.


NJ GRlDLEY BEDG-
A ssdeiisht on what ltmsans, IN Europe.
TO maintain peace BY prsparedness for
war y given by the recent announce
msnt that Austria-Hunsary u preparing
TO assume Sioaooaooo more IN national
debt This new loan Of obligation Gomez
from Keeping the peace during the Balkan
mix-up OF the last two years.
AZ We weil know. on this side ths
strusxis between Turkey and the allies.
ana then between the allies themselves.
was about a. safe for European psace.
~ would be the smoking Of cigarettes in
. powder house for the IRE Insurance
companies. Every day for nearly two
ysau past there has been danger
Q spark In the powder house. called
Europe. For it's avoidance Austria Hun
dsbl
On one side she had to make war-foot-
ms mobiiizstions to impress Russia with
the wisdom Of keeping hands Oh. On
the other side she had to be ready to
back up her orders to the minor peoples
OF the Balkans. who. for a thousand
years. more or less, have had some rela-
ton with the development Of Austria. of
hungary ana OF Austria-Hungary.
Esrope's Great Debts.
This new debt gives good reason for
looking At the burden Europe ID carrying.
The total debt OF Austria Hungary, Joint
ly and seyerally. In 1872. was 6,752 ess, 900;
Of Russia In 1914 s4,5S3, Iss, 900; OF Ger.
many in 1917. A.9is.32o.ooo; of France In
1915, %, ts3, $4,000. Belgium, the small king.
dom and buffer state. owes about y7Ja,-
0oo. 900. one-ffth the amount owed by
Austria Hungary. Italy owes g, N6, 500. 90
..-lxr Nt.~-
own vast country. which owes abou,
8, oo0, 600 Holland. the semi submerged
land. carries debt nearly half that OF
tho United States. Portugal nearl,
equals US. Spain owes half as much a
Austria Hungary. Turkey owes abou
500 ooo. 900. Others owing less than $500
eooooo arc not included. Great Britain
Notwithstanding her bulwarks of waite
on every side. owes nationally abou
s5-5oo. 900. 900. The entire list of debts hang
heavy on the workers, who. In some form
or another, have to pay the interest.
Striking Contrast.
Tho impressive difference between Eu.
ropean and American debts Is: First
that European debts grow rapidly. while
ours has declined in fifty years; second
that for European debts there Is little
to show in solid achievement except the
memory Of battles, struggles suspicious
hostilities and eternal watchfulness In
our case, using the Panama Canal in.
vestment as a type, we have something
to show for our money: or using ouI
civil war as a reason for most OF oul
country to show for Il: while in Europe
notwithstanding the age-old history sh,
can record. there Is seemingly no per
manency and no stability
Furthermore. in contrasting ourselve.
with war-worn Europe, We have thii
comfort for our national soul: w,
fought to maintain union. We did no
fight to maintain this or that over
lording dynasty or family In royal power
This feature of European struggle anC
debt Is its most depressing feature: fol
what profit has come to the peoples in.
volved in the fighting?
Austria's Feverfah Record.
Research back through the history Of
Austria gives a family connected story
for LOO years; from the time when the
nucleus Of Austria was formed on tn,
banks of the Danube in the year 500
But what a story? 1t is hardly possible
to place the finger on any period of even
twenty-five years that was absolutely
free from internal or external struggle
family or another allying themselves
with or arranging themselves against
other dukes. princes, kings and emperors
was the story until recent times.
Mingled with this everlasting ferment
has been the repression Of hostile races
bound together artihcally by the exten.
sion OF Austria-Hungary's boundaries
Their struggles and protests have. alone
the way, contracted the empires area
a. t. y,
empire Of today includes Czechs, Mag
vars. Ruthenes, Roumanisns, Germans
Italians. Flemings and others of Other
races-peoples who differ absolutely il
racial memories and in material condi
tons.
Involved also in the story have beer
wars of religion. The Moslem assailec
Christendom. the Catholic fought Luther.
an, the Catholic church in its two greai
divisions has struggled over the area OF
These later years show the struggle OF
men for manhood's privileges in the po-
litical field: SO that the bifucated legisla-
tive machine, which now represents some
phase of popular government, with one
leg in Austria and the other in Hun
gary. has been the scene Of violence
and irreconcilable hates.
A Look Ahead.
There is but little reinsurance as L
Austria Hungary and internal peace.
Sixty-six years has Francis Joseph
reigned. In ls4S when a youth of nine
teen. he assembled a shaking throne and
inherited the fights growing out of th'
revolution of 1915. Ills attitude ther
and always was embodied in his proc.
lamation. I'VE trust that with Gods aid
and I'm common with our pcoples We shall
succeed in uniting all the countries anC
races of the monarchy in one great body
polite" Yet in sixty-siN years no prog
ress appears to have been made in tn,
direction OF permanent union.
The Pan-Slav movement. TO unite al
Slavic people, which would mean a com
plete reappointment of Europe is strong
OH the Eastern end OF the dual empire.
The Pan-German radicals and con
servatiyes serve to keep the western enc
stirred up with the thought Of ultimat,
alignment with the interests OF the Ger
man empire.
In the far southeast there are the I'M
tractable peoples OF the Balkans and thu
lower Danube
In the southwest is the Swiss and Ital
ian contact.
The death of Francis Joseph. an En-
peror weary Of his task and of his life
may release many passions that hav,
been restrained in part by regard for tn,
good old man.