The Alaska citizen., 1914-11-30

Literary Digest: AS Austria be-
gan the actual hostilities OF the
European conflict by its attack on
Seryia, 1t Is OF interest to inquire
how it has Jared since then. Whlle
American attention has been cen
tered almost entirely on the battle
fields of France and Belgium, the
Russian forces in Galicia, according
to dispatches from Petrograd, Rome.
Paris, and London. have been achiev-
ing successes which, il true, are
declared practically to eliminate the
Austrian armies as factor in the
war.
Indeed, as one Russian military ex-
pert reads the situation, 1t was the
Russian victories in. Galicia that
really checked the German advance
upon Paris by necessitating the
shifting of German troops from the
western to the eastern theatre Of
war.
Russian reports tell of Austrian
losses since the fall OF Lemberg
amounting to 100000 men-250, 900
killed and wounded and 100000
prisoners-and asserts that the de-
feated armies, having lost most Of
their artillery and supplies, are trap
ped in the angle formed by the
rivers Vistula and San. The Rus
sian plan of campaign, according
to Petrograd dispatch, Is to leave
them bottled up there. in and around
the fortress Of Przemysl under guard
of part of the Russian army.
The rest of Austria" we read.
will be left to the Servians and
to the commotion among her Balkan
nationalities. while the body Of the
Cars troops will pass on to con-
centrate against the Germans. with
Berlin the objective"
Galicia. says a London dispatch,
as now a Russian province, save
only for the strongholds Of Jaro-
slaw and Przemysl toward which
the remnants OF the shattered armies
OF Won Auffenberg, Dankl, and the
crown Prince have fled"
Word also comes, still by way Of
Petrograd, OF thousands of unem-
ployed parading the streets Of Wen
ma. and Of the third levy of Aus
in civilian attire, the supply OF uni
forms being exhausted.
On the other hand dispatches
from Austrian sources deny these
reports Of Russian victories and
claim notable successes for the Aus
trian troops, which they admit are
greatly outnumbered.
Thus Count Berchtold, Austrian
foreign minister in communica-
ton to Dr. Dumba, Austrian ambas-
sador at Washington. explains that
the Austrian retreat before superior
numbers of the enemy was for the
purpose Of securing a more favor
able position, preparatory to new
actions.
He reports, moreover that the
Austrians are making Roadway
against both the Russians and the
Servians A Rome dispatch to the
New York World tells OF 100000
Russian prisoners and nearly 500
cannons captured by the Austrians.
And a Vienna dispatch to the New
York Tribune quotes the Vienna Neue
Freie Presse as saying after the fall
Of Lemberg: I'VE can say nothing
more than that the high moral
quality of the Austrian and Hungar-
ian troops must eventually prove
victorious"
But despite these assurances that
the Austrian retreats have been
merely tactical. editorial observers
on this side of the water are almost
unanimous In regarding Austria's
position as desperate. Rumors Of
financial exhaustion and internal dis
sensions give color to this view. as
does the vague intimation that Aus
tria is ready to discuss peace terms
independently of her ally. In view
of the terms of the Austro-German
alliance. however, which preclude
such action the Philadelphia Public
Ledger characterizes this rumor of
independent peace negotiations as
unlikely" The same paper, how
ever, quotes a German officers ref
erence to Austria in its present
plight as "a corpse around Ger
many's neck" And in the Syracuse
Post Standard we read:
Austria has put her last resources