Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-06-29
Another Hapsburg Tragedy.

As tragedies occur in the life of En-
peror Francis Joseph of Austria Hungary
tnat venerable monarch appears as the
unhappiest man of modern times Vir-
tually from the beginning of his reign
at the age of eighteen, sixty-six years
ago. he has been pursued by nlaIign
fate. Death and disaster and disgrace
nave reached those near to him. his
brother. his sons, his wife his grand
children; scarcely a member of his fam
lily has escaped some measure of the mis-
fortune which, it is believed in Austria,
was brought upon the Hapsburgs by the
curse OF the Countess Karolyi when her
young son was executed because of his
participation in an uprising of the Hun
sarians early in the career of the young
ruler of the dual monarchy.
1t is singular fact that although
death has struck all around him. the
emperor himself has survived scathIess.
Now he remains. at the age of eighty
four, alone. feeble. heartbroken, dis
trustfui of everybody; harassed by pres
ent conditions in his realm and assured
by every possible portent of grave dis
turbance in the monarchy after his death.
Thirteen rulers have been assassinated
since he assembled the throne, and many
prime ministers and royal consorts and
heirs His own life has been attempted,
but he has seemed to bear a charmed
life. Doubtless he has often wished for
surer aim on the part of his would be
slayers. prayed for death to come to him
while 1t was striking those about him.
The Staying of the Archduke Ferdinand
and his wife is politically important as a
sign of the sad condition in the Austro-
Hungarian realm and its subordinate and
associated countries. The men who at
tempted the life of the heir to the throne,
one successfully, were Servians, but they
were animated, it is believed, by motives
that are felt by many who are directly
under the rule of the dual monarchy.
The crime is a portent of the seething
OF discomfort felt in all parts of the en-
pire. an index of the insecurity of affairs
in the Balkan region. 1t is traced already
to the action Of Austria in contriving the
annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina a Short
time ago. stroke which was largely at
tributable to the desire of the now
slain archduke to enlarge the empires
boundaries.
Owing to the fact that in order to gain
his uncle's consent to his morganatic
marriage Archduke Ferdinand was COM
PEELED to renounce the right of success
sion for his children, the heirship to the
Austrian throne now passes to the slain
heirs nephew, now in his twenty-seventh
year. He appears to be a young man
of excellent parts. in all respects suit
able candidate for the throne But it is
by no means certain that the crown will
rest long upon his head. for it is the
general belief in Europe that the death
of Francis Joseph will be the signal of
disturbance perhaps causing the dis
ruption of the dual monarchy. The eIe-
ments of session have ben active for
years, and with the serious unrest that
prevails in the Balkans it will be surpris-
ing if the death of the aged emperor is
not Immediately followed by the gravest
troubles. 1t will be, of course, to Ger
manys interests to prevent the collapse
of the dual monarchy and to maintain
conditions as at present, but for some
time there have been indications that
Germany would not have in such event a
free hand of Intervention, for Russia is
known to favor the aspirations of Hun
gary for a more distinctly national exist
ence than that it has had for many years.