The Washington times., 1914-07-26
KINGDOM STAKE AND
KING A PANA IN WAR
Peter of Servia Mere Puppet in
Hands of Men Who Elevated
|. Him to Throne.
Continued from First Page.)
moved King Alexander. Peter has been
but a pawn in the hands OF his makers.

dSS.J
moved King Alexander. Peter has been
but a pawn in the hands OF his makers.
Form Alliance Against Turk.
These men must constitute one OF the
most remarkable groups of nation
builders that the world has known in
modern times. They are not the sort
one would wish to associate with, but
they have accomplished marvels with
and for Servia. They must have credit
for that
They have put strength where weak
ness was before. They foresaw that the
ancient struggle against the Turk
might be brought to an end, if the little
chain of buffer states created by the
powers could be knitted together in an
alliance against Turkey. They united
with their ancient enemy, Bulgaria;
With their cousins of Montenegro, and
with Greece for the, great effort
That alliance was made without the
world knowing anything serious was
afoot. Turkey had been weakened
by its own revolution. The little alli-
ed states organized modern armies,
with the very best equipment They
prepared themselves for the war just
as japan did for her fight with Rus
STA, and when the signal was given
by Montenegro they all jumped in and
"SAA NlONS O4 n II ISll
rope.
Servia has about as much population
as Bulgaria and Greece taken togeth-
er. Her ambition is to get back the
territory that was hers in her days
Of greatest Importance, and that Is
inhabited by the people Of her race
Bosnia and Herzegovina constitute an
important part of this area; and
when Austria, few years ago. seized
these provinces Servia was exasperat-
ed the last degree.
It was not the time to strike, and
Servia bided her time; the wise men at
Belgrade preferred first to carry out
their plans for the expulsion OF the
Turk. and await eventualities for the
struggle against Austria
Crisis Deliberately Planned.
Russia is the ally of servia, drawn to
It by ties OF race and blood On the
support of Russia, and on the proba-
bility that the rest of Europe might be
willing to see Servia get a chance,
rather than precipitate a universal war,
has depended the hope for real rehabili-
tation of Servia. There is little doubt
that the syndicate OF intellect at Bel
grade. controlling the little kingdom,
has planned cold-bloodedly for such a
lineup and such crisis as would best
serve its purposes.
Frederick of Austria, seemingly as the
result OF something like a semi-official
conspiracy in Belgrade, precipitated the
present crisis It is hard to believe that
those in domination of Servia could
have deliberately planned to force the
hand of Austria Certainly they would
not have done 1t without every reason
to believe they would have the support
of Russia II they get that support
they have chance to precipitate q
general war, out OF which Servia may
emerge with its ambitions realized; or
ality may be finally extinguished. 1t
Is a tremendous stake for which these
red-handed masters Of a tiny kingdom
at the worlds storm center have been
playing.
Nation of Patriots.
II would not be fair to Judge the Ser
Wan people by the men who came into
power through the assassination Of
Alexander and Draga- The Servian
people are intensely patriotic, brave,
generous, and capable. as their history
shows of centuries of self-sacrice in
support of their national cause They
are essentially an agricultural people.
Servia being one of the great wheat
hproducing states of Surope What is
possible for their southeast European
for something like freedom is indicated
by what they did in the recent Balkan
wars.
1t is said that Servia and Bulgaria,
in the year of the first war, actually
raised as great or greater corps than in
ordinary years, heretofore, despite that
pactically all men capable of bearing
arms were at the front and that an
unprecedented proportion of them were
killed or disabled. The women and
childrn and aged men did the work, be-
cause the national sustenance depended
on them.
Servia wants an outlet to the Adriatic
sea, and was denied It because of Aus
trian interference. at the close of the
recent wars. Austria proposes to take
for herself as much as possible on the
Adriatic frontage; to become a real
Mediterranean power. Germany sup
ports Austria because the dream of
pan-Germanism is TO see at least Aus
trla proper-the GermaniC rsrt of the
dual empire-united wsth the present
German empires
Pan-German Vision Factor
The Emperor Of Austria is also King
Of Hungary, and this makes the dual
monarchy, cemented together around
the accident of having a common ruler
But Emperor Francis Joseph is very
old. The son who gave promise OF be-
ing strong, capable. and popular
enough TO succeed to him. is dead.
Pan-Germanists see the vision of time.
not so very far ahead. when Kaiser
William. Emperor Of United Germany.
and King Of Prussia, might take the
crown OF Austria and thus bring to-
gether the elements of an alderman
monarchy extending from the Baltic to
the Adriatic. Small wonder that Ger
many rings with the demand for viSor
GUS support of Austria in the present
crisis
But the vision Of a greater German
empire brings dread to Russia, and TO
her ally, France. They cannot meekly
submit to such ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF
Germany. Circumstances, the develop
ments perhaps of years. perhaps OF
hours, will show how far the various
nations are willing to go in order TO
break down, or to maintain. the pres |
ent balance of power
Ch0I VTDkU0IIIIIW |