The Washington herald., 1915-12-26

which Austria had started On hsr own acs
count.
The Austrians boldly met the menao9a
by formally annextnS the disputed prov.
| ince, and, as they annexed II, Count An.
drasss confidently declared to Lord Sails
| bury In London, I'VE have our feet on
the head OF the serpent" But they had
| only scotched the snake; they had not
killed It,
Everything Serbian was suppressed in
the annexed province. even the folksongN
of the race. Eut open agitation only fed
to cover In a dark conspiracy. Finally
| this famed out q year ago last June IN
| the assassination of Crown Prince Feri !.
nand at Serajevo, the capital of Bosnia
Herzegovina, and next in the coniagra-
| tion Of the great war which now envelopa
Europe. The fat Of the two pans-Pan-
German and Pan-Slav-was in the fire.
An Empire Of Fallen Nations.
No matter where you look you unfaik
inSly find fallen nations at the bottom Of
all the trouble. Some men were discuss.
ing railway accidents and they arrived at
the conclusion that 80 per cent of tho
casualties occurred in the rear car.
Leave it on said one of them, quick
to see the remedy.
Since the fallen nations of Austria.
Hungary are at the bottom of this war,
the obvious remedy is to restore them u
their independence. But there would be
little left of Austria-Hungary. for 1t -
an empire Of fallen nations.
On every hand the aged Emperor has
been confronted and threatened through.
out his long reign by movement to
snatch those jewels from his crown and
restore them to their original, not to say
rightful. owners. The irridentists-ths re.
deemers-beset him on all sides. And see 4
what hoy nj fak kan
since he ascended the throne. The Prus-
sian irridentists. his allies Of today,
stripped him of the overlordship of Ger
many. which Austria had claimed for
hundreds of years. On the other hand,
Italia Irridenta recaptured Lombardy and
Eenetia.
Naturally he looked about to sec wheres
he might recoup himself for those heavy
losses. In the west he saw united Ger
many. In the south, united Italy. In tho
North. the Russian Bear. In the east
alone he saw q chance and to the east
he turned his face His ancestors had
boosted themselves the lesatees Of ths
should become the heirs Of the Sick Man
of Constantinople.
The Open Grave.
Francis Joseph took his first East
ward step when he claimed and rA-
ceived from the Berlin Congress the
control Of Bosnia-Herzegovina. His L
next logical step would take him through
the upper gate on the old road to Empire. x
And only little Serbia stood in the way.
But when the Austrian Empire first 3
entered upon this new departure and oc-
cupied Bosnia -Herzegovinat Primes
iortschakor. the Russian Ambassador
It Berlin. grimly remarked The tomb
II Austria Is in the Balkans" That
lrOphacv 10 4
,hance that the Austrian Empire may I
all into the grave it dug for Serbia.
The fight Is not finished. A people who 4
or 500 years survived the exterminatinS =
Turk cannot be crushed In a season. q
Iwept from the road. they still have 4
'atrre's impresnable forts for their
efuge. Those mountains of Serbia are !
} weakness in her offense. but they be-
ome her strength in a long defense. L
Ind the Serb has not the tame desire
4 the West to die In bed.
The Stork, in a strangely prophetic
pirit, anticipated the struggle and pro-
ided for 1t by bringing more boys than
iris to the threatened Nation The birth
aw Of the world was reversed for Serbia,
nd when the storm burst upon her she
ad loo men to 500 women. ~
Already the Serbs have done more than y
heir part. With the veteran armies Of
owerful military Empires In front Af
hem and the revenseful Bulgars be-
ind them, they held up the Teutonic
rive for weeks. while cleverly- eluding
ne traps set for their feet. II Serbia's
is, stupid allies will only do their part
nd profit by her terrible sacrifices, the
.alksn campaign of the Austro-Ger-
,cns viii fail Of its main purpose per-
lament control OF the old road to the
asst.
copyright. tsi5. by James MosaA.l