The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-08-08

letter recently received in this
- country purport to give first
hand accurate information Of condi-
tions in Austria-IIungary and the
attitude of the people toward the war.
The letter was written in Switzerland
and is therefore u~ncensored:
"LuCERNE, Switzerland.
July IL. 1915.
"A prominent Austrian m~anuflc-
turer recently or a visit here was
heard To remark: Should anybody
wonder al the III success IT our Ill
timed struggle? Serbia has beaten
us back; even little Montenegro has
achieved some progress-what then of
the major conflicts? Has any Austrian
war ever proved d~!rereut?'
1T is the old story; hut let mo
interpolate. There is no censor here
TO cut me short (all written as well "a,
printed communications with the out
side word are already under strict
official supervisory and there is ,who
knows) no secret service agent
, around to listen and d|cnounCe me as
a traitor for speaking the truth. To
resume IL is the old story If trying
10 direct armies at the front from
dusty, spider webbed offices in
Vienna. where there are assembled
an imperial board as the supreme war
council, Nominal,y presided over by
the venerable Emperor. the decisive
management rests in the hands of
Field Marshal the Archduke Fred
erick, commander in chief OF the
Austro-HunEtr.an armies. He is a
most kindly disposed, most respectable,
most benevolent old gent cman; moth
ing can be averred against him en-
cept his total u%niitness for such n
position. Al the council table sit,
constituting the majority. any mum
her Of ~pretcntious A~rchdukes. with
many namss and more titles. many
degrees of ability, enlivencd by some
sinattcring Of strategy. or. safe to
say. qualities in rather negative guam
titles. Many minds they are. with
many views and plans and schemes.
hut all united on the one principle.
The right divine of kings. and their
rights hardly inferior. 10 rile or
miSrule.
From this council issue the orders
for the operations Of the armies in
the ields of action. ono might assert,
not uniustly, this board eXcrts its
power in jealousy watching hat a
general At the front achieve no great
success His pans have To hc inter-
fcred with by official headquarters.
supplies refused, support deliberately
withheld, all to prove that the Vienna
direction is high and mighty and In
sists on following its WI viii and
within.
Take the Russian advance into
Galicia and Hungary last fall and
winter: "A striking example f the
Austro-IiunRarian utter d~isorgani2a-
ton and inability 10 protect their own.
Only Of late when the German. that ie
the thorough. systematic. scientific,
military cooperation became active
were the tables turned. The right
wing OF this ~offensiV" movement re-
mains under command of ArChduke
Joseph Ferdinand. We trust at the
moment of inal trial 1t may not fail;
II may not become necessary that a
Teu,onic general. another Hindcnhurs
or Mackensen. take the reins We
trust. yet difidenCe cannot be dis
PEELED.
"A few weeks since another most
formidahlo cloud rose over the Austro-
Hungarian horizon. After months If
diplomatic negotiations which revealed,
almost going to the verge Of humilia
tiOn, our absolute impotenCY. Italy
saw 1T TO throw over the odious, in
Congruous alliance. Aspirations long
,nourished, ambition, nationalism force
fully assert themselves. our frontier
southwest Is exposed TO attacks. The
Tyrol, Carinthia, Carniola, down to the
l%ittoral, II is a continuous line Of
natural defences. Rivers, narrow
passes, steep mountains form inacces.
sihle barriers. Many forts. hidden for.
tiica'ions, masked batteries strength
on them n front impresnahle.
What did Archduke Eugene. In
whose hands the command of the
campaign against Ita.y Is placed
what did he do, what will ne do? I,
Is reported he has half a million mer