The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1916-11-23


Roman and Goth, Hun and Slav.
Magyar and Mongol, with all of their
descendant peoples. have run oyer
one another and have been run over
in turn-fate left the Roumanians in
the majority in territory of more
than 100000 in Roumania itself and
some 100000 elsewhere. In Bes-
sarabia. a province of $1,000 miles
and 100000 population, belonging
to Russia; two-thirds of the people
are Roumanians; in Pennsylvania,
the eastern part of Hungary, land
of 81 900 square miles, and having a
reputation of 100000, 60 per cent,
Roumania claims, are Roumanians;
in Bukow.na, an Austrian crownland
of 1000 square miles and 100000
reputation, more than half are said
to be Roumanians.
And so 100000 people yearn for
restored Roumania all ethno.
graphic Roumania under the flag of
POLITICAL Roumania If their coun-
try remained neutral they reasoned,
there would be no chance of such a
happy result. They might, they
felt, get something out of Russia If
the Central Powers won with RolI.
mania on their side; but Transylva.
MIA and Bukowina would still be be.
yond their grasp. On the other
hand, they believed Russia would
give them Bessarabia as a prize for
participation on her side, and the
Allie Bukowina and Pennsylvania on
condition of an allied victory.
But if hope of reunited Rouma.
mia appealed greatly to the Rouman
inn, the fear of strangulation, If not
extinction, turned the scale positive
ly to the cause of the Allies.
"Just what this fear was and how
| it obsessed Roumanian statesmen
can be imagined from plea made
just before the war by Roumanian
advocate. If an unfriendly Russia
should gain control of Constantinople
as result of an Entente Allies vic
tory, said this writer, it would newt
ably mean the strangulation of Rou
mania. Bulgaria has her outlet on
the Aegean; Serbia, so this prophet
argued, would no doubt be rewarded
for her suffering by port on the
Adriatic, but Roumania would remain
dependent upon the will of the Great
Bear tsride the Dardanelles. Hell
splendid position on the Black Sea
controlling the delta of the great
Danube waterway, would be of little
| worth to Roumania if the hostile
Car commanded the Sea of Marmo
ra and the Hellespont, for how then
would the bottled-up nation get hei
bulky products-corn, petroleum and
timber-which require cheap water
transportation to the outside world?
With the fruition of her hopes and
the dissipation of her fears both
seeming on one side, there seemed tc
be but one horn to Roumanias di
lemma."
OF the three regions which Rouma
mia hopes to incorporate into g
Greater Roumania," at he close OF
the war, Mr.. LaGorce adds:
"Transylvania has a geographical
rather than a political existence. II
is Fart OF Hungary, although it is
almost as much separated from geo
graphic Hungary as the great plateau
west Of the Rockies is separated from
the Mississippi Valley. 1t is the
}reat highland region which forms the
western slope Of the Transylvania
Alps and the southern slope of the
southeastern Carpathians. T h {
mountains Graded and brought OuI
+ race to the manhood of it's exist
ancc.' say the Roumanians, and this
irDlie5 both to the gradual western
"ioro of the eastern Alps as we'll as
to the sharper eastern slope.
In this territory one may find ev
ny form Of scent" beauty from the
ldy]Ijc pastoral picture to the majes
'l'alIy rugged mountain and the
frenzy burned waters Of the tOrrcn
tIl ri} RS The regions popular
customs. !auGUagc, and costumes arc
pre-. crYC, in all thcir primitive origi
uaiirY amj sharply defined bamdar
les created by nature and a sternly
nold cIimat" born OF the high Alps.
From tn" standpoint q material
value, G"a@arabia would be worth
more to RoWwania than TransyIya.