Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-06

Ing. not the Bosnians alone, but the
whole southern Slav race.
By annexing Bosnia in 1908. by re-
sea in 1913, the Austrians had actually
made Serbia a deadly menace to their
own integrity. and Serbia. backed by
russia. became. a daily mounting peril
Ferdinand, who was murdered at Sera-
1evo. had planned to unite ALL the south
ern Slavs of Austria Hungary in a sep
arate state; This was sensible plan.
out it died with him. and thus there
ended all chance of composing the diff
fculty without war.
At the Outset.
At the outset of the war, then, there
were the three wholly divergent inter-
ests.. The Serbs Of Serbia and Monte
negro and a fraction-small or large re-
mains unknown-of the Serbs of Bos-
MIA, Herzegovina and Dalmatia desired
to unite in a southern Slav state and
hoped to enlist the Croats and the Slo-
Venes.
Against the Slavs the southern slav
troops of Austria, save those of Mo-
hammedan faith. could not be employ
cd. But they were quite ready to serve
against the Italians. who were seeking
not alone to replace the Austrian and
Hungarian masters but to annex Slav
territory and turn 1t into a Latin col
ony.
Finally. there was the Austro- Hun
garian necessity to make an end to the
whole southern Slav agitation before 1t
communicated itself to all the southern
Slavs and resulted in the erection of a
new Slav state which should cut Aus
tria-Hungary Off from the sea, and, in
fact, be the decisive factor in produce
ing that downfall of the Hapsburg empire
SO long forecast.
Because she believed her own exist
ence was in peril Austria risked gen
eral European war when she sent her
ultimatum to Serbia, which was the
erar conflict. When the general con-
f1ict had come, then it was essential
that Austria should carry forward her
great task of disposing of the southern
the conflict the profit that would be
even in a small degree commensurate
with her sacrifices.
When Italy entered the war there
was a new factor that had to be faced
again it was essential to deal with the
southern. Slavs before common danger
should throw the Slav and the Latin
into each others arms and while their
rivalries still held them apart.
+ Task Nearly Completed.
with the aid of the Germans and the
Bulgarians the Austrians have nearly
completed this task. Serbia and Mon
tenegro are now actually conquered
territory. The mountain Of Lovchen.
commanding the Austrian war harbor
of Cattaro. the original Black noun
tain from which the nation of King
Nicholas gets its name. has been
stormed.
Tho Austrian armies have entered
Scutari. conquered by the Montenegrins
in the Balkan wars and forbidden to
them by Austria: they have flowed
represented the common Jealousy and
selfishness of Austria and Italy, Aus
tria insisting that to the Serbs should
be denied access to the sea, Italy in
sisting that to the Greeks should be
denied northern Epirus. Hellenic by
race and by sympathy.
Today there Is left only one more step
to complete the expansion southwark
frontier, and this is the occupation of
Valona. AS the Anglo-French allies
hold Saloniki. the Italians have SO far
retained Valona. If these ports are
lost. then the work of the central pow
ers between the Danube and the Aege-
frontier is complete.
The value of Valona is patent. 1t
faces the Straits of Otranto, the mar
row waterway connecting the Adriatic
Italy. faces Valona as Dover faces
Calais, and the distance Is but little
more than forty miles. The Bay Of
Valona itself Is the only considerable
natural harbor between Cattaro and
the Gulf of Arta.
AS long as Italy holds Valona she
holds the straits, but If she loses Va
Iona, then she loses the only really
useful harbor she possesses on the
Adriatic, for the harbors on the Italian
fAr sd
cant.
New Drive to Southern Calais.
in many respects reminiscent of the
German drive to Calais, which filled
the ina gination and the bulletins of
the months following the battle of the
Marine. If the Austrians can carry
their frontier south to the Greek line
and can follow military conquest by
pacification; IL they can expel the al
lies from Saloniki and the Italians from
yalona, then the eastern question has
become a question of internal policy for
for Enthusiastically she will
make Albania, Montenegro and Serbia,
after conceding much of the latter to
Bulgaria, little Kingdoms ruled by her
own puppets and actually dependent
upon Vienna.
For Italy the question is vital: If
Austria is to take Valona now and be-
come the master IL not the titular
owner of Salonikr tomorrow, then Aus
tria will have destroyed the italian
dream of reviving the glories of Rome
and Venice in the near east. 1talys
own harbors on the Adriatic will be at
the mercy of an Austro-German fleet
and her whole future will be imper-
He'd
1t is impossible to feel that there is
not poetic justice in the present dam
gerous position of Italy. Her own am
billions have contributed to enlist the
southern Slavs of Austria to fight
a gainst her. Their presence in the line
against Italy has released German and
troops to night against the
Slavs. to conquer Montenegro and Ser
bia.
1t is a matter Of common belief in
Europe that had Italy chosen she
could have found the men to go to the
rescue of Serbia in the first days Of the
German invasion. At the least. she
certainly could have furnished troops
to save the Montenegrins and cover the
retreat Of the Serbians to Albania.
So far as 1t is possible to judge she
did not do this because she was per-
fectly willing to see Serbia and Monte
negro defeated-to see them eliminat-
ed as possible rivals in the Adriatic.