The sun., 1916-01-29
RUMANIA'S POSITION.
Her Problems Resemble Those Italy
Had Had to Solve.


the great war has points OF resemblance
to the previous neutrality Of italy. Like
Italy, Rumania, after years Of friend
ship with the central Powers. deserted
them in their hour of need though In
both kingdoms the King was said to nave
favored the observance OF existing
treaties. Rumania, like Italy. was in
debted for her present independence first
to an Entente Power and later to
Central Power. AS Italy was Indebted
TO France for the first stages OF her
liberation from Austria. Rumania was
indebted to Russia for the first STAGES
of her liberation from Turkey. But the
later stages OF Italian freedom. the
liberation of Venetia from Austria
1sss) and Of Rome from Papal rule
ts7O) were due to the victories or
Prussia over Austria tlS66) and over
France ts70), the protector or the
Pope's temporal power. The later stages
of Rumania's liberation were also due
to Central Power. for Austria by
threatening Russia with intervention III
the Crimean war 1S56) forced the
Russian troops TO evacuate the Ru
manian principalities of Wallachia and
Moldavia. They were then encouraged
to combine under one ruler.
Rumania also resembles Italy in the
fact that, like Italy, she has two groups
Of "unredeemed" land AZ In the case
OF Italy, one of these groups Is held Dy
Entente Powers and one by Austria
Italy had she remained active in the
Triple Alliance would have claimed not
the Trentino and Trieste from Austria,
but Nice and the Island OF Corsica from
France. because in these two regions
Italian is spoken. SO Rumania, should
she side with the Central Powers, might
lay claim to two districts, Bessdraoia
and northeastern Serbia Bessarabia'
between the Pruth and Dniester rivers
and north Of the Danubes mouth. which
Russia won from Turkey in 1si2. has
900. 600 Rumanian inhabitants, VINO
form about half of the population. North
eastern Serbia has 100000 Rumanian
| inhabitants. As an ally of the Entente
Powers Rumara would bring Russia
into touch with the Balkan peninsula
and threaten AuStria's communications
with Bulgaria and Turkey. AS an ally
Of the Entente Powers Rumania would
stand TO win two Austro-Hungarian
provinces Transylvania in eastern Hun
gary. where 100000 Humans form
slightly more than half of the ropu!a-
tion; aud the Bukowna, northeast OF
Transy ylvauia. cedcd to Austria by Tur-
key in I777. whore 100000 Humans
form about oue-thrd OF the population,
The Rumanians have strong sentiment
tai interest IN both regions. For the
Bukowina Bee hwood Land'D con
tains Sucsaya. the oldest capital OF
Moldayia, which IL Ruman!as northern
province Rumania's sentimental m
tere>t in Transy ylvanid is still stronger
Not only does Rumania's literature be-
gin with the Reformation IN Transyl-
yania. but Pennsylvania is Rumanla's
mother land The Latin speaking peo-
piles in the northern Balkan peninsula
migrated. for the most part, To the ron
upland pastures OF easteri' hungary in
the latter part Of the twelfth ren-
turv. But these Nlachs or Humans
tRomansD were prosecuted because OF
their Greek catholic faith by the Roman
| Catholic kings Of Hungary during the
| fourteenth century. Many Humans,
therefore. led by local chiefs, swarmed
| beyond Iiungarys borders southwark
over the Trans lvdn!a Alps and east
ward over the southern carpathians to
! win from the Tartdrs the rich alluNidI
| plains between the Dniester and the
| lower Danube. which became a new
| fathcrland for the RuTan race.
The Ruman bowmeu. posted behind
| .npd Ssahe swamps. shot down tn" N-ht
! Tartar ,ayslrY uf the east and the
| heavy armed hungarian knights ~ the
west Their land kept is freedom TIL
| the coming Of the Turks about 1900. Hut
their old motherland OF TrausylNdnia
remained subject to Hungary. suppose
, our West and South had won freedom
| from Great Britain while the original
| thirteen colonies had remained in sub
! lection. and YOU Will have an idea of the
| Rumaniau peoples situation.
| The conquest Of TrausyiNautI and the
| BukowiuA would be extremely valuable
| nj lp'
and the military standpoint. Transyl-
| Nauia has enormous wealth, mineral
! agricultural and pastoral. Its borders
| formed by the junction of the eastward
! trend!ns Trdnsylvanian Alps win the
! southeast bending tdrpathiaus form -
! huge hastion. towering over the plains OF
| Rumanla and dominating every part
, of them. Transvlvaula forms the nat
ural citadel of the Rgmaniau race, hut
this citadel is held by "A foreign Power.
When the Ruman prince Michael the
! Brave gained possession of II IN 1900 he
! was able 90 hurl defiance At Turk, Tartar
I and northern Slav til his death in 1907
broke the unity of the Rumanian race,
I which has never been completely re-
/ stored
But however ADVANTAGEOUS from the
,Couom,s and military staudpolnts il
/ might be, the conquest of TrtusylvauIa
ana tn" Bukowna from Austria would
De fatal political hlunder for Eu-
mania. The enormous military d.ttrul'
ties connected with the conquest ut a
rugged mountain land like Trans! lvdrIi
! might not prove insupcrah,e, But sue
cess would ne fatal Already isolated on
the south by the hostility of Bulgaria,
| which nurses thoughts OF revenge for tle
| disasters of the second balkan war
Euman.a would gain Austria-iiungtry s
.N A..