The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1916-11-24
A GREAT MAN
DIES

WIN ul6u ldSJ L uSSudy WAS OuS Ol
the great characters of history, and
largely responsible for the present
world war in Europe. He practically
started the war by taking steps to
punish the assassination of his
nephew, dissipated fellow who was
out violating the moral law, over in
the country called Serbia.
Turnout his reign of so years he
was ever ready to take stern mea-
sures to impress people with the
necessity for honoring the House of
Hapsbrug of which he and his rela-
tives formed part. On the occasion
in qeustion when he had good op-
portunity to say simply that If his
nephew had by his conduct forfeited
the protection of the law and lost
his life, he had shown himself no
better than the common people, and
no more notice need be taken Of 1t
than If it had been a merchant or a
laborer that had been killed. But he
did not do this, and demanded a trial
under the supervision of his, a
foreign government. Serbia refused
to let the Austrian government step
; in and administer its affairs, and up
on this the world war started.
1t Is said that his ministers de-
ceived him as to the conduct of his
nephew and the conditions under
which he met his fate, but whether
this is true or not, the emperor said
in his declaration:
1.-THE intrigues of a malevolent OPP
ponent compel me in defense of the
honor of my monarchy and for the
protection Of its dignity and the Sc
curity of its possessions, to grasp the
protection of its dignity and the Sc
curity of its possessions to grasp the
sword after long years of peace.
''The hope that Serbia would keep
it's word has not been fulfilled; the
flame of its hatred for myself and my
house has always blazed higher.
"In this solemn hour l am fully
conscious of the whole significance of
my resolve and my responsibility be-
fore the Almighty. l have examined
and weighed everything, and with
serene conscience set out on the path
that duty points"
On August 81, when the Germans
were moving into France, Francis Jo-
seph conveyed his greetings to En-
peror William in these words:
Victory after victory, God is with
you. He will be with us also | most
sincerely congratulate you, dear
friend also the young hero, your
dear son, the crown prince, and the
frince Rupprecht, as we'll as the in
comparably brave German army.
Words fail to express what moves
me, and with me, my army, in these
days of worlds history"
Francis Joseph was considered
strictly honest, and conscientious, the
most distinguished of any man in
Europe in that respect, but he had
lived in an atmosphere of the mon
ach and the monarch's ideas. So
high did he stand in the esteem of
the great powers of Europe that when
a pope was being elected, the de-
cision was never announced until he
had been consulted to see if he ap-
proved. of it. When Pope Plus X |
died of a broken heart soon after the |
war began, and his successor had |
been elected by the convention as
sembled for that purpose, the result
of the vote was wired to the emperor
of Austria and he rpelied that this
man could never serve as pope, and
when the telegram was read, the re-,
jected candidate rose and walked out,
went down into the park, sank into
a seat and died of broken heart.
In the meantime. the convention was
voting on other men for pope.
During our Civil War, Macmillan,
a brother of Francis Joseph, sought
to establish monarchy in Mexico,
and for three years maintained his
government by force of arms not
the protest of the
United States that it was violation
of the Monroe doctrine. When Lees
army surrendered, and it was plain
that the war was about over, our
government demanded that Maximil-
ian withdraw from Mexico, and the Y
army was promptly withdrawn. Max
lmilian fell into the hands of the I
Mexican authorities and was shot to I
death, altho Francis Joseph did all
he could to save him, and was join
I'd in the request for mercy by the !
governments of the United States and I
Prussia.