The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-08-29
PANIC SEXES
AuSTRIANS over
WAR REVERSES
Emperor BUSHES to Italian
; Front Makes Changes =.
In High Command

Paris, Aug. 2S-Advices from
Switzerland present the condition OF
Austria as bordering on panic. The
Italian victories have caused such
alarm in Vienna that the Emperor
rushed to the front and made radi-
cal changes in the high command in
an unsuccessful effort to stem the
tide The Austrian press hardly VEN
lures to discuss the military situation,
despite the fact that a battle is rag
ing on which the fate Of the Empire
may depend.
On the heels of the barely crushed
revolution in Bohemia comes trouble
In Pennsylvania, said to be due to
the refusal Of the agricultural inter-
ests to accept the official terms for
the regulation and sale of their pro-
duce More definite facts are not
known, as .TransyIvania is under mar
tia1 law, and practically cut off from
the rest Of the country.
How serious agriculthres attitude
throughout the Empire has become
may be judged from the fact thats the
secret economic conference between
Representatives of Germany and Aus
tria- Hungary, which began on Aug. z
and was intended to settle mutual food
distribution for the winter, had to
anything, owing, it is stated. to uni
versal opposition of the agrarian in
terests.
The failure of the peace maneuvers
proved a terrible shock, as the word
had gone out from the highest quar-
ter that peace was certain almost inn
mediately. In this connection the
Emperor and Empress are said to
have declared repeatedly that they
were determined to avoid another.
winter of war at all COSTS
| Hitherto there have been two OBJ
stacles to Austrian peace: first, their
refusal to abandon Trieste and Trente
to Italy; secondly, fear--for any
friendlier feeling has disappeared-of
Germany. Now Italy bids fair to set
tie the first difficulty once for all.
The Austrian army is reeling and If
the Italian effort can be maintained
sudden Austrian disaster may follow.
German prestige has received a well
nigh fatal blow at Verdun and loss of
the Mort Homme and Hill 304-the
position labeled by the Germans
themselves as the key pivot of the
Western front-could not be hidden
and caused an enormous sensation. A
heard to remark on receiving the
news that the world might come to re-
gard Mort Homme as the beginning
of the German debacle. He spoke
French, and my informant cites the
phrase as lie Mort Homme est Fran
Gals mails IL Sc peut bien que phomne
mort soft Allemand"-a cynical pun
which is a striking commentary on
the present Austro- German relations.
Berne has become the centre of
Austrian activities. Under the lead
ership Of the veteran diplomat Count
Goluchowski, whose pro-Ally and an
lti-Prussian sentiments are no secret,
there is assembled a powerful and
busy group Of Austrian intriguers.
Highly placed personages come and
go mysteriously, and my informant
declares one constantly hears on AUS
TRAN lips expressions Of incompati-
bilfty, IL not actual hostility, toward
Germany.
The German legation at Berne is
hardly less active, and 1t is possible
that Berlin is willing to permit the
Austrian maneuvers as an easy meth
Cd of testing the Allies peace pulse.
General Swiss opinion judges other
wise, and concludes that Austria is
on the verge of trying to negotiate
peace at any price," even should a
rupture with Germany be included in
| the sum total.