Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-04-17
AUSTRIA SEWERS
RELATIONS WITH
UNITED STATES
Bulgaria and Turkey Expected to
Follow.
U. S. TRIED TO STOP MOVE
State Department Announces Diplo-
matte Rupture and Efforts to Avoid
It-PenfIeld Called Home Be-
fore Action Was
Taken.
q. S. TRIED TO STOP MOVE

Taken.
Washington, April Austria Hun.
gary, under the pressure of Germany,
has severed diplomatic relations with
the United States.
Baron Erick Zwiedinek, charge daft
flares of the Austro-H Hungarian EN-.
bassy here, called at the state depart
ment and asked for passports for him.
self and the embassy staff.
| Almost at the same time a dispatch
was received from American Minister
Stovall at Berne, saying the dual mon
archy had broken off diplomatic reIa-
lions with the United States in Vienna
Sunday. 1t is presumed this was done
by handing passports to American
Charge Grew. American Ambassador
Penfield, who had left Vienna on Sat-
urday, probably did not know of the
| governments action.
Spain Takes Over Affairs.
By prearrangements Spain will take
over the diplomatic and consular inter-
ests Of the United States in Austria
Hungary. All Austrian consular agents
will depart from the United States
with the diplomatic mission, as was
the case with Germany.
Austria-Hungary has asked Sweden
to take over her interests in the United
! States.
Up to the time Charge Zwiedinek
asked for his passports no similar ac-
ton had been taken by Bulgaria and
Turkey, Germany's two other allies,
| and their representatives here disclaim
having any knowledge of the intention
of their governments. 1t is expected
here they will follow by breaking Dip
lomatic relations.
Austrias break with the United
States undoubtedly rs the prelude to a
declaration Of state of war.
200 Americans in Austria.
About 200 native Americans are
thought to be now in Austria-Hungary,
with perhaps another 1900 naturalized
Austro-Americans, most of whom may
prefer to stay in their country of
birth. Officials here expect no difficult
ties to be placed before Americans in
Austria, and that all the American en-
bassy officials will be permitted to
leave without restraint or inconve-
nience, owing to the decidedly friendly
feeling that Austria has shown despite
German pressure.
u. S. Tried to Avert Break
The following announcement In re-
gard to the break in relations with
Austria was made by the state depart
ment:
ION March IS the state department
Informed the American ambassador in
Vienna that this government was sim
cerely DESTROYS Of maintaining friendly
relations with Austria-Hungary, and in
order to accomplish this would be
willing to go as far as it properly
could.
SIN recapitulating the whole ques-
ton for Ambassador Penfield's guild
ance in his discussion of the matter
with the Austrian foreign office the de-
partment pointed ont that the Austrian
note of January 81, declaring almost
the same submarine danger zone as
was declared by Germany, was re-
ceived on the same day that Count
Tarnowski arrived In Washington that
it had been explained to Count Tar
nowski that this government could not
possibly receive an ambassador from
o%rfo nd Ut &ha toe,
the German ambassador unless the
Austro-Hungarian government could
recede from the position taken in it's
submarine note; that Count TarnowsK
had agreed and suggested the opening
Of conversations in the hope that some
solution might be found; that the de-
partment had thereupon instructed Mr..
Penf1eld to ask the Austro-Hungarian
government for a statement of its po-
sition; that the Austrian reply, re-
ceived from Vienna in telegram dated
March 2, contained the following state
ment:
"The entire declaration is essential
Iy nothing less than a notification to
the effect that no merchant ship may
navigate the sea zone accurately de-
fined in the declaration
Austria Refused Change.
"And that tAe imperial and royal
government is however unable to &C
cept responsibility for the possible
loss of human life which may never
theless result from the destruction of
armed 81 .ps encountered in the in
closed zones. Moreover, 1t may be re-
marked that Austro-Hungarian subma-
rines are operating only in the Adriatic
and in the Mediterranean, and that,
therefore, a prejudicing of American
interests by Austro-Hungarian men-of-
war is hardly to be feared; that the
kernel of the Austro-Hungarian state
ment was in these quotations because
the Austro- Hungarion government up
held the principles set forth in its note
of January 81, at the same time stat
Ing that the prejudicing Of American
interests by Austro-Hungary was
hardly to be feared that the Aus
trian reply was apparently given out
officially In Vienna and thereby as