The Washington herald., 1918-05-15
Austria.

= Austria.
Two dispatches from Amsterdam and from
Paris yesterday tried to penetrate the smoke
screen" enveloping Austria-Hungary.
Rumors gregarious flocking together like
migrating birds. Amsterdam is convenient
clearing house for stray and vagrant bits of gossip
and information that filters across the Germanic
frontier. However, when two reputable American
correspondents stationed in the Netherlands use
cable tolls for long stories. relating to genuine
crisis in the relations between Germany and her
despised ally, they presumably are doing so on a
somewhat solid basis than mouth-to-mouth
rumor. ~
Paris buttresses the story in analyzing the rea-
for the delay in the resumption of the often
sive by Germany Military experts there assume
that the miscarriage of the original Hindenburg-
Ludendorf plans for the offensive has necessitated
their complete revision, including the accession of
further extensive from the Eastern front.
Either that or Austria Hungary must be persuaded
or bullied into doing that which she has hitherto
declined to do: big portion of her available
man power in the west
The Paris correspondent OF the New York
Times points out that it is only possible for the
German to draw additional man power from one
or the other of these Either Mackensen
must bring another 100000 men from the so-called
Russian front, the Austrians must be induced
to send to the Western front least of the
which they known to have available in
Italy.
The Germans realize that if they draw their
available men from the Russian front they will be
unable to insure that such grain and supplies as
they may obtain from those regions will not fall
into Austrian hands. The Austrians, on the other
hand. much too hungry to deprive themselves,
by sending their surplus to the Western 'front.'
of the only possible chance of keeping out of Ger
hands what they regard as their legitimate
share of the Russian spoils in the form of food
stuffs
There are two immediate dangers facing Aus
tria. There is the menace of absolute famine be-
tween and the end of July, and there is also
the menace of revolt OF the Czechs and the yugo-
Slavs should she allow herself to be drained of SOL
diers to be used the Western front-particularly
at time when Italy might begin counter often
sve for the purpose Of relieving the pressure the
Western front.
The correspondent also says:
at is believed here that Emperor William
at the interview at German field headquar-
tiers Sunday brought strong arguments to
bear on the Austrian sovereign to induce him
to send to Flanders 100000 men now massed
at Tyro- The natural counter proposal by
Emperor Charles would be to send this mass
OF troops to Italy instead as the advantage
OF their going to the Western front would
be for Germany alone, and it is in Italy only
that Austria can hope to benefit"
powers, due to the fact that Baron Burian is con-
tinuing the peace offensive of his predecessor
Count Czernin. Although his appointment after
Czernin's downfall reputed- victory for the
pan-Germans, IT is he who now says: "Our King has
made use OF every possibility of peace, and today it
IS still his determination and will to utilize every
opportunity to conclude honorable, lasting peace
py understanding. We are the lookout for peace
without being limited by certain formuIae"
That is only another way of saying that Austria
will entertain any peace overture-independent of
Germany-that will be sent to her by her enemies
Her economic conditions desperate, her people
are suffering far more than Germany's, and the
stiftest kind of opposition will come from her army
as well as her civilian population to the proposal
that her forces be used in Germanc interests
II Germany cannot force Austria to send troops
TO the West-if she is compelled to withdraw her
own troops from Russia and the Ukrine to bolster
up her waning fight in France and Flanders-there
will be no further doubt of cleavage between the
two powers that will be all but irreparable.