Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-07
CzERN|N THREATS
WIN IN RUMAN|A
King Ferdinand Forced to Yield
to Teutens on Pain Of
Losing Throne.
DIVISION OF COUNTRY
USED As ONE LEVER
Queen Of Little Nation Loyal to Al.
lies to Last-Thauks q. 8.
for IT. Aid.


ter part Of February and delivered in
person verbal ultimatum Of the most
drastic sort from the central powers to
King Ferdinand of Rumania, it has be-
come known with the arrival here of
the American Red Cross mission to
Rumania.
Count Czernin's visit was known only
in the highest official circles and the
fact that 1t was made IL revealed now
for the drst time through a correspond
ent OF the Associated Press who &C.
companied tho mission. The reason for
the visit was that the Germans and tho
Austrians had determined to bring to .
speedy conclusion tho negotiations with
Rumania. and had decided that threat
delivered In person BY the head Of the
Austro- Hungarian foreign ONCE would
be moro Effective than reams Of docu.
ments.
Czernin Stern With King.
So Count Czernin was sent on the er.
rand. He arrived in Jassy about Feb
ruary IS and went straight to the king.
His manner was stern. unbending. ruth
less. He told the king biuntly that Ru-
mania must conclude peace on Ger
many's terms and do 1t Immediately.
There must be no further delays, and
unless Rumania consented to this pro-
| suing a ukase deposing the Rumanian
royal house and dividing the entire
country between Austria and Bulgaria.
The Rnmanian king saw no way out.
and q week later tho formal peace ne
gotiations were begun.
Gloomy Period in Jassy.
The last days before the departure
Of the allied missions from Rumania.
March 9. were a gloomy period in
Jassy. The peace pourparlers had been
in t!ated In Bucharest March and
news OF the signing Of the preliminary
articles were expected momentarily.
The court and cabinet had been in a
state of detection from the date Of
Count czernin's sensational secret mis-
sion.
Queen Marie had fought bitterly
against any and all peace talk from
the beg inning. and she had the support
OF the crown prince and considerable
body Of the Rumanian public. The king
| sibility OF escape. Three days before
the negotiations were opened there was
. q crown council. at which the subject
OF peace was fully discussed.
Hopelessness Of Position.
King Ferdinand spoke of the inevI-
liability of peace and the hopelessness
cabinet ministers agreed with him,
some reluctantly. others almost too en-
Enthusiastically. The crown prince lis
tened to them impatiently. Finally he
arose and. addressing the king, said:
Il realize. sire. that you speak for
| the government, the army and a con-
siderable body Of our citizens, but l
speak for the queen and every loyal
woman in Rumania when I say that to
accept such a peace would be humiliat-
Ing and dishonorable and would cast a
shadow on the hitherto unsullied page
of Rumania's history
The populace of Jassy showed great
luminosity against the Rumanian gem
| eral. Averescu. who became premier Of
Rumania short time before Count
Czernin made his visit to Jassy, and
who was generally responsible for the
course taken by the peace negotia-
lions.
The people of Jassy could not forget
| that Gen. Averescu was former
| school chum OF Field Marshal Won
Mackensen. and q great admirer and
| student Of German military methods
Gen. Aversscu's Stand.
1t was generally believed that Count
Czernin's visit to the Rumanian king
was suggested to the enemy by Gen.
Averescu who. a few days before, had
paid a secret visit to Field Marshal
| Mackensen. without the approval of
King Ferdinand or the Rumanian
| cabinet. Averescu Immediately after
ward became the acknowledged leader
OF the peace-at-any-price party
treaty. from ing Berlin Mnm todsy
Will be bitter experience for Queen
Marie. who persisted for months In
hoping against hope that 1t would be
possible to avert the conclusion Of
| peace. She has never wavered or fall
tered In her devotion to the cause of
the entente allies and her hostility to
the central powers.
Queen Grateful to q. 8.
The queen received the Associated
! before the departure from Jsssy Of
the mission. She expressed. as she
had done many times before, her warm
sympathy and admiration for the
American people: her thankfulness for
what the United States had done for
Rumania. particularly the work Of the
Red Cross, and her hope that q fuller
and better friendship would come with
the end Of the war.
AS tHo queen mentioned Ine eno OF
the war she could not refrain from
expressing her Arm belief that the
only possible end would be victory for
the entente and the reconstruction of
Rumania. Her majesty had expressed
a desire that the correspondent take
with him a formal statement in her
own handwriting of her sentiments
toward the American people. and she
had planned to have this delivered to
the correspondent before his departure.
At the last moment. however, it was
explained. the queen had been so deeply