New-York tribune., 1918-02-10
Teutons Planned VassaLage
For Rest of Europe Siince1 81
Victory for Kaiser Now Would Trans
form Continent Into Prison for
Humanity, With System Moving Tow-
ard Asiatic Casfes

habitants Of Bosnia Herzegovina and
on those of all the Slav and Rumanian
sections Of the Hapsburg monarchy,
to continue to exist after the frightful
cataclysm which the German prepu-
tence has imposed on the whole human
race? All these misfortunes will CON
tlnue to dishonor humanity in the
twentieth century if these peoples are
left in the future under the yoke of
their present oppressors.
"The responsibility for this crime
would fall on Russia. The Russian
revolutionarics did not desire this, the
great soul of Russia did not desire It.
Russian soldiers and workmcn hav.
rather been led into error, on the
point. b. the most dangerous Pan-Gcr-
manist agents, disguised as Socialists
for the momentary necessity Of theit
cause If, by misfortune, mot to dcsir.
anneXatlons' should signify the main
tenancc of the German domination By
a return to the status quo ante bellum.
this avowal of impotence would be the
>N'HN@fif@SiS}i Vi Viz IeN O!GllOI. b[OF-
ing its Fictitious and empty character.
The only revolutions which did not
desire anneXations, which have beer,
purely egotist, were those of Germany.
Since we meet it in history, the Ger
man people never had any care for the
fete or the weli-being Of other nations;
it never even made a moral annexs-
ton. 1t only increased in power, to
the detriment Of the Gauls, tho ftal
ians and the Slavs, by means Of con-
quests.
"The present world war may be
summed up as the absolute opposition
of those two principles xhich arc. at
one and the same time, judicial and
moral. By annexation (Which. in the
mouth of the Teutors, the Maeyars.
the Bulgarians and the Turks signifies
conquest) We mean redemption from
slavery, liberation from foreign yoke,
the emancipation and association of the
liberated peoples. This task, which
does great honor to the great free ma
tions Of the West, cannot be repugnant
to the new democracy.
THAT the Russian democracy is op-
posed to conquests and to oppressions
by foreign nations. on that congratu-
late it. On this point nc arc all will,
! 1T. Schlcswig Holstein, Alsace-L Lor-
rainc and Bosnia Herzegovina have
been conquered by the Austro- Germans.
Venice and Lombardy, Nice and Savoy
were annexed by Piedmont and France.
when the peoples under the Teutou
/ and Magyar yoke, which is on a level
with that of the Turks, desire to lib
crate themselves and annex them
selves 20 chat is TO say unite with
their brothers in race, when the Alss-
tians- -Lorrsiners wish to return 10
France, from which they were torn bv
bruta! sorce; when the Italians and the
RumanriaSs desire TO detach themselves
from Austro- Hungary and unite them
selves with Italy and Rumania; when
the Czechs-sovaks demand their lber-
alton from the grip of the Tcuton-
, Magyar wise; when the Croats, the
Serbs AMI the Slovenes. who have
struggled for their national existence
FOR ten centuries past, continually
threatened, and without mercy, by Ger
lnanization and Magyarization, desire
to unite themselves to Serbia and CON
st!tutc with her prosperous state
under regime Of liberty and progress,
would the Russian democracy oppose
those 'anncxations'? I Will not and [
cannot believe it for, in my opinion. it
would be the greatest insult I could
offer it.