Evening star., 1918-01-27

scussion at this time, or until it
ons are to exist between the two
l peace is restored.
left nothing but scattered and weak
ened fractions.
So much for tho general conception
of the Presidents terms. Recognizing,
as every thoughtful man must. that
German control of all Of central Europe
and Of eastern Asia, German possession
of 100000 900 Of subject peoples of alien
races, would be but q. step removed
from world hegemony, Mr.. Wilson has
rightly and boldly demanded that Ger
many surrender this dream and evac-
uate those conquered districts and re-
lease those conquered races which are
pawns in her tremendous game. Not
until Germany consents to this is peace
thlnkable, anu any peace that did not
destroy Mitteleuropa would be an as
sured German victory and a promise of
a speedy resumption of the battle.
Europe would be compelled to make a
fresh coalition against William II, as
it did against Napoleon after Auster-
fitZ, after Jena and Friedland, after
Wagram.
In a word, the first issue of the war
now is the freedom Of Europe. domi
mated in a measure by the German. as
it was by Napoleon a little more than
century ago. Until France was re-
stored to her own rightful limits at the
congress of Vienna. until she was
evicted from Belgium. Holland, from
southern Germany and from the italian
and Spanish peninsulas, all peace was
bound to be a truce, and each peace
was speedily followed by a renewal
of the struggle of all other European
peoples for freedom from French domi-
nation. And the same is true Of Ger
many now.
1t is essential for all Americans to
grasp the fact of Mitteleuropa, because
hio For -
States almost as much as to Europe.
Such state would be within measur-
able distance of world supremacy; 1t
would be within beckoning distance Of
few years had provided the German
with fresh resources, drawn from his
newly organized conquests. he would
be certain to strike again, while the
perpetually driven to choose between
rebellion and slavery. The German has
still in his mind the purpose which he
had in 1914. to repeat the Roman prece-
more than a halfway mark. if it can
endure.
1t is not. as many Americans seem to
believe, a mere question of arrange
ments of European frontiers which has
been raised. We NAV, as Americans.
be. little concerned. with the exact
point at which a Balkan frontier is
marked on the maps. The eastern
frontier of a truly free Poland may
only remotely concern US. but we are
all concerned vita1ly in preventing the
erection of an empire in Europe which
shall be so strong that it can aspire.
as it will. to the control of all other
continents, American as well as Asiatic
and African. Given the German con-
ception of force and violence. of Ger
man supergreatness, of the German
mission to heal the world by conquest
and then by methods well exemplified
tr, A 1con ofv,a hnfo y, 4
in Belgium since. it is matter of life
and death that the Germans should not
get control of 100000. 900 of members
of inferior races" and arm and train,
from these. new and invincib1e hordes.
1t is the totality. not the detail, Of the
German scheme which threatens US in
America, and it is a realization of this
which has moved President Wilson to
throw aside our Oldest tradition and
fight for the rectification of European
frontiers, frontiers created by this
war.
Slav Question Raised Anew.
Only less Interesting and important is
the Presidents demand "for the freest
opportunity of the peoples of Austria
Hungary for autonomous development"
1 have talked much in these articles
about the Slav question in the east
this raises it anew. Today there are
within Austrian territory 100000
Slavs. just short of half of the total
population. There are also 100000
Latins. Rumanians and Italians. AS
against these races. held inferior by the
ruling minorities. there are 100000
Germans and 100000 Magyars. To-
day the Magyars and the Germans con-
troll Austria-Hungary. with a measure
of assistance from the 100000 Poles
of Galicia, who, though Slavs follow
national rather than racial lines.
Looked at on race map. it will be
seen that in the north. in Bohemia. a
majority of Slavs. Czechs and Slovaks
are denied all real liberty and equal
representation. while millions of south
ern Slavs from Fiume to Cattaro, in
Dalmatia. Croatia, Slavonia. Bosnia and
Herzegovina have equally unfortunate
conditions. The same is true of the
Italians Of the Trentino and the Ru-
manians of Pennsylvania and the Ban
yat
Were President Wilson's demand to
be met. the Germans and the Magyars
would be in a minority in Austria, the
Germans would be in a hopeless mi
nority in their half of the dual mon
archy. unless Galicfa were set off. and
even were this to be done they would
still find themselves in difficult stu
alton. for the Slav element gains with
each year. And were the Slavs to OBJ !
tain equal representation Austria /
would cease to be German pawn: their /!
II
up the Austro-German alliance. for
they are anti-German to man.
This. after all. means another reduc- |
tion of Mitteleuropa. Mr.. Wilson would !
see the transformation of Austria into
federalized state, but several of the
Austrian states would be wholly SIav. |
and the influence of these Slav states |
would be sufficient to break down the |
Austrian alliance with Germany. Nit !
teleuropa would not then be reduced !
merely to the Austro-German bulk; it |
would end at the German frontiers |
Bohemia would be Slav buttress
against German advance up the Elbe;
the Jugo-Slavic group along the /
Adriatic would be a wedge between the |
Germans and Magyars and the open
sea.
As to the Polish Question.
Now, with the Polish question shall |
not deal again at length at this time. |
The President proposes the erection of 1
au iudeueudenf Polish state Including