Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1918-02-21
BY FRANK H. SIMOMDS.
Copyright 1917-The Tribune Assn
CThe New York Trihunel.

proposal SO far as eastern Europe was
concerned. The fact has borne out the
forecast. Germany has demanded of
Russia the c%ession. under the guise of
an utterly false application of the prin-
ciple of nationality, of the territory she
has occupied during the war and. in
addition. much of the Baltic provinces.
This would deprive the Russians of all
ttlelr Baltic sea coast and take from
them upward of 10000 square miles, a
territory as large as Italy.
In the present article | desire to set
forth in some detail the underlying
facts in the German proposals. to
which the Austrians are bound To give
assent. since their own freedom of ac-
ton has been lost 10 them. Actually
what Germany is e~ndeavorins To ac-
compiisll is to deprive all the Slav
world OF economic freedom by Selling
Its exits to the seas. and at the same
tune put under her own control more
than "a third Of the Slavs OF Europe
through her own. Austrian and Bull
sarlan peace proposals.
TO start at the beginning. there are
In Europe some 125. 600. 000 S!stvs and
$4,000, 900 Germans. Not only do the
Slavs outnumber the Germans greatly.
but they occupy vastly larger territor-
les. are more prolific and are certain
within a brief number of decades to
become far stronger in numbers: over
whctminsiy superior. in fact. Unless the
German can prevent The unification of
n SlaV race or ONE sort of sympa-
thetic association his position in Eu-
rope is ultimately doomed. so far as this
position means the domination of the
Continent n the possession of world
"
Fortunately for the German. the
Sla poi.ulatlons are not concentrated
but widely separated. Nor are there
merely geographical barriers between
the various elements OF Slavdorn; re-
llSion and tradition also divide the
Slavs. Thus. while 1900, 900 S!avs in
Russia. 1000. 900 in Germany and H.
100000 in Austro-Hungary are sepa-
rated by no geographical or linguistic
barriers. 5000, 900 in Bohemia are al
most entirely surrounded by German
speaking nonnlations and 1900. 900
southern Slavs are cut off from the
main mass OF Hungarian and German
speaking districts OF Austria. I'm the
same way. while the mass Of the Slavs
are orthodcy-that is, belong to tn"
Greek chlrch--the Poles and the Croa-
tians are E.o'nan Catholics.
AS long rs Germany was content To
follow the Eis1narckian policy which
aimed at preserving the Germany ere
ated in the last century and not at
setting forth upon a world adventure
OF power. there Was only one Slav prob
lem for the T;elin:tn. ald this was sup
piied by his 100000 Poles in eastern
Prussia. IL 4 population of IS. ono. ooo.
all save a f." hundred Thousand G"r
mans ny race and speech, this WaS'not
a. great problem despite the difliculties
and a~nnoyances incident to the undy-
ing desire Of The Poles for the 1ostora-
ton of their .,la nation.
Ambition Created Problem.
But when Germany, long allied With
Austria. set Il to push Austria south
ward to Observation-Disclosures is. across
the Rnssian outlet to the open sea by
the Bospotus and the Dardanelles-,hc
problem nj once changed. OF the so
000, 900 :nha.oitants of Nustra-Hungnry
not fewer than 2s,o00, 900 are SASS.
while the two contrnllin. elements. HE
Germans and the Magyars. nur,bcl Ar,
4,0oo. 900 ltumanians and Italians. .ta
ing centrifugal aspirations, are thne
natural allies of the Slavs. not of TIE
Masyars and Teutons. and these ;>9n
elements were thus in /. minority in
Alistria-Huneary.
This situation had been temporarily
amelioratad in Austria. by lhe lihort.e>,
bestowed by the .Austrians upon tho
Poles Five millions of Poles in Gai;nia
were allowed to ~ Within that pro-
vince as masters. both of themselves
and OF 1000. 900 Ru1henians. and their
support to the German element in Aus
tria enabled it to maintain n control.
always in danger, but never over
thrown.
Since 1900. however. the Situation, in
Austria has been steadily turning
against the German and the Magyar.
Every year the Slav population gained
IN numbers proportionately, every Yea
Its demands for political liberty in
creased. every year it's SynpathieS, nat
ural. rariaiand religious. with the main
mass of the Slavs outside the Haps-
burg empire increased. Finally the sue
cessful Serbian campaign in the Two
Balkan wars brought about a situation
In which the future domination of the
German and Magyar minorities in the
Dual Monarchy seemed Enthusiastically
doomed. Even the Poles We're stirring
and turning their thoughts once more
to a restored Poland, and once the
Poles should throw their lot in with
the other Slavs, the Germans and their
partners. the Magyars. were doomed
and the Slavonic majority in Austro-
Hungary vas oun to AXE the Elm
thus destroying all the German am
billions Of creating a Mitteleuropa ex-
tending from Berlin to Bagdad, through
Austria Hungary and he Balkans.
Now. bearing these facts in mind,
what Is the German policy? Obviously
to seek to divide the Slavs in such a
way that their numbers will no longer
be formidable and that for so years at
least Germany will be free to CONSOLE
date her road to the les east. to build
her great Mitteleuropa and to complete
he effort to dominate the world. To
do this she must detach some portions
OF the Slavs from the great Russian
bulk: she must, in addition, take meas
tires to suppress the hopes OF the south
ern Slays.
Now. with reference to the Russian