The Washington times., 1918-06-23


yielded everything that the Germans and
Austrians demanded, the Queen bravely
refused to make any terms with the mighty
enemy, and now continues to defy them
from remote corner of the country.
It was indeed a terrible situation that
confronted King Ferdinand. Two-thirds of
his country taken from him, one-third Of
his army killed, he was surrounded by
endless death and misery. Fighting
against him were the Germans. Austrians,
were the Russian Bolsheviki, true to no
body.
After the Russian revolution the king
was threatened with Imprisonment by his
supposed allies. the Bolsheviki, fate from
which he was saved by the devotion Of his
little army. Then his Austrian enemies
threatened him with the loss Of his throne
unless he accepted all their terms. Terri
fed by dangers on every hand. he weakly
accepted peace that practically destroyed
the independence of Rumania and betrayed
all the promises made to the Allies.
But before this shameful peace was
made, Queen Marie had done everything
that human being could do to prevent it
and had shown that she was determined to
fight its enforcement to the bitter end.
The King and Queen were then at Jassy.
the small town in the eastern section Of
Rumania to which they were driven after
they were compelled by the enemy to
eyacuate their capital, Bucharest, and two
thirds Of the country. Jassy was filed with
thousands of wounded and dying soldiers
and with civilians from other parts of the
land 1t was afflicted with starvation and
pestilence Among all these sufferers the
Queen was, and still is, the most devoted
worker.
While the King fingered here helpless
and pOwerless, he received private letter
from the Emperor Charles of Austria Hun
gary, IN which the latter said he wished to
save Ferdinand's throne and that he should
listen to the peace terms which the EN-
peror's Foreign Minister, Count Czernin,
would offer him.
This is time when kings should stick
together" wrote the Austrian ruler.
The Emperor artfully persuaded the
weak Ferdinand that his only hope lay in
his mercy. The King received Count Ger
min, who sternly told him that he must ac-
cept exactly what the Austrians, backed
by Germany, offered him, or he would lose
his throne. After hearing the terms, the
King discussed them with the Queen and
his family.
'They are our only hope of saving the
throne" pleaded Ferdinand. I'VE must
accept them"
The Queen dissected the terms in detail
and argued that it would be better to die
Rohf dfchn
at last she found she could not inspire the
King to further resistance, she exclaimed:
Go, make your dishonorable peace!
But as long as have breath, !, woman,
will never consent to peace that betrays
our Allies and disgraces our family and
our country"
The King then went on to Bucharest,
glad to be away from plague-stricken
Jassy. His wife remained behind to care
for the wounded, to rally the remnant of
the shattered army and sustain the pa
triotic courage Of the people.
At Bucharest the King summoned a new
cabinet for the purpose Of formally accept
ing the Austro-German peace terms.
Though not present in Bucharest, the
Queen continued TO urge unwavering re-
sistance to the enemy. She had taught all
her children to accept her principles of
patriotism and loyalty. At the cabinet
meeting the Crowns Prince, representing
his mother. rose and said to his father:
Il realize. sire, that you speak for the
Government, the army and a considerable
body of our citizens. but | speak for the
Queen and every loyal woman in Rumania
when / say that TO accept such a peace
would be humiliating and dishonorable and
would cast a shadow on the hitherto un-
sullied page of Rumania's history.
In spite of this brave protest the King
and cabinet humbly accepted the Austro-
German peace. which took away about one
third of Rumanias territory, which was
divided between Austria and Bulgaria. In
cluded in this annexed territory were
strategic areas in the mountains and on
the Danube, so that the Central Powers
could always have Rumania under their
thumb She was also bound to pay an i'm
possible indemnity Of fifty billion dollars
and to do business in future only as the
Central Powers desired. In compensation
Rumania received a slice of Russia.
King Ferdinand. now a creature of the
Central Powers, loitered in Bucharest, en-
joying comparative luxury after his hard
ships, and the semblance of royal author
ity.
His brave wife stayed on in the loyal
eastern section of the country, sometimes
at Jassy and sometimes at other points
where she was needed. She denounced
her cowardly husband and declined to rec
ognize him as King after he signed the
peace. .