Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-12-12
AUSTRIA s AIM
To SAVE SELF BY
CRUSHING SERBS
Fear of Disruption Rather than
Aggression Was Motive for
HoStiIitieS, Says New For
eign Secretary
by j. G. Sesruc.
Copyright, 1913, hy the Press Publish
ino 10

til1 10.
(The New York WORLDLY
Especial Gable Dispatch to the World
and Albuquerque Journal)
Vienna, Dec. | IL called at the Ball
platz recently and was received by DR..
Otto Bauer. the new secretary for for
eisn affairs, to whom | put several di-
rec questions concerning the respon-
sibility for the war, He answered
freely
do the documents in the archives
of the foreign office, which | under
stand you are examining" ! asked,
furnish any additional proof of Ger
man responsibility for the ware"
Dr. Bauer replied he had had time
so far to examine only the diplomatic
dispatches preceding the ultimatum
to Serbia but he expected to scruti-
nize later documents dealing with the
few Hateful days Immediately proceed
ing the outbreak of the general war.
The documents | have read" he
said are especially interesting to us,
In that they disclose the motives that
actuated the Serbian ultimatum. They
prove that the Austro- Hungaria NJ
statesmen of the day wished to fore
stall the disruption of the empire,
which seemed inevitable owing TO the
unrest of various nationalists. and
they decided the way to try to avert
this tendency toward disruption was
by crushing Serbia as the seat of the
greatest element of danger Fear
rather than aggression, / suppose,
WAS the main motive behind this last
desperate throw of falling empire.
THE documents to which | ALLUDED
do net prove that Germany melted
Austria Hungary to make war, butt
rather that Germany remained pas
sive in the face of the determination
of her ally to do so, and allowed
Austria Hungary to act as she
wished"
What do the dispatches of theI
Austrian ambassador in Londonl
show?' | asked
DR.. Bauer said he had not examined
them closely, but he believed they
would confirm his view that Great
Britain sincerely did it's utmost toI
avert the war He added that if the
archives should establish guilty re-
sponsibility on the part Of individuals
statesmen of the Austrian empire, |
tho new Austrian assembly would
probably demand that they be placed /
on trial.
Unfortunately three of the Aus
Hungarian statesmen against
whom the heaviest accusations rest. |
are out of reach" he added. cot the I
chief advisers of the old emperor,
Count Tisza and Sturgkh gre dead, I
and Foreign Minister Berchtold has
fled into Switzerland"
What is the Austrian official at
titude toward Germany"
German Austria cannot stand
alone DR. Bauer replied "That would !
be economically and geographically
impossible, The only course seems to
be to form a unit of a confederation of
the states which made up the old en-
Dire to become a unit in a cOnfedera-
ton of German states. Refusal of va
rious states to join in a unit made
up of all the parts of the old empire
forces up us the alternative Of a fed
GRAFTON of German states.
This course was viewed codly when
first suggested, but it has gained in
favor in the last few weeks None of
the former aversion toward a repub-
lican Germany remains. Personally, I
can see no danger TO European peace
in the union of Austria with federated
Germany, and J hope the peace confer
ence will give that proposal its sane
ton
Austria's suggestions at the peace
] gathered from further
remarks Of the minister, will COM
prise the following points:
All questions of DISPUTED territory to
be decided by plebiscitc questions
over the division of state property
among the several nationalties TO he
settled by arbitration, sanction to Ger
union with ccnfederated Ger
many: outlet for Austria on the Adri-
attic BY means of an international rail-
way or by means of other agencies to
be given to German Austria.