Arizona republican., 1918-05-07
CzERN|N ENACTS
 RULE OF BULLY
 OVER RUMAN|ANS
King Weakens Under Dire
 Threats But His Son Is
 Open In Defiance of Austro-Hungarian Power
Republican A. p. Leased WireI

LONDON, May b.-COunt CZeTnln, then Austro- Hungarian foreign minis te, paid a secret visit 10 Jassy in the latter part of February and delivered in person a verbal ultimatum of the most drastic sort from the central powers to King Ferdinand of Rumania, it has become known with the arrival here Of the American Red Cross mis- sion to Rumania.
 Count CZernin's visit was known only in the highest official circles and the fact that it was made is revealed now for the first time through a cor respondent of The Associated Press who accompanied the mission. The reason for the visit was that the Ger mans and Austrians had determined 10 bring to a speedy conclusion tha negotiations with Rumania, and had decided that threat delivered in per son by the head of the Austro- Hun garian foreign office would be more effective than reams of documents.
 Threaten to Divide Kingdom
 So Count Czernin was sent on the errand. He arrived in Jassy about February 25 and went straight to the king. His manner was stern, unbend- ing, ruthless. He told the king blunt ly that Rumania must conclude peace on -Germanys terms and do it inn mcdiately. There must be no further delays, and unless Rumania consented 10 this program. the central powers purpOsed issuing a ukase deposing the Rumanian royal house and dividing the entire country between Austria and Bulgaria.
 The Knr Gives in
 The Rumanian king saw no way out, and a week later the formal peace negotiations were begun.
 The court and cabinet had been in state of deiection from the date of Count Czernin's sensational secret mis- sion.
 Queen Marie had fought bitterly against any and all peace talk from the beginning, and she had the support ot the crown prince and considerable body of the Rumanian public. The king and the cabinet, however, saw no possibility of escape. Three days be- fore the negotiations were opened there was a crown council at which the sub 1ect of peace was fully discussed.
 King Ferdinand spoke of the in evitability of peace and the hopeless ness of Rumanias position. Most of the cabinet members agreed with him, some reluctantly, others almost too en- Enthusiastically The crown prince lis- tened to them impatiently. Finally he arose and addressing the king, said
 Grown Prince Stands Up
 'I realize, Sire, that you speak for the government. the army and d con- siderable body of our citizens, but speak for the queen and every loyal woman in Rumania when I say that 10 accept such a peace would be hu- initiating and dishonorable and would cast a shadow on the hitherto un- sulied page of Rumania's history"
 The populace of Jassy showed great anmosity against the Rumanian gen. eral. Averescu, who became premier a short time before Count CZernin made his visit to Jassy, and who was gen orally responsible for the course taken by the peace negotiations.
 The people of Jassy could not forget that General Averescu was a former school chum of Field Marshal vor Mackensen, and a great admirer and student of German military methods.
 Traitor to His Country
 lt was generally believed that Count Czernin's visit to the Rumanian king dom was suggested to the enemy by General Averescu, who, a few days before, had paid secret visit to Field
  proval of King Ferdinand or the Ru- manian cabinet. Averescu immediate ly afterward became the acknowledged leader of the peace at any price party.
 The initiating of the Rumanian Urea ty, announced from Berlin today, vii be a bitter experience for Queen Marie who persisted for months in hopinl against hope that it would be possbl, to avert a conclusion of what she re garded a dishonorable peace. She ha. never wavercd or faltered in her devo ton to the cause O. the entente allie and her hostility to the central powers
 Queen Sends Message
 The queen received The Associate, Press on the evening before the de parture from Jassy of tho mission. Sh expressed, as she had done many time before, her warm sympathy and admir- ation for the American people. he thankfulness for what. the Unite States had done for Rumania, par ticularly the work of the Red Cross and her hope that fuller and bette friendship would come with the en of the war.
 As the queen mentioned the end c the war she could not refrain from ex pressing her firm belief that the onl possible end would be victory for tn entente and the reconstruction of Ru mania. Her majesty, had expresse a desire that the correspondent talk with him a formal statement in he own hand writing of her sentiment toward the American people and sh had planned to have this delivered { the correspondent before his departur At the last moment, however it wa
 
 ly affected by her farewells to all tt entente allied military and Red Cros missions that she had been unable { write the message.