Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-21
NATIONS COMBINE
ALONG NEW LINES
Tendency in Central and
Eastern Europe REEVES
Kossuth's "Dream."
ECONOMIC IDEA STRONG
BY PAUL SCOTT MOwRER.
CableGram to The Evening Star and
Chicago Daily News. Copyright, 1913.

BY PAUL SCOTT MOWRER.
Csblegram to The Evening Star and
Chicago Daily News. Copyright. 1918.
PARIS. France, December 2O.-This
is an age of federation. Central and
eastern Europe. after disrupting into
their constituent elements, now are
showing tendency to regroup them
selves along new lines. The Jago-
Slav states have federated with
Serbia and, when Bulgaria has fully
expiated her crimes. she perhaps viii
ask to join this same group. At the
same time it is understood that all
the Slav states in central Europe
mean to establish some sort of a
union between themselves.
In this larger federation of Poland.
Czecho Slovakia and Jugo Slava
Poland now proposes that Ruman
should be included. like Bulgaria.
Hungary. to avoid utter d ISOLATION.
also doubtless will ultimately beg to
be allowed to federate with her
neighbors. Thus. after six or seven
decades, the Hungarian patriot. Kos
suth's. dream of Danube fedora
ton" begins to reappear.
Outline of Kossuth's Contention.
Kossuth's contention was that the
states bordering on the Danube had
common interests and should fed
eralize. The nations which he fore
saw would be interested were Hun
gary. Czecho-Slovakia, Jugo-slaN 10.
Bulgaria, Rumania and. possibly,
Poland. All these nations. he argued.
really faced eastward toward the
Black sea except Poland. which faced
northward toward the Baltic. The
Danube federation, said kossuth.
would form natural counterpo'sH
to Russia on the one hand and to
Germany on the other. and won d be
a powerful factor toward maintain
Ing peace in Europe.
S,--pgth of Economic Interests.
economic and political interests are
often stronger than the ties of race.
All the nations in kossuths proposed
declarations are Slav except Hungary
and Rumania. but this is no reason
for excluding the latter. There seems
to be some confusion in the public
mind between the principle of nation
alities and the principle of self-dis-
position. The former is insufficient
for the requirements of the times,
Sor there are various groups in Eu-
rope which. despite their nationality.
prefer to form political ties with peo-
pies of different blood. Thus the peo-
pies of Switzerland prefer to be Swiss
rather than be redissolved into their
French, German and Italian elements.
The Belgians prefer to be Belgian
rather than French and Flemish The
AlSa tians. although of German blood.
prefer to be French. as do also the
Savoyards. who are really Italian by
blood.
The only principle which prom ises
to furnish a solution of the racial
problem now confronting the world
is that of self-determination.
French Scholars View.
The French scholar and historian
Joseph Reinach. says on this sub
ject:
The modern right is that of peo-
pies to choose their own country.
whether in a federation of nations of
the same race or of a different race"
Thus. if Rumania desires to join the
Danube confederation the fact that
the Rumanians are of Latin blood
need be no objections.
when they have fulfilled the condi-
,ions of reparations the peace con-
ference imposes on them. they also
will desire and will be allowed to
join. for even the bitterest hatreds
vanish in time while the water OF the
Danube continues to flow and COM
mon economic interests persist. In
the long run it appears that the Slav
peoples would lose nothing. but might
gain much, by permitting the nom
Slav Rumanians to federate with
them, and later also the Bulgarians
and HungarianS.