Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-22
FOUR NEW NATIONS
ARISE LIKE MAGIC
IN MIDDLE EUROPE
Observation-Disclosures
Months Creates Kn0ty Problems for
Peace Conference at Versailles.

seems destined to be one Of the solid
facts of the new Europe. closing the
pathway of German ambition down
the Danube to the Black sea. At
Versailles Rumania will not seek
| European sanction for her existence,
but merely settlement of frontier
disputes with the Magyars.
Jugo-Slavia, or Greater Serbia.
: Side by side with the Greater Ru-
mania has risen a Greater Serbia,
called Jugo-Slavia by contemporary
historians. This new state consists
| of three branches Of the southern
| S1av family: the Serbs, who are in a
large majority; the Croats and the
Slovenians. The progress in achiev-
ing unity has been a little less SIM
| pie than the Rumanian because of
\ of certain religious differences. But
| just as the Rumania of 1914 has been
| the central factor in Greater Ru-
mania, the Serbia of the days before
! the war has supplied the center of
! attraction for the Slav reunion.
| At the present hour this process has
reached the following point: The ma
| tional assembly Of the Slovenes, meet
| ing at Laibach, in Carniola; of the
Croats, meeting at Agram (Zagreb)
of the Bosnian Serbs, at Serajevo; OF
i the Montenegrins, at Cettinje; of the
Serbs of the old monarchy-all have
signified their desires for amalgama-
! ton under the leadership of the Serb
| crown, and have summoned an assem-
bly, representing all the elements to
meet at Serajevo and organize new
nation.
| In area this state will be but little
smaller than the new Rumania. II
will certainly include all of the Aus
trian province of Carniola, certain
portions of Carinthia and Syria south
of the Draw river, Hungarian Croatia
| and Slavonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Montenegro and Serbia and most, ii
not all. of the Austrian province OF
Dalmatia, which is now claimed both
by the Slavs and the Italians. In adj
dition. the Serbs claim, with justice, q
certain portion of the Hungarian
province of Temesvar. In sum, the
new southern Slav state will have an
area of approximately 10000 square
miles and a population of not less
/ than 100000. This is another new
state equal in size to the mainland OF
Italy.
In addition, the Slavs urge their
claims to all the regions at the head
of the Adriatic, including Trieste
Gorilla and Istria, in which, save or
the coast, there is a Slave majority in
the population. I shall refer to this
phase in a moment. when l come te
| the subject of frontiers, but were the
sIavs to make good their claims il
this quarter, as seems unlikely, they
would materially increase their area
and population.
! Before the recent war Serbia and
Montenegro together had an area OF
less than 10000 square miles and
population under 100000. Here
! then, is another great expansion
Moreover, like Rumania. this new
state will have well defined natural
boundaries, the Alps, the Brave and
Danube rivers and the Adriatic sea
while to the south the Serbs and the
Creeks have agreed upon their from
tiers and the Bu1gars are no longer
icapable of aggression. Within these
frontiers the people are of the same
race; their dialects from south te
north differ hardly more than those
lat the extremities of France differ
from each other Moreover, long cen.
turtles of slavery supply an additions
incentive for unity.
Between these two new states there
will subsist a fragment of the ancient
Hungarian state. Having lost Croatia
and Slavonia to the Jugo-Slavs
Transylvania to the Rumanians and
Temesvar to the Slavs and Ru-
manians, together with the Slovak
districts at the north. which are
already being occupied by Czecho-
Slovak troops. Hungary. which was
four years ago larger than Italy, will
shrink to some $4,000 square miles
a third smaller than either Rumania
or Jugo-Slavia. It's population. which
exceeded 2o.o0o.0o0 in 1914, will
hardly exceed 10000. but it will be in
large part Magyar. The old evils will
disappear, and Hungary. too. in losing
her subject races will achieve ma
tional unity.
! 1t would be idle to suppose that tbs
new condition will be pleasing to the
Magyars. Having been equal partners
not infrequently the dominating part
ner. in the dual monarchy, they will
become nothing more than one of the
| minor states of southeastern Europe
| weaker than either the Serbs or the
Rumanians, whom they have coerced
for centuries. Not less serious will be
| their economic situation, for they will
have no direct outlet on the sea and
| the Danube will be in the hands OF
their hereditary enemy.
| Yet no other solution is conceivable
A Hungarian minority has ruled Slavs
and Rumanians alike with stupidity
and brutality for centuries, failing
utterly to absorb the alien elements
and in the end the Slavs and Ru-
manians have found their own unity
Occupying rich and fertile lands, the
| Hunga rians will certainly be a pros
porous nation in the future. but their
great period seems definitely over
AS Spain was overpassed by France
and Italy, Hungary has been dis
| tanced by Rumania and Serbia,
probably for all time hereafter.
| Czecho-Slovaks' Rise.
Coincident with the expansion of the