Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-05-07
Ho,U Austrian Raid
on Italian Port of
Ancona Was Fooled

Annemasse, On the F'ranco-SWlss
Frontier, May >, dispatch to the Lon
don Daily Mail. Austria Is at present
land of dark surmises.
Today | had an interview with
man who had just got out Of Austria
and | obtained from him reliable facts
about what was going on behind the
curtain Of silence.
Austria, | can vouch from my per-
sonal contact with revolutionary So
cieties" he said, is at this moment
seething with the spirit of revolt
But why does the thing not come
to head"
For two reasons he replied.
First, because there are no really
resolute and dauntleSs leaders and no
means by which the hungry and angry
masses can organize themselves into
effective groups and. second. because
the whole people are cowed by the
prospect of the punishment that might
be inflicted on them by the Germans
If the much Wanted victory of Luden-
dorff in the west really comes OH.
The Ukraine peace scattered revolu-
tionary plans to the winds for the time
being, but the Ukraine peace did not,
as was hoped, fill the Austrian stom-
achs, most of the Ukrainian supplies
being filched by Germany
The people of Austria are still
starving people, are lon bread cards
entitled to so many grams per day,
but often in realty they get bread
only once fortnight. and a composite
maize bread at that. They manage to
toes. mangel-wurzels. and odds and
ends. Now aand again, too, in the VII
lagos fowl or pig is sacrihced ana
divided as among men on a raft. But
there is bad feeding, undertaking,
and consequent illness everywhere in
Austria. Vienna itself Is on the brink
of starvation, and although the food
spectators are believed to have not
inconsidera boards, the town lives
from hand to mouth. "A railway strike
of two or three days would suffice to
leave it foodless.
There is no catastrophe that the
government fears more than rail-
way strike. To counteract strike
propaganda agents have been bribed
to spread reports among the work
men that machine guns have been
posted on the housestops along the
principal streets for use In case OF
rising.
The Germans are introducing
other Berlin methods Of persuasion to
docility. Three months ago. for in
stance, they bought over the directors
of the socialist Arbeiter Zeitung and
got that paper discreetly to discourage
the activists The socialist group and
the Czechs, the most resolute and best
organized anti German groups In Aus
tria, were dismayed quite recently to
find German -bribed traitors in their
| midst.
"As for the southern Slavs, the new
policy Of the United States, Italy, and
the entente, although perilously long
postponed, is bearing fruit. News
that the entente recognizes separate
southern Slav nation has in whisper
already thrilled the southern Slav sol
ders on the Austrian front All these
| people, so long browbeaten into obe-
dience, are nevertheless. like the Aus
TRAN workmen in the towns, looking
with frightened and haggard eyes to
the great battle in the west. Unless
the Germans win decision there, and
win it quickly, strange things are go
ing to happen in Austria.
Another Verdun, whatever II
means for Germany. means in Aus
tria despair and a resolution OF de-
spair and men mad with hunger. The
Austrian ice-floe is cracking, and
may break up a any moment