The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1918-02-02

III the past year CneT6 nave
been frequent and steadily null
tiplying reports of Austrian
WEAKNESS of the war and eager
ness to make peace, and these re-
ports have eliminated in recent
days in sensational dispatches
describing strikes. and disorders
in Austrian cities. Now, it is
well to discount these rumors ;
it is well to put aside vain hopes
Of speedy Austrian collapse and
approaching Austrian ruin. Aus
tria the Hapsburg monarchy,
has existed for centuries In abb
Eolute defiance. Of the law Of
grsvitation; it has always been
impossible, as a political or
ganization; it has frequently
been brought to the edge of
ruin; but it has invariably re-
rovered and has suffered sur
prisingly little reduction in size
oyer the many centuries in
which it has fought numberless
losing wars.
But bearing in mind all the
necessary cautions which history
imposes, it is equally wise to
recognize that the Austro-Hun-
gsrian situation has become one
of the most interesting and i'm
portant in the whole war field,
and that, Enthusiastically, Aus
trian policy, partly induced by
domestic discomfort and suffer
ing, partly by the change of the
external situation, so far as
Austrian interests are at stake,
is taking a new form.
In q word, to make the whole
situation clear, it is useful now
to recall what were Austrian
war aims when the struggle was
precipitated by an Austrian
nltinatum to Serbia. Above all
else, Austria, having engaged,
for more than century In a
strife with Russia over the Balk-
an questions, saw in the rise of
Serbia under Russian inspira-
tion and protection a peril to her
internal safety and a barrier to-
her southwark. expansion. The
new Serbia not merely beckon-
ed to 100000 Austrian Serbs
and Croats, urging them to leave
Austria for Serbia, but it also
placed a barrier against Aus
trian arrival in Salonica. And
Salonica had been the goal of
Austrian ambition since the
struggle of 1866 with Prussia,
which turned the Hapsburgs out
Of Germany.
Aims Distinctly Differ.
II il thus essential to keep in mind
tha distinction between German and
Austrian war purposes. Germany's
Siraam Of a Rrandiose Mitteleuropa
Mi Austria cold-and more than
Eoid-9rankly suspicious only Aus
trials necessities as the war pro-
ceeaed compelled Vienna to submit
to Berlin and the Hapsburg to be-
come the servant of the Hohenzol- !
lefn, Austria was not seeking to be |
swallowed UP by Germany or play a |
miner part In a great new confeder-
ncy, in which Germany should be |
the majority stocAhOldsr and AUS |
1
Jealousy between Berlin and Vienna |
was always notorious and the con-
tempt OF the Viennese for the Berlin |
erB is familiar TO every traveller.
Austria's war policy and her peace |
policy before the war were limited |
to three problems: To defend herself /
against Russian attacks from the /
east, in her Galician lands; to pro- |
tect herself against PAN Slavic agtta- |
lions carried on by her own popula- |
ti0ns under Russian guidance, and |
to realize the ambition to reach the /
Aegean and possess herself OF Sal |
ontca. the gateway to the near east. |
But against Russia she was power
less without German aid, as the first \
campaigns Of the war proved; and /
when Serbia was by the treaty Of \
Bucharest enlarged and strengthen
ed Austrian hope of reaching Salon /
lea was doomed, provided Serbia were 4
permitted TO hold for long what she l
had conquered.
Tn this situation Austria first pro-
cured the Bulgarian attack upon 4
Serbia IN 1913, turning to advantage I
the fact that the czar OF Bulgaria /
was an Austrian prince and that 1
taussia supported Serb claims IN the /
Serbo- Bulgar dispute over Mace
donia, But Serbia. with Greece and
Rumania. overwhelmed Bulgaria, and /
Austria was left with no other rene
dy than a direct attack upon Serbia /
at once an attack which meant the
appearance OF Russia as Serbia's pro-
tector. Moreover when, in 1913, such
81 step was suggested to Austria's Il
Italian ally, Italy refused to hear Of
1T The assassination Of the arch
duke gave Austria moral issue for
doing what her policy demanded she
should DO but the policy had been
resolved over long months.
Save Sell From Russia.
Now. Ii the first stages Of the
world war Austria was concerned
with saving herself from Russia. In
the early campaigns II was proved
that all the Austrian apprehensions
as to Russia were warranted, and In
8 few weeks Russian armies had
0veTrun Galicia and approached
GEacow. In the same time Serbia
had administered two heavy defeats
to Austria armies. which had fed,
route6 from Serb territories. Until
the hsttle of the DnnajeC in May
1915. Austria was faced with the pos
-llilitg O. complete ruin. From this