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

aid, and in accepting this German aid
she was obliged to put her whole
military establishment in German
hands and her political freedom was
lost with her military independence.
The battle of the Dunajec and the
lclearing of Galicia would have freed
| Austria from immediate dependence
upon Germany had not Italy in the
meantime entered the war and over
run the invasion of the Trentino and
attacked the outlying defehces of
Trieste. In this situation Russian
disaster did not free Austrian hands,
and Austria was still wholly under
German direction. Nor did this sit
uation improve in the summer of
1916, when Brusiloff delivered his
great attacks in Volhynia and de-
| stroyed whole Austrian armies and
began to reach toward Lemberg
i again.
Once more great German aid was
essential and had to be paid for by
further Austrian acquiescence in
German policy. Thanks to German
aid, 'FbIssia was first halted, and
then, after the Grevolution, thrown
back to the old frontier. With the
revolution, too, Russia ceased to be
a menace. Remember that for near
ly a century and half all Austrian
| foreign policy had been based upon
rivalry with Russia in the near east
and fear Of a Russian attack, which
was bound to succeed il Austria had
no ally, since Austria alone was no
match for Russia. The Russian
revolution freed Austria Of that age
long apprehension, while the Mack
ensen campaign Of the autumn OF
1915 had crushed Serbia and left the
state in Austrian and Bulgar hands.
Begin to See Daylight.
BY midsummer OF last year Austria
was beginning to see daElight: Rus
sia. was crumbling to ruin; Serbia
was crushed: she had no longer to
fear invasion in Galicia, where the
Russian armies were breaking up in
to debating societies; her road southL
ward as far as the Greek frontier
was in her own hands or those of
her ally, the Czar Ferdinand: there
was left only the Italian 70 deal with.
Even more than this, the campaign
Of 1915 in Rumania had removed still
another peril: the Rumanian ambi-
tion to possess the Hungarian ter
ritories inhabited by Rumanian-
speaking populations had been a
long standing danger. But Maclen-
sen and Falkenhayn had crushed
'Ramania. in November. and Decem-
Der, 1915, and occupied both Bucha-
rest and Constanza. Accordingly
save on the Isonzo, Austria had seen
all her enemies destroyed: if the
Isonzo front could be cleared all
Austrian territory would be free and
all Austrian purposes in the war
achieved
But the Isonzo problem could not
be resolved by Austrian armies alone.
Austria has never at any time had
over $40, 600 at the front. Despite
having called up, the, old and the very
young, her great losses in prisoners
and in casualties have kept her re-
sources in man power down and she
had only slightly over 100000 on the
Italian front at the time when Ca
dorna was still advancing on the
Bainsizza plateau. In addition, she
had some thirty five divisions, about
Rumanian front, but these were both
inferior troops and needed where
they were. She had to appeal to
Germany once more.
Germany sent to Italy seven divis-
ions which she had Withdrawn from
the Russian front. and with these
troops as a striking force the central
powers defeated Italy and threw her
armies back from the Isonzo to the
Piave. In fact, there was a time
when, ii seemed possible that Italy
might be put out of the war altogeth-
er. But although this did not hap
pen, Trieste was saved for Austria,
Gorizia retaken and three or four
thousand square miles of italian ter
ritory taken as pawn against future
ID Fe FT4n& a
Isonzo campaign achieved.
In sum, then, Austria has been
freed by Germany. first, of her chief
peril, Russia. Not only has Russia
been defeated in the field and rolled
back into Russian territory, but the
Russian revolution has so disOrgan-
ized Russia and so destroyed Russian
imperialistic aims that Austria has
no longer to fear her great Slav
In any future that can now
be calculated. In the same fashion
first Serbia and then Rumania have
been crushed and two smaller states
ambitious to disnember Austria and
reclaim fractions OF their own races
put out OF the discussion. Today Ru-
mania is concerned in getting back
what was hers before the war, as IN
Serbia, rather than in conquering
Austrian lands.
Italy Has Been Beaten.
Finally, Italy has been defeated
and has lost half OF Venetia. Aus
tria does not plan to hold this con-
quered territory, but 1t Is a basis for
negotiating and for compelling Italy
to withdraw from Albania and to sur
eastern shores of the Adriatic sea,
but improbably. AUS
tria might make small concessions in |
the Trentino to get a prompt peace
with Italy, but in any event Italy
has ceased to be a peril; the sole
danger has been abolish |
ed
Up to the moment Italy was de-
feated Austria depended upon Ger
many for aid. She had been cem-
PEELED to surrender her military and |
in large measure her political free |
dom to save herself. TO get German |
divisions on her own front And up |
10 this time the war had been a war |
for existence; she had been invaded |
by Russia In Galicia. by Rumania in |
Fransylvania by Serbia in Bosnia, |
by Italy in the Trentino and about |
Gorizia she could only think Of 1
peace as a thing to be purchased at |
D price, the price OF her two terri 1
tories. And so she continued to |
march under German orders and TO I
accept without protest for none was I
possible German ambitions in all /
quarters of Europe. Asia and Africa /
Today Austria no longer needs I
Germany in the military sense. She /
can defend ali of her own frontiers I
against any enemy she has % fear ln 4
rhe near future And this freedom I
from fear of invasion and dismem-