Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-10-19
Sought Alienation First.

toward the idea OF actually Separat-
ing the Austro-Hungarian govern
ment itself from Germany by begin
ming to encourage the aspirations of
the subject portions of the empire.
Later, when the complete and over
whelminS control by Germany of the
Austrian government was manifest,
there was a turn and the lukewarm
ments for ACKNOWLEDGMENT was rapid
ly converted into a fixed determine
ton to deal with the problem in no
other way.
No country reversed itself more
frankly OR categorically than the
United States. When the President.
for instance, in his fourteen peace
1.-THE peoples of Austria Hungary
should be accorded the freest oppor-
tunity of autonomous development"
he was in agreement with a similar
announcement made by Premier
Lloyd George only three days before.
laration was made in favor of the
liberation of the Slavs, Czechs and
Slovaks from foreign domination, Sec
rotary Lansing followed not long
afterward with pronouncement that
the nationalistic aspirations of the
Czecho-Slovaks and Jugo-Slavs have
the earnest sympathy of this gov
eminent"
AS this could be variously inter-
preted. it was followed by an I'M
equivocal statement by Mr.. Lansing
on June % last, that 'aIl branches of
the Slav race should be completely
freed of German and Austrian rule
Key to Situation.
In that last statement may be found
the key to the situation OF the present
day. Not only is it an announced
modification of the fourteen peace
terms of January s. due to changing
circumstances. but it leaves the gov
eminent of the United States free to
support either policy of dismember-
ment and separate nationalitieS or
liberalization of autonomous states.
There are those who argue that
while the CZecho-Slovak nation is
ready for independence and the obli-
cations Of statehood. this is not true
of the other oppressed nationalities.
and that a period of autonomy. would
be beneficial. There are those who
maintain that liberalization of these
nationalitieS will mean a more secure
situation in the Balkans and a better
contribution toward peace through
the league of nations if the several
nationalitieS are responsible to
central or federal government whose
foreign policy shall be under the di-
rect control of their Irrespective par
lamentS.
But whatever scheme is worked out
it is certain that the allies will want
to make sure that at the seat of the
central government, the Hun
garian autocracy shall have no voice
and that the subject peoples shall
be completely freed of German and
Austrian rule
SLANT m rhorJae, D1,-
The American government has made
no statement concerning the plans
for liberalization announced by En-
peror Charles, but there is no doubt
of it's antipathy to any scheme of fed
eralization put out by the present
Austro- government. Time
and again the last few centuries have
the HapsburgS promised federaliza-
ton IN emergencies. only to obliter-
ate their own reforms when their
power to enforce autocratic rule was
reconstructed.
The answer made by the United States
to the peace plea of the Austrian gov
eminent means the unacceptability OF
HapSburg rule, which has in the past
shown itself the willing tool of Berlin
and which conspired with Germany to
send to Serbia the Inflated ultimatunl
that started a world war America is
just as much interested today in remoy-
ing the causes of the war as in fight
ing to overcome the stubborn aufoc-
racies who block the pleas of their PEG
plies for a just peace.
Tho declaration of independence is
sued by the CZecho-Slovaks is calcu-
lated to make the Czech peoples, who
by the way, have just occupied Prague
aware of the spuriousness of the
schemes for liberalization now being
brought out SO SIMULTANEOUSLY by the
Vienna government
The danger in Withholding a definite
answer to the Austrian peace note has
been that the peoples inside the dual
monarchy might interpret silence as an
inclination of the entente toward En-
peror Charles. Indeed, intimations to
that effect have come from Bern, the
capital nearest the Slav regions. but
the Czech pronouncement and answer
today to Austria is expected to offset
any such propaganda.
America hopes that the political I'M
rest inside Austria Hungary may con-
tinue to increase to the point where
the policy and action of this govern
ment, in conjunction with the entente,
will seal the doom of the Hapsburg
dynasty along with the Hohenzollerns,