The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1918-09-12
Some Lessons from History
WILLIAM E. FEEELAND
THE KoszTA AFFAIR

continent cf Europs and low Bis,
marck. with his r,l,cy of llgol and
srpp,rt ID by prusai,p Eavcpe,, crrsh-
cd out every yest!ee of liberty in Ger.
many, This defcat .eacted Austria.
Hungary SO the liberals tnern went
down to defeat before the better or.
ganized 2cwer of he autoSracv. We
saw now lie men VIII, we're struggling
for freedom were betr,y.d to DIS.
truc,' on by the c,r,emptib,c weak.
ness of their IclG, rs who were never
"Wise in time, leaders who sought
to CDpyge fine words to the we'll drill.
led Prussian armies. Americans shuia
should romember this. for our leaders
unable 20 learn any lesson from his
tory tried the SAM experiment; for
nearly three yelys, ard b,t ;M tn,
strong arm of the En:Iish fleet, VIC
TOO would have fond our lion des
olated Before we could prepare TO de
fcnd orr liberties,
It will to remembered that ;r,er the
failure of the liberals IN Germany and
Austria, thousands of the uen VIII,
weyo seeking froeuou came to tne
United States and became finn ola.
ment in ON. popula,iop Orr nr tb,sn
was n Hungarian ronod Martin
Koszta He took o,t his ra,uraliza.
ton p,pers and became an Amaricar
citizen. In 1S52 be won, op b.l,;rees
TO Smvrnn n ci.v nm the NIo,,torron. n.
can coas, as Asio Mi, ~ While ~ ~,
he was seized at tbc ins,s,ce Of tbe
Austrian consuI and de,,irod IN
board an Auatrian mon.or.wor Tho
fate of \ reyo,utionist whom onc,. go.
turned I'd the powe, Of the H7rshurces
was not pleasant to contemnla,o Tbo
Autrian commander already had him
in irons in the hold of his shin when
Captain Duncan N. Ipgraham in com.
mand Of the United States sloop-of.
war ST. Louis came into the harbor.
Il have no reference telling what
happened and relate the details from
memory as / remember reading
them about thirty years ago. If thew
should be in error in any way trust
the readers will pardon The slim
Captain Ingraham was notified by
the American consul as to what had
happened, The Austrian commander
had at his back seven war ships while
the American was alone. But odds
never have yet deferred dry Anleri.
can naval officer when he had a duty
TO perform and was out of reach OF
the paralyzing power of timorous
civil authority. Captain Ingrahau
maneuvered his shin so that bo bark
ed the fire OF part of the Austrial.
feet and cleared his ship for action
calling upon the Austrian to deliver
up the person of Koszta. The Aus
trian refused. Ingraham trained his
guns on the Austrian and advised him
,hat unless the man was released that
he would blow the Austrian out of the
water, Koszta was released anL
turned over TO the French consul al
Smyrna. Austria very indignantl!
demanded an apology from America
Ah! in that day it was not the Ameri
can government that wrote notes ask
ing Tor explanations. We acted anC
let the other fellow write the notes
We did not have any war and not {
single American citizen lost his life
IL was not necessary, for Austria saw
that we would support our rights ant
mat 1t was not safe 10 undertake t
treau upon tue sacred lloerty OIL cltl
zen Oh the united states AS an Illus
Tauon OF the danger OF indecision
TT Us turn TO a recent instance. sh
time during the fal OF 1916, Il agail
write from memory a German sui
marint stopped the steamship Ste
piano Just OIL our own eastern coasi
An American warship stood by an
saw the German submarine force Oh