New-York tribune., 1918-10-20

Austria aud bot hthc query and the
reply 10 Germany.
In administration circles Nit is eN-
planned tnore is difference between
Germany and Austria. in that thcis
has been no proposal, in any language
used by the President. to partition
Germany
The dissolution OF the Dsal Monar-
chy. to-days note makes plain has
been decided hpon by the United States
since the decision announced by the.
President to Congress that N"the peo-
nles OF Austria Hungary, whose place
amoog the nations we wish to see safe
guarded and assured, should be ac-
corded the freest opportunity of au-
eonomous development"
To- day President Wilson informs
the Austro- Hungarian government that
since January 8 it has recognized the
Czecho- Slovaks as enemies Of the Cenc
raj Empires, their national couneil
as de facto belligcrent government,
and adds ut has Also recognized. in the
fullest manner the justice of the ma
ionalistic aspirations OF the. Jugo7
Siavs for freedom" =,
called to the fact that the.pote retsrfad
specifically to the Czecho-Slovaks and
jugo- Slavs, without mentioning other
nationalities oppressed by the Haps.
burg dynasty, and he said the United
States's position with regard to them
was the same as that toward those sub
'ect PEOPLES who were mentioned by
name, '.'.r
Austria Moved Too Late '''H
Incidentally, the note follows close
on. The heels of the action Of the
Aastro- Hungarian ruler in proclaiming
the liberalization of the Austrian half
OF tho empire, which Secretary Lansing
remarked was Il step taken too late, but
no effort was made TO clear up the mys-
tery of the considerable delay in din
patch;ng the communication 20 Vienna
in answer to the latter's note OF Oc
tober 7, of which an official trans atiOn;
given literally. was made public at the
same time as the reply to Vienna.
The note asserts that the President
cannot entertain "thc present" sugges-
tions of that power, implying that be-
fore consideration might be accorded
to them Austria -Hungaria would have
20 accept, as q basis of the negOtia-
tons. the new situation. embracing the
independence of Bohemia and Slovania,
and the Jugo-Slavs, comprising the
Croats, Slovenes and Serbs of Austria
Hungary, shall be granted the right of
determining their own condition and
place in the society of nations.
1t is pointed out that the Jugo- Slav
committee in London, corresponding ex-
actly to the Czecho- -Slovak National
Council before the latter was recog-
ment, has not been accorded similar
recognition. .
0utburst Is Expected
The reply is expected to cause an
outburst in Vienna and Budapest. es-
pecially in the latter capital, which
has given evidence of preparing to de-
sert the Emperor and Austria Germany
and Turkey, as the representatives of
'ost cause. The Presidents note, it is
thought, may at first tend to strengthen
The Emperor's hold upon Hungary. as
the latter now is doubly threatened by
the new position announced by the
United States. Hungary stands to lose
not only Slovakia, but the JugoSlav
regions of st. Stephan's dominions as
we'll, and not those only, but also to
face the possibility Of the loss, through
the exercise of the right of self de-
termination by the minority national-
ties, of Pennsylvania, Rutrenian ter
ritory and partially Latin districts.
Austria's situation is no less difficult
Besides the Czecho-Slovak territories
in Cisleithania, Austrian lands occu-
pied by nom German peoples are very
considerable, and embrace great ex-
panses in hahited by Italians, Rutheni-
ans and Poles. Therefore, the Presi-
dents message, taken together with
Secretary Lansing's assertion that
America intends to protect the inter
ests of all the subject peoples of the
monarchy, means that Austria is to be
reduced to second class power. and
that the wrongs imposed upon the op-
pressed nationalities, who will soon en-