The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1918-01-14

peace proposal so far as Eastern Eu
rope was concerned. The fact hal
horne out the forecast. Germany hai
demanded of Russia the Cession, un'
der the guise Of an utterly false Cp
plication of the principle Of nation
atty, of the territory she has occupied
during the war and, in addition, muCF
Of the Baltic provinces. This WoulC
deprive the Russians of all theil
Baltic seacoast and take from then
upward Of 10000 square miles, g
territory as large as Italy.
In the present article ] desire tC
set forth in some detail the under
lying facts in the German proposals
10 which the Austrians arc bound "a
give assent, since their own freedom
Of action has been lost to them
Actually what Germany is endeavor-
ing to accomplish is to deprive all
the slav world Of economic freedom
by selling its exits to the seas, and
at the same time to put under her
own control more than a third Of the
Slavs Of Europe through her own,
Austrian and Bulgarian peace pro-
posals.
To start at the beginning, there are
in Europe some 1875, 900, 900 Slavs and
Is 900 Germans. Not only do the
SIavs outnumber the Germans great
~, but they occupy vastly larger ter
ritories, are more prolific and arc
certain within a brief number of
decades to become far stronger in
numbers; overwhelmingly superior.
in fact. Unless the German can pre-
vent the unificatiOn Of the Slav race
or some sort Of sympathetic associa-
ton his position in Europe Is ulti-
mately doomed. 80 far as this posi-
ton means the domination of the
continent and the possession Of world
power.
Fortunately for the German. the
Slav populations are not ConCentrat-
ed, but widely separated. Nor are
there merely geographical barriers
between the various elements OF
Slavdom: religion and tradition also
divide the Slavs. Thus, while 92.-
100000 Slavs in Russia. 100000 in
Germany and 100000 in Austria
Hungary are separated by no
geographical or linguistic barriers,
5000 900 In Bohemia are almost en-
fircly surrounded by German speak
ing populations and 100000 South
ern Slavs are cut off from the main
mass by Hungarian and German
speaking districts of Austria. In the
same way, while the mass of the
Slavs are OrthodoN-thaL Is, belong
to the Greek church-the Poles and
the Croatians are Roman Catholic.
As long as Germany was content to
follow the Bismarckian policy which
aimed at preserving the Germany
created in the last century. and not
at setting forth upon a world adven-
lure OF power. there was only one
Slav problem for the German, and
this was supplied by his 100000
Poles in Eastern Prussia. In a pop
nlation of $4,000, 900, all save a few
hundred thousand German by race
and speech, this was not a great
problem, despite the difficulties and
annoyances incident to the undytng
desire Of the Poles for the restora-
ton Of their old nation.
But when Germany. long allied
with Austria, set out to push Austria
southwark to OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
is. across the Russian outlet to the
open sea by the Bosporus and the
DardaneIles-the problem at once
changed. or the 100000 inhablt-
ants Of Austria-Hungary not fewer
than "a 600. 900 are Slavs, while the
two controlling elements, the Ger
mans and the Magyars, number but
: Q. 0OO, 900 combined. The remaining
a 100000 Rumanians and Italians,
having centrifugal aspirations, are
thus natural allies Of the Slavs, not
Of the Magyars and Teutons, and
these two elements were thus in a
minority in Austria Hungary.
This situation had been temporar-
iIy ameliOrated in Austria by the
.liberties bestowed by the Austrians
upon the Poles. Five millions of
Poles in Galicia were allowed to act
within that province as masters, both
Of themselves and Of 100000 Ruth
enians, and their support to the Ger
man element in Austria enabled 1t to
maintain a control, always in danger,
but never overthrown.
Turning Against the German.
-.- Since 1900, however, the situation
In Austria has been steadily turning
against the German and the Magyar.
Every year the Slav population gain |
ed in numbers propOrtiOnately, every
year it's demands for political liberty
increased, every year its sympathies, |
natural, racial and religious, with the |
main mass Of the Slavs outside the
Hapsburg empire increased. Finally !
the successful Serbian campaign i'm |
the two Balkan wars brought about |
a situation in which the future dom |
ination Of the German and Magyar !
.minorities in the Dual Monarchy |
seemed Enthusiastically doomed. Even |
the Poles were stirring and turning |
their thoughts once more to a re- |
stored Poland, and once the Poles |
should throw their lot in with the !
other Slavs the Germans and their |
partners, the Magyars. were doomed |
and the Slayonie majority i'm Aus |
tria- Hungary was bound to take the |
reins, thus destroying all the Ger
man ambitions Of creating a Mittel- |
zsurupa extending from Berlin to !
Bagdad, through Austria Hungary /
and the Balkans.
q Now, bearing these facts in mind I
sghat is the German policy? Obvious |
III to seek to divide the SlaVs i'm such /
a way that their numbers will no |
Longer be formidable and that for |
fifty years at least Germany will he |
free to consolidate her road to the |
Near East, to build her great Nit
feleuropa and to complete her effort /
to dominate the world. To do this
she must detaCh some portions Of the
slavs from the great Russian bulk; |
she must, in addition, take measures
to suppress the hopes of the southern
slavs.
Germany Shows Her Hand.
Now. with reference to the Russian
Slavs, Germany has shown her hand.
At Brest-Litovsk she proposed that
two states should be created out of
4ha Russian territory taken by Aus
tria and by herself during the war.
The first of these states was to in
clude all the Baltic provinces of Rus
Kia and extend from the enVirons of
to the Prussian frontier at
Mcneil All the great Russian Baltic
ports. Reval, Pernau. Riga and
Jabau. were to be included and RUS
Ella was thus to be deprived of an
outlet upon the open sea and thus
made economically subseryient to
This state. Of nearly 100000 in
L. l.lA.raa and q hnnl 60 nnn en1lara