The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1918-08-10
SERBIA AND AUSTRIA

SERBIA AMI AUSlNAA
Secretary Lansing asks Americans OF
all creeds to invoke divine blessing on
Serbia today, the fourth anniversary of
Austrias dispatch Of the fatal note to
her. The declaration Of war, the begin
ming of the evils Of the world, followed
Serbia's acceptance Of all but one item,
her willingness to submit to arbitration
even that item, in the wholly impossible
ultimatum that Austria had dispatched
to her to be answered within twenty-four
hours. This ultimatum was described Dy
Sir Edward Grey as the most formidable
he had ever heard Of between civilized
states; it was a demand for the instant
giving up Of Serbia's independence. But
Sir Edward was judging it by the stand
ards Of the old days Of peace; it has been
matched more than once, indeed sur
passed, by subsequent incidents in the
diplomatic history Of Austria and Ger
many. Brutal as it was, it lacked the
oily hypocrisy of some of the recent peace
treaties on the eastern front.
. It was the first manifestation of the
spirit Of the thing which all but few Of
the free nations Of the world are now
fighting. Serbia was in the way Of the
German and Austrian march to the east;
Scribe and Francis Ferdinand could be
used as convenient excuse for the lOos-
ing Of an attack long planned. Of this
attack Serbia was to have been the first
victim, but she beat back two invasions
before the Bulgarian stab in the back
brought her down.
Four years after that ultimatum,
where is Serbia and where lis Austria?
Serbia's territory has been overrun; her
people have died by hundreds Of thous-
ands. But her army is still in being, her
spirit is still unbroken. Her Jugoslav
Kindred have been drawn to her more
closely by four years Of war than they
were ever likely to be drawn in the per-
petuated compromise Of peace; four
great and free nations have pledged
themselves to the union, around Serbia,
OF the Jugoslav people. -Four years ago
the more far-sighted Americans were
warning their Acknowledgment against
the idea that we had no interest in the
affairs Of Serbia, warning them that q
war begun in Serbia might conceivably
affect business and finance in the United
States. That was all. Today the people
Of the United States are praying for the
future welfare of gallant ally, and it is
no derogation from the efficacy Of pray
cr that at the time millions of Americans
are working, some hundreds of thous-
ands are fighting, millions more are get
ting ready to fight, that these prayers
may be realized Ae.A.
Austria has Overrnn Serbia, indeed,
with German and Bulgarian aid; and last
week on the floor of her own parliament
she was denounced as hideous night
mare, as a crime centuries DID, Hun
dreds of thousands of her rebelious sub
nets are in arms against her and her al
lies; her subject nationalities are only
waiting for the opportunity to rise and
strike>for the freedom which the free ma
tions leagued against Austria have prom
ised them. Serbia is a symbol of the world
which the Central Powers have attacked:
she was typical Of them all, from Belgium
to the United States, in her willingness
to make almost any concessions to mill
tary tyranny in order to prevent the out
break OF war, and in her unwillingness to
make the final concession which would
have implied the loss of self respect and
of freedom. "The principles for which
Serbia has so nobly fought and suffered"
says Mr.. Lansing, "are those for which