The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1918-08-06
Firing OF
THE AUSTRIAN
Big BALLOON
Albania the End of Feed Pipe when
Is to Blow Up Central Powers.
(By Arthur McFarlane)

Nearly a month ago the Italians ana
French in Albania began campaign
which military critics assured us AT
once could have no objective. lheg
rroved IL from the map, which, north
of Durazzo, showed two hundreu
miles of mountains, with the worst OF
roads and almost no railways what
ever. What objective could there be!
None, if you left out certain millions
of Austria's subject peoples.
An in the light of events now oc-
curing, we are beginning to learn
what that objective is. For at LEAST
two wears the Dual Empire has been
like a great balloon, filled with IN
flamables, which could be reached
neither from above nor from the
sides. In their campaign in Albania
the Allies are now seeing if they can
not nut match to its feed pipe
, The feed pipe has always been
there. a superheated, tapering run
mel of Carmiolans and Croatians' bos-
ians Serbians and Albanians, all IN
veterate enemies of the Empire They
lacked arms and they lacked military
leaders. These could be got to them
only by an expedtionary force from
outside.
II has always been known that Al
bania was the opening to the plpr'
p,,t iii recently, IL was closed by dli-
ferences between two OF the Ai''es
themselves, Serbia, and Italy both
made claims to the same stretch oil
Adriatic coast line. claims apparently
irreconcilable until the word went ou'
that they must be reconciied' Aho
tho comnromise was made in April al
Rome, in what was called Tine Noi'
gress of Oppressed Nations.
Inst what was done at that toh
sr.ss" we don't Know in any detail
Rut German and Austrian papers
now reaching us, show that they Ne
gan very HObii W
''Italo-Slavic Alliance.
1--WE are informed" says the semi
official Fremdenblatt of Vienna una
;tp tho Congress-"will in all pro
liability have serious consequences
It would appear so. And we are nov
beginning to be able to see rathe
clearly what they are to be. Militar!
campaigns are not prepared owe
night. But on July the Italians ant
French struck successfully above AV
Iona, and they are now nearly mt
miles to the north of it, In contr
so lacking in natural objectives, AM
SO far away-from Triest and Vienn
and Buda-Pesth, what can they ac
tually hope for?
We had our first answers within
week. albanian troops are IN re
volt" said one despatch; "They ar
massacrlng Austro-Hungarian troop
who are retreating towards Durazzo'
In Kraguyevatz, the former Serbia
arsenal, the Austrian garrison trooI
themselves mutinied. similar re
yolts"-of Czech tFoops-other de
patches now tell us, ARE taking plac
in Dalmatia"-the upper and Adriati
side of the feed pipe-"where III
military authorities have been unabI
to suppress revolt of armed, desc
tiers and escaped Russia prisoner
y The official organ the Boskische POI
makes illusions suggesting that sin
liar bands are springing up in Boz
MIA"
Bosnia is that part of the piI
1 which, with Montenegro, Serbia's all
lies Immediately to the north of A
bania. When a country is in revo
and waiting only for its deliveries, Il
absence of roads and railways is
concern chiefly to its half-beleaguer'
garrisons. But what of the part
our pipe, which as 1t widens, opel
into Austria itself? We come now
Croatia and the hinterland of Fun
and Trieste and Goritzia.
Here certain confidential report
Issued by Jugo-Slasiy printing press
In Geneva and Corfu tell the story.
il is circumstantial with abundant d