The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-05-31
DISBURSEMENT OF AUSTRIA
IS NOTABLE RESULT OF War

denly dissolved, 1t fell apart into frag-
ments, and now it is the business of
the Paris conference to determine the
frontiers between these fragments.
The collapse of so great an Empire
must necessarily produce conseQuen-
ces too far reaching to be fully appre-
ciated at the moment. Five years
ago the three great Empires occupying
Central and Eastern Europe, were
dominating factors in all European
calculations. Today, Austria is a
mass OF incoherent fragments, Russia
is in state of anarchy, and Germany,
for the moment at least, lies pros
trate. In all three great states, dy-
nasty has disappeared and republics
have replaced royalty.
1t has been said of Austria in the
olden times that if there were no such
state it would be necessary to create
one to preserve the peace of Europe.
The truth Of this observation is be-
ing brought home again when the
Paris conference is struggling with
the conflicting national aspirations of
the inhabitants of the old empire, with
the full realization that even were in
soluble chronological complexities sat
isfactorily adjusted. economic prob
lens even more serious for the future
would remain
Population Ununited.
1t is no little operation to divide
| 260, 900 square miles of territory and
fifty-one millions of people belonging
I to at least dozen races in such fash.
ion as to satisfy the people thus sep.
arated and preserve for all of them
\ lon nf
/ ty in the future. In the old Austro.
Hungarian empire, there were Ger
mans, Magyars, Roumanians, Italians
! Czechs, Slovaks, Poles, Slovines, Jews
Croats. In the long course of it's his
tory the Hapsburk dynasty had ac
quired territory in all directions, in
habited by population incapable OF
fusion, and these populations through
centuries of oppression had acquired
animosities and hostilities indescrib
ably acute.
When AustriaHungary fell, there
were Immediately formed a certain
number of states. In the north, the
Poles in Galicia made common cause
with their brethren in Russia. The
Czechs of Austria joined hands with
the Slovaks of Hungary; Serbs, Croats
and Slovines united with the Serbs
to the south, Italy laid hands upon hel
| lost provinces, Roumania little less
promptly occupied Transylvania, Blu
covina and other regions inhabited BY
Roumanians.
Thereupon there arose and endures
almost an indescribable chaos of new
questions. Poles and Czecho-Slovaks
| dispute the possession Of the regior
of Teschen, Poles and Ukranians botf
claim Lemberg and East Galicia; the
Germans of Bohemia demand separa
tion from the CZechs; Roumanians anC
Ukrainians are at odds over Bucovina
Czecho-Slovaks and Ukrainians ovel
the Slav regions of Northeast Hun
gary; Serbs and Roumanians are quar-
reling over western Banat; Serbs
that is o-Slavs-and Italians are a.
daggers drawn over Fiume and Dal
malta; Austrian Germans and Jugt
Slavs are contesting the possession o.
the districts north of the Drave.
Defies Diplomacy
Here, then, is a situation defyins
diplomacy. There was the old Austro
Hungary question between the Serb.
land the Hapsburg monarchy, and be
/ tween the Italians and the Austro
Hungarian empire, but today, with tht
Hapsburgs gone and the empire fal
len, twenty questions, each threaten
ing the peace of the world, have
arisen.
/ Nor is it possible to solve thes.
/ IConttnued On Pane Fiye.1