Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-01-02
rHE pistol shot which put an end
to the life Of Arohduke Francis

TO tne tlto OF Arcnduko Francis
Joseph. heir presumptivo to
the Austro- Hungarian throne. at
Sarcjevo, June IS, 1914, turned
Europe iato O battlefield six weeks
later. The Serbians were blamed
for the assassination, and on july
IS, Vienna sent an ultimatum to Bel
grade demanding the punishm ent of
the Offenders and Austria's partici-
patton In their trial in Serbia.
Russia supported Serbia in reject
ing the last demand; Germany sup
ported Austria. England. France,
and even Italy, then the ally of Aus
tria and Germany, suggested arbi-
tration by the Great Powers. BY
treaty Germany was obliged to sup
port Austria IL attacked by two or
more powers. BY treaty France was
Obliged to support Russia for a SINH
lar reason. By treaty Italy was
obliged to support her allies in case
of a defensive war.
Germany deemed Russia's mobili-
cation tantamount to a declaration
of war against her and declared war
on August /. Alleging that France
had already begun hostile action
against her, Germany declared war
on France on August 3. Germany
invaded Belgium in order to attack
France, thereby turning into, q
scrap of paper" Belgium's covenant
of neutrality to which Germany was
a partner. Great Britain declared
war on Germany on August 4. Italy
deeming Austria the aggressor, pro-
claimed her neutrality.
But these were merely the surface
expressions of a long standing con-
t1,N - 4
Austria-Hungary soon to be revealed
by German propaganda. Germany
wished to render France impotent
and absorb the Germanic provinces
of Russia; she would then be in a
position to fight or coerce the power
Great Britain enjoyed by reason of
the latter's predominance at sea.
Austria Hungary wished to absorb
the Balkan Slavs and make her way
to the Aegean. For Germany there
was a corollary TO the success of the
Austro- Hungarian scheme, which,
by the bribery of Turkey. would es-
tablish German dominion from the
North Sea to the Persian Gulf. In
November Turkey entered the war
on the side of the Central Empires.
All this was arranged, even to the
minutest detail, at the German
kaiser's Potsdam conference on July
>. There it was believed that If the
corollary did not come into evidence
too soon both Great Britain and
Italy would remain neLIral. That
Japan would enter the war on ac-
count of her treaty with Great Brit
ain was thus discounted.
United States Turned Scale
Germany attempted to defend her
position morally on the ground that
she had been attacked by Russia on
account of the Pan Slavonic ambi-
tions of that empire, and by Great
Britain on account of the latters
jealousy of her world trade and in
dustry. She was, therefore, fight
ing for her existence"
Her enemies in defending them
selves entered into treaties for mu-
tual advantages after the war, in
case of the defeat of the Central
Empires. There was cooperation,
but no great unity of action or pur-
pose among them. This gave Ger
many great advantage until the
spring of 1917, when the United
States entered the war. That event
besides bringing the material decid-
ing factor to the Allies cause, es-
tablished their war aims upon a
WOrlu DaSlS OF nSnt Tor humanity
of republicanism against absoiutism.
for the rights of small nations, and
Ito make the world safe for de-
mocracy." All this was to be done
by annihilating Prussian militarism
and Hohenzollern absolutism.
On these humane principles TWEEN
ty-nine nations arrayed themselves
against Germany. of which twenty
four declared war.
The war, which has now brought
to the stage of practical application
the principles for which the enemies
of Germany have been fighting, has
been prodigious in geographic and
social extent and unprecedented in
expenditure of lives and treasure
Through battle, atrocities, and mas
sacres it is estimated that 10000. 900
lives have been sacrificed; that $50
0O0,000,000 of property, not includ-
ing the wastage of war material, has
been destroyed in various WAYS; that
the productive wealth of the bel
ligerents, which in 1914 was esti-
mated at 100000, 900, 900, has now
been mortgaged for over 100000
100000, much of which now seems
unrecoverable.
Germany's initial plan was to
-