The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-10-19
Europe Through
An Editors Eyes
By JAMES NJ. COX.
Ex-Governor of Ohio.)
Seventh Installment.
"CAN AUSTRIA LIVE"


Can Austria live? That is a vital
question now. By this is meant, is
she logical national unit? There
are those who believe that survival
is impossible. Many Americans have
expressed this opinion. How far they
have gone into the question, I do not
know These hopeless observations,
as printed, have not been accompan-
led by analyses. An investigation of
these does not justify the sentence of
death which has been pronounced.
Many believe that the welfare of
the Austrians would be promoted if
she were annexed to Germany, but
that is quite aside from this discus
sion. She has almost twice as many
inhabitants as Switzerland. She is
larger in area than Belgium, Holland
or Switzerland. In fact her territory
exceeds that of Holland and Belgium
combined. She has no credit. Her
financial affairs are nightmar are She
is not properly organized for the col
lection of taxes. Deficits are met
with daily output of the printing
presses, which grind out millions and
millions of kronen.
The fundamental thing that is lack
ing is an established and recognized
authority. The members of govern
ment month ago had no hope Of a
continued tenure beyond the hour
They all realized that anything was
likely to happen. The government of
Austria owns the railroads and moth
ing is in worse shape than the faci-
lities of transportation.
At the outbreak of the war, the
army was recruited in part from the
employees of the railroads. The va
cancies were filled at first with men
not physically able to go to war, and
later women were employed When
peace was declared and the fremen.
engineers, switchmen, conductors
etc. resumed their old positions, the
substitutes were not discharged. For
ty per cent of the force could at that
time have been let out without any
impairment of efficiency. The neces-
sary step was not taken because it
meant an increase in the number of
unemployed and the government was
afraid of an unfavorable political re-
action.
A high official stated that regula-
ton had been promulgated recently
providing that certain classes of en-
ployes that had been taken on sub
sequenti to 1914, would no longer be
needed, but chances are," he con-
tinued, "they will not quit and there
is not sufficient vitality in our gov
ernmental agencies to make them do
So"
Priest Takes Big
Part in Restoring Order.
This circumstance is an index to
the underlying conditions The gov
eminent is laboring as best it can.
Chancellor Seipel, who is a priest of
the Catholic church, is an able, en-
thusiastic, hopeful, courageous figure
and is doing seemingly as well as
anyone else could in the circum-
stances.
The church, or rather it's member
ship, by the sheer force of events be-
came part of the active political
life Of the nation. Of the three par
ties, the strongest are the Social-Dem-
ocrats and the Christian Socialists
Many CT the Social Democratic lead
ers, in tleir extreme views, forgot the
religious tenets of their fathers and
made open announcement against
both the church and religion The
opposition to this naturally conferred
in the church. The women gave their
support to the Christian Socialists
and as it turned out they were the
balance Of power
One-third Of the population Of Aus