Evening star., 1934-10-21
EUROPE is DECLARED
SHAKEN BUT HOPEFUL
Fear of War Aroused by Assassinations
Called Healthy Sign That Nations
Still Want Peace.

A4hCAy W dnCIICu OCI1Ou6lY
way by the passing of NJ. Barthou.
Quite different Is the situation Gre
ated in the Balkans by the murder
of King Alexander. The death of
a dictator leaves chaos, unless he has
made provision for a successor. and
that, by the very nature of dictator
ship, is seldom done. The political
Will Of King Alexander served to tide
the country over its first crisis by
the provision which it made for a
Board Of Regents. But political wills
have been broken in the past when
strong men contended for power. and
the Board of Regents which King
Alexander appointed has no repre-
sentative of the leaders of the Serbian
army, which exercised authority in
Alexander's lifetime.
Although there is no sign that any
member of the general staff is at
present In position to assert the
claims of the army, no one can say
what may happen when the Kings
strong hand is no longer there to
mold IN check the appetite for power
Wnlch nndS expression not only in
the regular activities of the army.
out also in the intrigues of officers
clubs and the White Hand"
Valueless Gesture to Croatia.
The absence of army representa-
tiVes on the Board of Regents has
been taken to indicate the liberal in
tentions of King Alexander, because
at first glance it looked as though
he had given a larger representation
to Croatia-the country which he had
so effectively suppressed throughout
MS hfetime-than to old Serbia. 1t
turns out, however, that one of the
Two associates of Prince Paul, the
regent, Is the ban, or governor, of a
province OF Croatia, where he has en-
forced the Will of the King with nota-
Die severity and the other is a Serbian
resident of zagreb, the capital OF
croatia, who has no standing with
Croatian political leaders. II would
De rlsklng much to attempt to proph-
eSy now long such an ARRANGEMENT
can last.
There is, however, one consideration
which should not be lost SIGHT of
Inc very fact that personal rule lacks
the guaranty Of continuity might con-
celVably make possible a change in
the internal policy of YugosIavia
which would have been extremely diff
ncult for Alexander himself ever m
nave granted. If those at present in
power are willing to make concessions
10 the Croatian leaders and grant
Inat measure of local Self-government
which would meet the more reason
aole demands Of the Federalists. in
stead of clinging to the idea of
unltary state with all authority CEN
tered in Belgrade, the Yugoslav peo-
pies might work out their politicaI
oestlny along lines which are funda-
nlentaIy more in harmony with the
TRADITIONS OF the Serbs themselves.
Inc failure of the Fascist movement
Wnlch King Alexander was said IN
nave favored is an indication that the
SERBIAN people themselves do NOT
snare the trend toward autocracy
Whlcn mas swept over so much of
tne rest OF Central and Eastern E1I-
rope. IN this connection the align
ment with France rather than the
Nan government Of GERMANY woIIId
be further guaranty of peace at tbe
present time. For, however much
french foreign policy has been based
upon calculations of military support
the underlying influence of the old
Jacooln doctrine of the French Revo-
iution can be Sensed wherever French
Innuence spreads, for that is the of
cial philosophy of the third republic
YugosIavia without Tradition.
whether counsels such as these can
prevail or not in the troubled atmos-
pnere OF Belgrade no one at present
Is In a position to say. In addition to
the olrncultles of the hour, there is
tne 1urther fact that Yugoslavia has
no traditions upon which the nation
can fall back with confidence in the
hour OF trial, like those of the Older
nations of Western Europe. Indeed
the history of Serbia points rather TO
the possibilities of continued disorder
IL mas had an unduly large share of
Wnat are commonly termed Balkan
consplracieS, terrorist organizations.
and political aSSaSSinations. But those
VINO know the Serbs best, and who
nave studied Serbian history most
warn us against drawing from these
1acts what seems like their obvious
implication.
The Serbian peasant is one of the
best citizens of Europe, if the uualifi-
cations for citizenship are based upon
selt-respecting independence and gen.
uine democracy. The fact that the
terrorist philosophy finds lodgment in
the Balkans is to be explained by the
age-long persistence of despotism in
that part of the world. 1t was only
two years before the World War that
the Turk was finally driven back TO
the outskirts of Constantinople. The
battle of Kossova in 1889, when the
SERBS lost their independence to the
Turk, was not avenged until the battle
OF Kumanovo in 1912. When one re-
calls the fact that the philosophy of
terrorism was that upheld by Russian
revolutionists throughout all the
Tsarist regime, it is hardly to be won
dered at that Balkan political move
ments, impotent to affect public opin-
ion, should study the methods of those
who tried to temper tyranny with
assassination" in the other nations of
Europe. All down the centuries one
sees that in proportion as tyranny has
developed, terrorism has tended to
keep pace with it.
-e