Evening star., 1934-04-15

know these are dark days for French
| diplomacy. Poland, then Rumania,
then Yugoslavia and now the Czechs
have drifted away from the orbit OF
Quai d'Orsay. Literally, against Ger
many, against Italy, and even in her
economic welfare with Britain, the
French are going it alone.
The Yugoslavs, bitter enemies of the
Italians in the Balkans, are known to
stand with Berlin in opposing Arch
duke Otto's restoration. Italy (if he
can be married to an Italian princess)
is for resurrecting the dual monarchy.
The French are inclined to regard
such a maneuver as blocking the Nazi
advance Southeastward and a slight
guarantee of Austrian independence.
But can they afford to disappoint the
| Yugoslavs?
Budapest Opposed.
While economic factors may force
the Hunearians into such a combina-
ton, Budapest at heart is against it.
Commenting to the writer on the pos
sibility and feasibility of restoring
the empire of Franz Joseph, even on
a small scale, Count Bethlen, for a
decade prime minister of Hungary,
said:
If hurled this glass to the floor,
could you put the pieces together
again?" Illustrating his point he
picked wine glass from the table and
threatened to smash it. Then, answer
ing his own question, he continued:
You might piece it together, but it
wouldn't hold water and the cracks
would always be there
That. in brief, is the real answer to
Archduke Otto's dream.
AT the same time the present set-up
In southeastern Europe is an impos-
slolllty. Economically the dog g-eat-
dog policy is suicidal. Political an
archy brought about the disruption of
the Hapsburg hegemony; economic
anarchy, such as exists now, makes
individual survival of the separate
units into which the dual monarchy
split extremely improbable.
Recognizing the Balkans as still the
danger spot" of Europe, Aristide
BRAND hoped to create sort of Pan
Europa" or a loose federation of all
european states. The reactionary
andre Tardieu, following Brands
death, advocated a Danubian fedora
tlon, more or less similar to what the
Itahans would have the world believe
that they advocate.
Inc trouble with both Mussolinis
present scheme and the defunct plan
OF Iardleu is that they were predi-
Gated upon Italy or France holding
the whip hand in any arrangement.
Mussolini Has Upper Hand.
MuSSolini, for the moment. seems
W nave trlumphed. If his tying to-
gether OF Italy, Hungary and Austria
hoidS. his next step will be to detach
Roumania (the weakest link in the
petite entente) and Bulgaria from
French influence. Already Bulgaria
Is within the sphere of Italian royal
influence, as result of King Boris
marriage to a Savoy princess. But
France, financially, has a first mort
gage on both Sofia and Bucharest.
French money also plays a very i'm
portant part in Austrian and Hunga-
rlan affairs and may eventually
checkmate Mussolini'S aspirations.
SAAAOA LliC OllC
influence in European diplomacy-the
League-no longer has any impor-
tance in the deliberations of European
chancellories. Its machinery - like
the Ten Commandments exists,
but none seems willing to use it. al
though many pay lip service to the
covenant
1t may appear paradoxical, but Eu-
rope is again placing its faith in
paper pacts." despite the fact that
it discarded them as antiquated and
ineffective when 1t subscribed to the
covenant procedure at Versailles.
Optimists say it is the inescapable
backswing of the political pendulum,
resulting from abnormal conditions
growing out of the world depression
moral as we'll as economic depres-
| sion. The existing political, social
and economic anarchy they character
ize as the labor pains Of a new order
that must emerge
One heard the same view expressed
in November, 1918-and the only
thing that appears to have emerged
was new order stil1-horr,a