The Washington times., 1938-03-17
Old Man Danube

WYE UNFORTUNATELY coudnt understand Ere
w mier Mussolinis speech to the Italian Chamber of
Deputies as it the radio in Italian yesterday
morning But his tone of voice sounded explanatory if
not apoogetc and the English translation that along
with the speech certainly conveyed the idea that II Duce
recognized the Austrian coup as fdit Gccomph.
AS we understand the central and southeast European
set-up the way to think ntegenty about it is to keep
in mind the fact that Old Man Danube at the bottom
of practically all the pictures rapid surface shifts and
changes The Danube River system is and always was
the most important thing in that part of Europe.
Compare our Mississippi River and the States along
its banks Suppose each of those States nation;
that the governor of each were president king czar
or dictator and that each States police force
army Suppose that you couldn't State line with
out paving customs duties and showing passports that
different languages and religions prevailed in the various
States and that hatreds and resentmens among these
assorted populations were ages old.
There we have an idea of things they along the
Danube The Danube rises in southwest Germany; cuts
through the north of what Austria last week. forms
~ part of the Hungary Czechoslovakia
beu"'"w boundary; strikes south through Hun
Blue Danube gary into Yugoslavia; divides Rumania
in mart from Yugoslavia and Bulgaria. and belongs to
Ruroana for the last 800 miles of its journey to the
Rloc Sea The Danubes tributaries bring other nations
into this orbit.
Plenty of people have tried from time to time to do
something about the Danube-to weld this natural geo.
graphic unit into national unit as WE'LL or at least TO
split up the great river system
me HOeT'"O''"S so that the Danube peoples
DGnUOe QueStLOH would live along it in something
approaching harmony. In fact this the basic idea
under the Austro- Hungarian Empire.
The southeast part of the Danube system never got
into the Austrian Empire and the attempt to bring in
more of it, specifically Bosnia and Herzegovina was
what brought on the World War. The Balkan countries
tried to settle their Danube troubles in two fierce
little wars shortly before the World War All these
nations aimed to settle the Danube question to their own
advantage None succeeded.
Woodrow Wilson after the tried to settle the
Danube question without advantage to his country
This unsefshness didn't work. either The Danube ques
ton unsettled ever with Hitler seemingly next on
history's list of those who have tried to solve it.
Hitler will probably have much trouble with this
European Old Man River his predecessors had What
would hate to would be for the United States to
ctc, =, tho try again to crack this historic nut
that it would stay cracked.
UFM0St0"0 Yet plenty of highminded people
telling should be grdng loins for fight to
make the Danube safe for-well, for what? Safe for
40 different quarrelng groups? Safe for Hitler;
safe against Hitler?
The kindest thing we can do for the Danubians it
to u.s. and certainly of the kindest things
do for ourselves to stay out of that fight and let
the assorted Danubians stew in their own juice.
....,........... --Fro the New YprkD News