WAR UNITES THE SLAVS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 17, 15 October 1917, Page 5

WAR UNITES THE SLAVS

WHOLESALE DESERTIONS FROM THE AUSTRIANS

40,000 MEN TO SWELL SERBIAN RANKS

Thore are two whole Serbian, divisions—forty thousand men—whioh. ontered the war under tho Austrian flag lighting against the Entente Allies, and which to-day have turned squarely Around and are fighting under the En.tente colours against the Central Powers. This fighting under two flags is one of tho queer romanoes of the war, related by Professor Yanitoh, private chaplain of King Poter of Serbia, as illiist.trating how the oonglomorate Slav population of foil thorn Austria-Hungary iB aready to break away from tha Hapsbure waster. These two divisions, orginally Austrian, were forccd into the rants, early .in tho war. from Bosnia, Croatia, and Herzegovina, the Slav States' forcibly nexed by Austria. It is the great hotl>;d of Slav agitation. The population i» loverwhelmingly Slav, but iB held in buJv ■jection by tlie. Iron military role of the .jdual monarohy. It was hero, at the central point of Sarajevo, that the Austrian Crown Prince was assassinated and ■the European war unchained. Although, the work of a fanatic, ll was only one ,'of tho evidences of the. intense feeling of this Slav section against ita masters. The Austrian staff held the Slav foroes 'kin reserve for a time, well knowing tha "•bitterness In the ranks. But when, General Brusiloff's great drive began a year . ago in Galicia tlio Auetriana, hod need of every man of theic resources. This i>brought(the Slav divisions into line, and for the first time Slav was facing Slav, itho southern Slav element being; thrust .'forward to meet the rush of their bTOtthers from the north. It was literally a (fight of brother against brother. After [one engagement a young Serbian officer [•went among tho enemy wounded, and 'there found two of' his brothers fatally 1 allot by his own men and his own 'orders. ...... ... i But the ties of rase were sbrong?r tnan dlags. In one fight a machine-gun batjtery attached to one of the Slav divisions opened by firinff against the advanoinc Russians, and then swinging their pieces about ended the day by pouring their (battery into the AustriaM. As the two Aides came together the Slavs with the [Austrian forces would call out:"We are Serbs," whioh was the'signal for steady streams of desertion from the Austrian to'' the Russian ranks. There was much surprise a year, ago at tho reports 01 ereat numbers of prieonere taken by . OBrusiloff, and it ia said this is largely accounted for "by the areat • numbers of isouthern Slavs who, forced to _ fight in the Austrian ranis, voluntarily gave themselves up as prisoners when tMy jnet their Slav brothers from the nortfc. ■ The most significant manifestation 01 ;.the great Slav fusion is the agreement ■ which was the result of a conclave witn the Serbian Ministers at Corfu. ■ Both the Serbian Government and the Slav delegates are.highly pleased with the results of their joint deliberations, which Siave led to a complete agreement touching the main objects held in visw and the means of attaining them. • The essential features of this agreement, as published in the official organ of tho Serbian Government, aro as folauthorised representatives of the (Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, recognising that tho desire of our people is to free itself from all foreign yoke, and. to.conStitute itself in an independent National State, agree in declaring that this must be founded on the following principles:— „ , , (I) The State .of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, who are also known as Southern Slavs, or Jugoslavs, will be e, free - tind independent Kingdom with.. individual territory and unity of allegiance. •It lfill be a constitutional, democratic, nnd Parliamentary Monarohy, under the •iKarageorgevitch Dynasty, which has a,Jways shared the feelings of # the nation pnA has placed the national will above all ■else." '. • ■ 5- " -' . • (2) This Stnto will be named the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, andi the .style of the Sovereign will bo "King of the Sorbs, Croats, and Slovenes." The State will have a single coat •Jnf arms, a single flag; and a single crown, its emblems being composed of the pre- . sent existing emblems. ' _ (3) Tho special Serb, Cront, and Slovene flags and coats of arms may be freely hoisted and used. (•}) Tho three national denominations urill be equal before the law, and may ■lie freely used in publio life. ' (5) The two alphabets, Cyrillic and [Latin, will also Tank equally throughout th'o Kingdom, i ■ , : ' (6) All recognised roligionß shall bo exercised freely, and publicly, and in particular tho Orthodox, Roman Catholic oud Mussulman creeds, which are .chiefly professed by our people, will be equal and will hnvo the same rights in regard to the State. (7) The calendar shall bo unified as Soon as possible. ' (8) The,territory of the/Kingdom will Include all territory compactly inhabited ty our people,' and cannot be mutilated ■without attaint' to tho vital interests of the community.-' Our nation demands nothing that belonss to others, but only .•what is its own. it desires freedom and ■Unity. .Therefore, it refuses_ consciously .end firmly all partial, solutions of the .problem of ita deliverance from AustroHungarian domination, and of union ■with Serbia and Montenegro in a State ■forming an indivisible whole. (9) In the interests of freedom and of the equal rights of all nations, the Adnptic Sea shall be free and open to all. (10) All citizens shall be equal and enjoy tho same rights towards the State nnd before tho law. (II) Deputies to the National Parliajnont shall be elected by universal suffrage, with equal direct and secret bal(12) The Constitution, to be established after tho conclusion of peace by a Constituent Assembly oleoted by . uniVersal suffrage, will be the basis of the life of the State. It will create the po«nibility of organising local autonomies. It will coitie into force after receiving j?oyal sanction. The nation thns unified ■would form a State of some 12,000,000 inhabitants, which, would be a powerful bulwark against German aggrwsion and 'fin inseparable filly of all civilised States end peoples. NIKOLA PASHITCH, Tromier and Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Serbia. DR. ANTK TRUMBITCH, [President of the Southern Slav Committee. Corfu, July 7-20, 1917.