The Dominion THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1918. AUSTRIA AND HUNGARY

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 25, 24 October 1918, Page 6

The Dominion THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1918. AUSTRIA AND HUNGARY

Much more has been heard of late about Germany's so-called peace move than about Austria's. simultaneous overture, but this can hardly be accepted as an index of their relative importance. The advances of both enemy; Governments are marked by a spirit of falsehood and deception—the Austrian Empehor's bogus offer of autonomy to the subject races is on a par with the alleged tlcmocratisation of the German Constitution—but there is a very important difference'in their ability to maintain the stand they have taken up. So far as the Western campaign is concerned, Germany, quite possibly, is capable of defending a shortened front for many months to come. But the Dual Monarchy is now so menaced by external and internal forces that its early defeat and disruption seem to be inevitable. This very probably means that Germany's prospects of holding out against the Entente arc measured not by her own moral and material resources, but by those of her failing war partner. Germany may struggle and scheinci as she will, but unless she is able to retain command over .Austria her own clays of resistance, as well as those of the Hapsburg Empire, will be numbered. The main facts bearing upon the military and political situation of the Dual Monarchy are in fairly plain sight. The Allies arc rapidly advancing on the Danube through Serbia, and havo reached that river on the northwestern conrines of Bulgaria, where it constitutes '.be frontier line between Bulgaria and Rumania. These developments mean, obviously, that tho Dual Monarchy will presently be called upon to defend its Danubian frontier,.-and at the panic time go far to demonstrate that its resources are hopelessly un«c|iial to the task. Menaced in this fashion by the external forces of the Allies, its position is made absolutely desperate by the fact _ that its most irreconcilable enemies as an Empire arc the people constituting a majority of its own population. In the reply he made a few days ago to the Austrian Government, President Wilson threw this commanding fact into the clearest possible relief. There could be no finer vindication of Allied principles and aims, no more crushing indictment

of the Hapsburg tyranny, than his statement that he is , obliged to insist that the Czecho-Slovaks and other subject races in AustriaHungary, and not he, shall be the judges of what action on the part of its Government will satisfy their aspirations and their conception of their rights and destiny as members of the family of nations. The chief thing demanded of the Austro-Hun-garian Government is simply that it should deal justly by the people over .whom it rules. In evading this demand it makes open confession to the whole world.that it rules by inversion of justice and that the armies of the Dual Monarchy, are fighting, not in defence of national rights, but in order that a corrupt tyranny may be as far as possible fortified and confirmed in power. How gladly the subject races of the Monarchy welcome the assurance of liberation has been made more than ever plain within the last few days. The steps that are being taken by the Czocho-Slovaks, the Poles and the Southern Slavs to assert their national unity and right to independence are.as significant as the approach of the Allied armies to the Danube in their promise of the early downfall of the effete Hapsburg tyranny. Little has been heard as yet about the Rumanians, but it is safe to assume that both in Rumania and in the Rumanian districts of Hungary the spirit of liberty is rising and gathering head as spontaneously as in other parts of the Monarchy. Count Tisz,\ .has lately lifted his voice in favour of peace "under acceptable conditions," but he will undoubtedly find that the conditions the Allies are prepared to grant will set a period to the vile tyranny the Magyars have hitherto exercised over the Rumanians and Slovaks whose lands are included within the present frontiers of Hungary.

In the circumstances that exist it seems as-'reasonable to anticipate the early collapse of the Dual Monarchy as to recognise that in Germany the extreme militarist party may still for a time remain in full control. From the fact? that the possibilities of a German defensive campaign have yet to be measured it follows that the prospects raised in Austria are even more important as they bear upon the general trend of the war than in their loeal setting. Plain as it is that the collapse of the Dual Monarchy, or rather the downfall of its corrupt Government, would spell disaster for Germany and make her position desperate, it is impossible meantime to predict with any confidence the actual course events are destined to take/ The Allies no doubt will refuse to conclude any peace with Austria which does not leave them full liberty to .pass through her territory to an invasion of Germany. In that case Germany would speedily find herself so encompassed that her only course would be to submit. With Austria out of the war, Italy would be free to add practically the whole of her Army to the forces already, operating against Germany. . It is possible, however, that instead of surrendering as an Empire to the Allies, Austria-Hun-gary may break up under tho internal and external strains to which sho is or is about to be subjected. It was suggested in the official news summary the other day that in the event of such a disruption the German population of Austria might unite with Germany. Whether these peoplo are prepared to convert their territory into a buffer State' for Germany in the line of an Allied invasion is at least doubtful. Admittedly if they did the disaster to Germany involved in Austria's downfall would for the moment bo modified to some extent, but the circumstances of a very great disaster would remain. With the collapse and disruption of the Dual Monarchy, .Germany, or the Germanic combination as the case might be, would in any.cnse find itself fatally, laid open to attack on the east. At' the same time Germany would find herself cut off completely from some important sources of food and other supplies, and cut off from convenient access to others. Whether or not she succeeds in retaining control over the German Austrians it seems impossible that Germany can bear up for any length of time under .such an addition to her military burdens s,S is brought into near | prospect by the opening of iho Bal-1 kan corridor and the late course of events within the Dual Monarchy. Her armies <on the. West front are faring badly enough as matters stand. With the Hapsburg Empire resolved into its elements sho will be visibly and undoubtedly near the end o* her tether.