WHO WAS IT WANTED WAR?

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 17 May 1917, Page 5

WHO WAS IT WANTED WAR?

AUSTRIA’S SIGNIFICANT CONFESSION.

We arc in a position to record a formal and categorical confession in the Austrian Press, proving that the Dual Monarchy desired and provoked the war, says the London “ Daily Chronicle.” The loading Vienna paper, “Ncuc Freic Presse,” in its issue of January sth, frankly states that the Serbian Government’s reply to the Aus-tro-Hungarian ultimatum of July 23rd, 1911, satisfied all the demands of the Monarchy save one. This is the first time that a Viennese journal—and a very influential one —has made this avowal.

“The Serbian Government,” says the paper, “in fact only refused to accept one of the demands embodied in the whole Austrian ultimatum—namely, the request that our police organisation should co-operate in guarding the frontiers, and other similar measures.

Since, therefore, Serbia accepted all the points of the ultimatum onerous though they were —sav e the one just cited, which was known beforehand to be inaceeptable-—why was war declared against her, and why was the whole world set in a blaze? Why, indeed?