AUSTRIAN AFFAIRS.

Taihape Daily Times, 1 November 1918, Page 6

AUSTRIAN AFFAIRS.

REVOLUTIONARY PLACARDS. ECONOMIC iALLIANCE URGED A, Russian who has reached a neutral country from Kicff, via Vienna, reports that the ferment in the Austrian capital is developing, says the Morning Post. Not only, he says, is revolution talked about and advocated' on all hands, but small revolutionary placards are found stuck on the walls and even inside railway carriages. ‘ The Ecichspost of Vienna publishes' an article apropos of<the negotiations opened at Salzburg in connection with the economic side of the new German Aus-tro-Hungarian Alliance, which doubtless reflects the views held in leading Gorman circles in Austria. These views are exposed so definitely and are no obviously the programme of the Germans in Austria that they will bear literal quotation, The article commences as follows: —•

What is now being done to consolidate and to develop the alliance of the Central Powers is more important than all the other peace questions. Peace can, only be the organic outcome of the alliance. When we have thoroughly consolidated the alliance we shall also have peace. Without the alliance the most advantageous peace would be of no' benefit to ns; it would be based and concluded on sand. The question of individual peace- terms loses importance as soon as the alliance is firmly established, for our strength, our security • and our welfare in the future will not depend so much on formal terms of peace as upon the internal strength and the independent vital energy of the organic alliance. It is not the gaining of certain external victories, not conquests, and not the destruction of the adversary that are the essential aims, of this world contest, but the strengthening and maintenance of the Central Alliance. Once we have conquered ourselves and are firmly United in alliance we shall have at-, tained our chief aim, ;and, everything else will follow. The' attempts to reach bur adversaries with offers of peacq have proved ineffectual. Every peace speech by a Minister, by a Democrat, by a Pacifist, or by a philanthropist has had no other effect than to postpone peace and to increase to- frenzy and determination .of our adversaries to continue the, wav. We have not been able to impress: them, with ; our..vietpy-; ies, our conquests; and our readiness to conclude, peace; we can, impress them only with our firm, organic alliance, which will include the axis of the world by this Central . European Alliance with the Orient, an alliance that they, owjpg...to the eccentric..and inorganic;disunion of thp various members of their , own- , alliance, cannot imitate. ,• , s ■ , -.«* - *