THE BOSNIAN TRAGEDY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 43, 11 July 1914, Page 7

THE BOSNIAN TRAGEDY.

ABOIT TUB VICTIMS. Archduke Francis Ferdinand, heir to the Hapsburg tkrouc. visited London in November hist, accompanied by the Archduchess, ami the London papers of that date had copious references to the Royal visitors. The Daily Mail wrote: "The deep-set blue eyes, and the closecropped hair, cut en brosse (setting the fashion for the Austrian lieutenants) are immediately recognised and are quite well known front the numerous functions at which the Archduke represents the Emperor. Hut he is not a popular, ligure like the Kmperor (who lias petitions thrust into his hands every time lie drives out in public), or like the late Archduke Rainer, that dear old gentleman, on the death of whom all the Viennese market women went into mourning. From a feeling which prohably springs from a sense of fitness and some natural diffidence, the Archduke has never courted popularity. His duties as the representative of (lie Emperor . weighed heavily on him. and ho was reputed to dislike a crowd/' FOREICN TRAVEL. Sonic eighteen years ago .the late Archduke made a tour of the world, eager to learn, eager to see for himself the different parts of the globe, to watch the working of foreign States, and to get into touch with foreign nations and foreign culture. Austria is for him the most beautiful of all lands, the finest and the jioblcst. And next to Austria —Australia! The fact that lie was treated "scandalously" at Thursday Island over a glass of beer on Sunday did not prevent him from liking Australia. ENTHUSIASM FOR AUSTRALIAN'S. Of all the people lie came across while on his travels, the Australians were his "Liehlinge." he allirmi'd; and Lichlingc is a very strong term. Never were there such kindly folk as the Sidney folk, never folk so good-tempered, pleasant and hospitable. All the men are intelligent, all the women beautiful superlatively beautiful, according to him. He. who is himself so referred and silent, was quite charmed by their lightheai'tcd unconvcntioiiality, their somewhat free-and-easy ways. For the lirst time in his life he had found ladies to whom it was quite easy to talk. nay. even quite pleasant, lie wai charmed, too, by their family life, by the simple, homely fashion in which even the rich among them live. For lie is always in sympathy with what smacks of the patriarchal. "What is much more significant than the Archduke's liking for the Australians, is the fact that he found nothing to jar on him in Australia, although it is a new country, newer even than his 'bctc-noir.' America, and democratic to boot. This is a proof, surely, that when he looks askance on democrats, it is not because they are democrats.' hut for Home other reason. Far from taking exception to the government in force there, he sewns to think the country well governed, and he speaks in appreciative terms of its rulers, especially of that thorough-going old democrat. Sir (leorge Wilis, whom lie depicts in nattering terms, whom he regarded and treated as a friend, lie was much struck by the lines on which business is conducted is Australia: for with all his loathing of pushfulness. he is a great admirer of energy. lie spent some quite delightful days with a squatter, being initiated in- ! to the mysteries of farming on a eolosI sal scale. lie was kept busy the. whole j time lie was there, what with pleasure. What with work; and he enjoyed it all thoroughly. lie was quite unhapuv. indeed, when he hail to say good-bi e to his Australian friends. ILLNESS AN!) MARUIAUE. "The serious illness which overtook Francis Ferdinand shortly after the tragic death of Crown Prince Rudolf compelled him to lead for several years a quiet and retired life. It was a malady of such gravity that it was regarded for a time as eliminating him from all consideration in connection with the succession to the throne. Contrary to general expectation, lie recovered, and his convalescence was signalised by a romance in which Countess Sophie Chotek, daughter of a former Austrian Minister Plenipotentiary at Dresden, and at one time lady-in-waiting to Archduchess Frederick, was the heroine. Francis Ferdinand insisted upon making the Countess his wife. There was only one meanf of doing this- namely, by a morganatic alliance - and all ,-orts of obstacles were placed in the way thereof, mainlv of a dvnaslie. political, and also of a more personal character. The d.wiastie and political objections to the match wore due to the i'net that iie was destined to succeed the present Kmperor on the throne of Austria and of lliuigarv. The personal opposition came largely from his relatives, especially from Archduchess Frederick, who. after his refusal to wed Uchduchess Maria Dorothea, now Duchess of Orleans, had counted upon his marrying one of her daughters, and who was terribly disappointed to lind that lho\ had been cut out. so to -peak, be h-r holy-in-wait mg. HIS SOLEMN OATII. "Fmpeior Francis Joseph, however, illtiniateli gave his consent to the match, upon tile' Archduke registering a solemn aath on the (hispels and in writing in tile vrcselico of the Princes of his House and of the dignitaries of the realm whereby he pledged himself that on b uning Kmperor he would never take advantage thereof to raise his morganatic wire to dow iniv -oiis born of the union with rights to the eiown. Moreover, he renounced in the name of his unborn children all pretensions to Imperial rank and to the sceptre. The dillieultics which he had encountered in marrying the.'otinte-s. the anomalous position assigned to her as his morganatic wile, vfherebv she was deprived of any share in hi. honors as a member of the reign ing famil.. and the affronts to which lalives. as well as In- some of ihe great ,„;,;•„, v wh, resented the idea that a ~„,.;, lioiie.ahu, Connies. Cholek -hoMh! ; ... oeie the wit.' of their future l-.tn- ,,,■„!• all contributed to keep i.he .Uch;u>lr\u ,:„. h ;l ekgroiind during (he first i'., r ~,..,••- of his Welded existence. ! Moreover he is exceedingly domestic in ■: tastes', and has bcci in the uahil of ,M-,ii 11, he time that he could -pare ~',„„, hi- ,-, nresentalive and oile-hil diii t;,„ („ hi- wife and little one-. J '.-|.Yanei- Ferdinand bad t.'ov,. ehild- ! mother's ' pi in'celv Title of llohenln-vg. with the indicate of serene -ugliness The eldest i. a girl, who hits ivcu ..( ~eV mother's name of Sophie: and the others are ho.-. Prince Maximilian am! hi- hvo'.iier. Eruo-t." TllKi)!'lll>SnFl|iHlK\i:Kl^. I T! '" ~" ."'"' ''''''TlTTtcil.Tual jTn,phmTt.''to the Ruche- i,j -ending his ehle-t son to lake luncheon with be,. Li.ll llowedhisbiolherin-lawtoi-Live her as if she were an archduchess. i When her eldest, sou was born, .he <...- .eminent refused to allow the 1., nun..-

ian Parliament to send congratulations to the Archduke. AUSTRIA'S XEW CROWN" I'RIXCH. The heir to the Austrian throne now is Archduke Charles Francis Joseph, son of the late Archduke Otho, and a nephew of the murdered Archduke. He was born in August, 1887, and married in October, Hill, (he Prim-ess Zita of Bourbon and Parma, by whom lie has one child, the Archduke. Francis Joseph Otho, who was born on November 20, Till'. HOSXIAX "GltAB." His share in the Bosnian anncxiilion no doubt led tc th?. assassination of the Archduke. KisuisMng (his -grab" receuMy, Mr. H de Vere Stagpoolc, the noted Engli-:i writer, says:— "There has been for a long time past a man sitting in the corner of Europe, obscure, thinking his own thoughts, saying nothing. While the attention of the world has be-'« fixed on the hißul-voiccd Willholm of Gntmany, he has eseuped notice. "lie de-Ires obscurity, anil what tllis lean desires lie obtains. Neptune floating on the rute.r ring .of twilight kepi, hidden till Levenier, noticing aberration in the conduct o>' Jupiter, sought for the object producing these al>errali«ns, and found Neptune. To the political Leverrier searching the European system of the last few y< srs nothing can be nice .■driking tlliaii tile aberrations of Wilhelm, nothing more interesting than the search for their cause. The first aberration occurred in the autumn of WOB, when this Emperor, by the right of Gtod, tlii-s man of honor, imbued with t)he knightly traditions of the. past, assisted, sword in baud, ir. a political crime, tore up a solemn iicaty. and held a pistol at Russia's head while Austria lavished Bosnia and Herzegovina. The whole a.ct was against hi,-, known cnaractev', and we know his character so well that we must -nppose a prompter other than his own thoughts. "Then, .-onie time after this ext-ra-ordiiuirv break from his moral orbit. Wilhelm the Talkative began to talk h-«s. He : s n"W quite silent. This -dleuce has Ik en put down to the fact thai lierniany has told him to liofd his tongue. Do vou think so? If you do. i you know very little of the character! oi' the Fmperor Wilhelm." I prefer to Im'ieve that the inllticm-c which moved hi:n lo an act of political turpitude dictated to him the value of political silence (at all events till the great game winch '»- about to be played in Europe has been finished); audi this belief i* strengthened l»y the fact that with the silence of Williel»i came a new departure, involving a new political outlook for Germany. In dead secrecy the. Herman shipyard's were commissioned, manned, and urged to their utmost capacity of output; in dead secrecy the shipyards of Trieste followed suit, answering hammer-blow for humtiier-lilow (c the shipyards of Germany. The most »,up<rfici«] observer must admit that in foreign policy, domestic policy, moral policy—in aIJ these orbits the path of the Empwor Williami has shown great .'iu-rgencli's from the expected during the last few year, and (he question of vital importance to us is: Are these aberrations caused by changes in h-ifc own structure or by the influimces of "another bodv"? . What made him defy. Might, and the honor of nation? in the Bosnian affair? What muzzled him? What ba.s made him take to the water? TV answer to the fir-.t question will supply the answer to the others, perhaps, and to ar.nwer it we must ask ourselves yet another question. "Who originated the P.nsiiian crime who planned it and carried if out?" The man who. discarding international honor, brought Europe to 'he "dge of war. and Sield In r -Ihiveiing there for a week till he htil gained hi- end. wa~ never Baron von Aohicnihal. \.i servant of the Austrian .-town, even lisui he been a rU-insi ivir ir mind, wo'l'd have dared -uch an act. No Forei-n Mini-ler .-.mid have made an accompli.-.' ~f (!„. Emperor William in I lie cominisHon of *i|vh an act, and no man. unless ve.sted with supreme power, could have earned it out with -n.-li determination and heart-freezing coolness. Who. ihen. was Ibis man? The Kmperwr. Fran/ Joseph? Never! Failing liaroi: von Aehrenthal and dim Emperor, there -js, only one man possible on whom our finger can fall —the Archduke Franz Ferdinand oi Austria, the heir to the Ausl'ian throne. One can -a.: with almost niat'hemaliea! (•"rtainty th.-ir this man was the guiding spirit iii t'he Bosnian affair. If thitt is so, he is the ri ling -pint of the F.iuperor William, for in the Bosnian business the Emperor Wiiliam was the iis--,Mtiut and not the n aster. If that is so. the Archduke Fran/ Ferdinand is the virtual commander oi four million German .-.oldier-. of a O'-rman -licet second only |o llie |.'.ii»-is i Reel, .it the large Ansirian nav\. wliiifr is building with l"<-vi-i-i-.li rapidity. Wluvii we st-iit to -earch for this (man we oiilv catch rdiinpses of him. He is ve-v rHiriug. a -tudent, a p-liilo-uplier. c.iih a pa—i."i for lthiro]r I ie v, litlle more aboitt him than that. and i-li-' I'a.-; llat .he i- a Jesuit of the .'..-nits and in en', husia.stic supporter of his f,|i|||. II is 'mt.-r.--Mu t.. think of the eomooiiuil and \, '-nil.- iiiin.l of the Elii-|.,-ro.- Wilaa-ii possd.lv --iii-ier the domination of a iompl-\ an;! jirol'onr ' " dei'-landing Mtrh as we may fairly iinaeine to be p.w-cir-ed by this Archduke who i- a gardener, this jjai'dener who is a Jesuit, tihio Jesuit who is.an Emperor in all but name; this politician in a corner who lias turned neither back nor front to th- audience, who lias es. aped the compound rye of (lie Press, who ha- ne\ci' delighted journwlistk or asioni-bed constitutional monarch*.. wSui li,i- never even whispered his tli-u-ughts for iW world to hear. who. eoinmanding a.rmi'-s. ha- m \v.- paraded bis men.