THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1907. THE SERVIAN SITUATION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8365, 22 February 1907, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1907. THE SERVIAN SITUATION.

The situation in Servia appears to be serious from the point of view of the present monarch. The tragic events that led to King Peter's accession are still fresh in the minds of his subjects, and they have never been content ,to be governed by a man who reached the throne as the result of a shameful tragedy. Rumours of plots for the deposition of the King have been frequent, and during recent months they have assumed more definite form. Early in January the London Daily Express published a frank statement of the intention'of the revolutionaries. They have no particular grudge against King Peter, whose general leanings are constitutional, but they agree that his Majesty is incapable of lifting the country to its proper place among the Balkan States. Overtures have been made in several directions with the object of securing a new king, and there is little doubt that a British prince would have been offered the throne not the attitude of King Edward towards the regicides made such a course impossible. The revolutionaries have so far not fixed upon any successor to King Peter, but they intend nevertheless to proceed with the deposition and,to form a republic if necessary. They plan to

surround the place at the time; selected, to capture the King and his family, and to hurry them quietly over the frontier. The way will then be clear for a readjustment cf the Government. A federation of the Balkan States is the great ideal inspiring the people of Servia and of the surrounding countries, but this dream seems still far from realisation. Servia has in the past given small promise of adherence to any form of government, having assassinated two kings and deposed four within eighty years, and just at present the desire for a republic seems' to be gaining ground. Any action in this direction would probably mean' interference from some of the larger European Powers, whose monarchs would hardly dare to tolerate such a blow to the prestige of royalty, so, that there is a probability of the Servian situation becoming somewhat complicated.