AUSTRIA AMD HUNGARY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 9212, 5 February 1918, Page 5

AUSTRIA AMD HUNGARY.

WHEN FRIENDS FALL OUT.

The speeches of Slavonic and Czech Deputies in the Austrian Paviiament, winch have been described by HungOrriuu newspapers us ** incitements to destroy the-integrity ,of-Hungarian- territory," have brought . about a curious^ situation between the two halves of the Dual Monarchy. ' ' ;

Speeches weio made, in the Austrian Ileichsrath on ]Noveniber_ 10 by Dr. Jiorqsec (a Slovene member), M. Sanek (a .Czech), and M. Zcnker (an AustrianGerman Liberal) —thui-fc is, by representatives of almost all parties, demanding that Hungary bhould give up her Slovene counties to Bohemia and her southern counties to the Jugoslavs. This event has evoked some extraordinary loading arlicles in tho Hungarian newspapers, the moat characteristic «£ which is iho following, taken from the subsidised Government organ, ' Ax. Est/ which formerly wan in close toocjr with: ttu^ Ti&za Cabinet, and now supports the present Government:—

"A new declaration of war has reached us in this fourth year of warfare,** it begins. " Austria has declared war on Hungary. That country, which ow<9a it entirely, to Hungaryjfchat her ■ enemies have not torn .her to pieces :like an did rag, ;now hastens to; express her. grati-. tude in heir Parliament by demanding: unanimously, without even a division, the disintegration of our country."

I ..After this remarkable introduction, which, was passed-,by. th^ Censorj, and therefore musthe taken to be approved by ,tho Government, "Az Est " continues iv a still more bitter strain:—"Never has a nation wasted her resources—human, material, and financial —iv a less deserving cause than we have. Never have politicians made % graver mistake than those who said thafc we can only live and prosper in union with Austria. Rakocjii and Kossuth were rig lit when they said that Austria was Hungary's evil spirit 1, the vampire that sucks our blood. Of all the misfortunes that have befallen us to nowr the greatest,is-Austria. The. Turk, thie Tartar, the Serbian, the Roumanian, and the Russian ali' 'come against us openly, with sword unsheathed, but Austria has always attacked us covertly, disguised aa a.friend. Now the, mask has fallen ;fof ever from this o atinate foe,, and.we see her face, distorted witli villainy and ii brutal lust for our blood.

" The greedy, villainy of Austria has boon reflected in her economic policy for some ileciuleH pa&t. It prevented us,'" from developing our industries and our commerce, and from improving our railways and canals; it did its best to giv«; us a bad name ,in other countries, and even planted suspicion in the heart our King against us; And now, in the fourth year of the war, Austria deems us bo weak and broken that the sly pnemft' takes courage and openly draws the sword. But AusfiHan stupidity has. made a great mistake; There is still strength enough in our arms to wield the sword against -Austria. " Our answer to the Austrian demand is this: Let us break with Austria! This should be engraved on the heart of every Hungarian o^L whatever race, from the Prime Minister to the humblest peasant. \\\-> do not desire to, and are fully resolved not to, lire ift union or in any form of dualism with, our worst foe. We shall settle our account wit&our enemies in Austria, and they will mourn over that settlement * xor centuries to come."