Evening Post. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11. 1914. GERMANY. AND HER ALLY

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue LXXXVIII, 11 September 1914, Page 6

Evening Post. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11. 1914. GERMANY. AND HER ALLY

<x> "Austria is faithful to Germany," wrote a witty Russian a few months ago, "as the stone is faithful to the di owning man around whose neck it is tied." Very remarkably is this happy simile being justified by the progress of the war. It was the arrogance of Austria that deliberately precipitated the wai', yet she has been nothing but a dead-weight for her unfortunate ally from the very outset. Within seven weeks from her declaration of war, she has, after a series of defeats too numerous to mention, suffered at Lemberg what The Times has called the greatest military disaster in her history, and it is already probable that she will sue for peace as the only alternative to the complete dissolution of her Empire. Whatever may be the decision of Austria, she can render her ally no help at all; she can only serve as a stone round the neck of the spent swimmer who already experiences the utmost difficulty in keeping his head above water. Grievous indeed have been" the miscalculations of both. It was but natural that Germany, with her magnificent military system, should have learnt to place an extravagant reliance upon the power of the sword, but Austria was without this excuse, and in the extraordinary complexity of races, languages, and creeds which are included in her Empire had a strong inducement to pru* dence. It is, however, impossible to dissociate the responsibilities of the two closely allied Powers. As we pointed out yesterday, Bismarck, after the crushing defeat of Austria at Koniggratz, set her on her legs again as an essential part of Prussia's defence against her great eastern neighbour. The renewed lease of life which Austria thus received as the gift of her conqueror has necessarily been overshadowed by the same influence. Her hopes of regaining her former ascendency were finally quenched by the defeat of France by the German States in 1870-71 and their immediate consolidation into the present union. In 1879 a formal treaty of alliance was concluded between Germany and Austria, Germany pledging herself to support Austria against an attack from Russia, while Austria undertook to help Germany against a joint attack by Russia and France. The immediate effect of that treaty was to avert the war that w&s threatened between Russia and Austria ; and in 1882 it waa strengthened by the inclusion of Italy. The Triple Alliance which was thus formed has endured to this day, and within the last ten years it has brought first the Anglo-French Agreement and then the Triple Entente as a counterpoise. During that period the growing pretensions of Germany have gradually alienated the good will of the Powers not included in either combination, and have even chilled the ardour of the junior partner in the Triple Alliance. With Italy neutral and Austria impotent, the dominant partner is left to fight singlehanded against the Powers of the Triple Entente, which have the active support of Belgium and Japan and the sympathy of practically the whole civilised world. An isolation a 8 complete as that of Napoleon on the eve of his fall is what t the Kaiser has secured for the Fatherland since he quarrelled with Bismarck and went into diplomacy on his own account. In 1905 he was not ready for war with England and France over Morocco, and the result of the submission of his claims to a European Conference 'was a decisive victory for his opponents. Three years later the Kaiser had his revenge. He was then ready for war but the Triple Entente was not, and the shaking of his mailed fist enabled | Austria to annex Bosnia and Herzegoj vina, without a, blow. In July last Germany and Austria were ready for another coup, of which Servia was to be the victim. In form, the quaarrel was »ne between Austria and Servia; but Germany was as clearly behind the one as Russia was behind the other. To dissever Germany from full responsibility for the arrogant and blundering policy of Austria is a sheer impossibility. Her Government knew what everybody else in Europe knew : that the flame which Austria proposed to light in Servia would probably spread into a general conflagration. E^ven if we are to accept the official profession of ignorance with regard to the terms of Austria's ultimatum to Servia, the disclaimer did not go to the substance of the document. In so far as the Kaiser and his advisers were ignorant of any step in the negotiations, they must be deemed to have suffered only from the ignorance of one who has given another a blank cheque with authority to fill it in. The irresistible inference is that the German Govern- ; ment considered that the incompleteness of Russia's military programme, the exposure of radical defects in the French preparations, and Britain's preoccupation wit4i Ulster, provided a splendid opportunity for asserting the sway of tho mailed itsi over the whole of Europe. The da.y to which German patriotism has so long been taught to look forward has dawned at last; but so far it has -not realised the golden expectations of the General Staff. The militarism which had long since ruined the diplomacy of tho Fatherland now bids 'fair to fail it even on the battlefield.