Notes and Comments.

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 3011, 4 August 1916, Page 2

Notes and Comments.

End of Roger Casement

Tho hanging of Roger Casement is a just soquol to a doubly . traitorous r.ct of an ingrato. He was not only an ingrato aud traitor to an Empire which had given him a title ana a pension, but ho was a traitor to Ireland, in that his rebellion jeopardised tho Homo Rule movement, which was then in its settlement stage. P. :'s just, too, that he should bo fully disgraced by hanging by tho neck in a common gaol, rather than be idohued as a martyr in being shot against ihe wall within the Tower of Lotidia. This act of justice on the part of Britain augurs well for tlie penalty that is to bo meted out to tho Arch Hun. Kaiser Wilhelni of Germany. Men who acted under Roger Casement were punished with the extreme penalty—why not the man higher up than Roger Casement?

Melting Greece. Every obstacle that King Constantino of Greece had put in the way of the Allies for the benefit of Brother-in-law Wilholm the Hun has now been removed, and thero is no longer a threatened danger behind tho AngloFrench force when it moves up from Salonica to prove the nether to Russia's upperstone for the crushing of Bulgaria. Tho demobilisation of tho Greek army is a sure indication that M. Venizeios is coming triumphantly out of the general elections, tho result of which we may expect shortly, It is probable that tho Allies aro satisfied that thoy can do without tlie active co-operation of tho Greeks as a fighting force, thanks to the tremendous energy of tho Russians. If tho Greek army came in, it would probably demand a greedy quid pro quo that would bo by no means fair to give to a King who has played just as he pleased with tho Allies, and had torn up his scrap-of-paper treaty with Serbia as callously as his Hunnish brother-in-law tore up tho treaty with Belgium. Never so long as Constantino is on the throne will the Servians ever forgive tho Greeks for failing to come to their rescue in the hour of their extremity.

Roumania on the Verge. ] It has long been thought that when Roumania decided to come'into the fight, Greece would act simultaneously. But times and things have changed. Although tho King of Roumania is even moro closely connected with tho Kaiser than Constantino the Dane —King Ferdinand was a Hohenzollern princolot and he is married to a Saxc-Cobiu'g-Gotha princess—the Roumanians have played a neutral part that was not only fair, .but, if anything, favoured Russia and the Allies. There has certainly been no treachery on Roumania's part,, such as Greco displayed frequently; and if the Roumanians have waited all the' time to see which way the cat was really going to jump, who can blame them? Her position, situated in the midst of a circle formed by the boundaries of Austria, Russia, Turkey, and Bulgaria, renders it necessary for Roumania to step warily. But her neutrality has been as valuable to both sides hitherto as her active participation will be now to the Allies. For the Roumanians of all the Balkan tribes have been the people who have flourished and prospered and grown rich whilst their neighbours were impoverishing themselves in the wars of 1911-12, in which she did not tike part. Roumania has the finest army on the Continent outside the_jirm!es actually engaged in fighting. She can put between 600,000 and 700,000. troops in the field, all well trained and all born fighters, like most of the men in the Balkans. And Russia 'on? ago agreed to supply the munitions for her warfare. Roumania also has a nifivy which will prove very usanl to her if she goes to war with Arstria, for her ships are constructed .'or fighting on the -Danube, which runs through Roumania and Austria. If the Bulgars will only put up a fglit. then the Balkan problem will be settled for all time, as Bulgaria has been the greediest and most am.-t:cus of all the Balkan nations, and she wid .be wiped off the map if the Allies gc at the Brutal Bulgar.