The actions of the Vienna government have, since the beginning of the war, shown that there is a fate which points toward destruction. After having want only declared War on Servia, the dual monarchy evoked forces which threaten to devour her now. She had several times during the War had an opportunity to disententangle herself from the German yoke; its government could have escaped complete dissolution and could have rescued at least certain parts from the wreck of the ancient state. Great Britain was willing to leave her partly intact under the conditions of a separate peace, divorced from the German cause. This opportunity was given at the end of the second year of the War, which was a period of distress for the Allies. The Vienna government did not take the hint given it by England. Austria, misled by passing successes against Servia and Rumania, tightened 2the ties that bound her to Germany, which "held her up so faithfully," just about as secure as the rope which holds up a hanged one.

There came a change, but too late. The new Emperor of Austria made some feeble attempts to influence Germany, which stood in the shadow of a threatening war with the United States. The menace of this War with the United States prompted Count Czernin to sound the Allies for a possible peace. London, Paris, and Petrograd waved off. Emperor Carl was then ordered to the headquarters of the Kaiser, there to receive further instructions.

The United States declared War on Germany which resolved now to drag Austria along into the abbys by compelling her to break off diplomatic relations with the United States, and so sign her own death warrant.

We Czechs were very much distrubed by the attitude which President Wilson 3took some time ago. He sought to isolate Germany by working for a separation of Austria from Germany. This might have saved Austria. Luckily for our Czech people the attempts to separate Austria from Germany came to naught; Austria was already too tightly in the grip of the German tentacles. Many articles had been written in America, which knew nothing about the real nature of the dual monarchy, with the intention of saving Austria-Hungary the dissolution of which is a vital prerequisite for the liberation of the Czech people. This was acknowledged by the Allies, who answered President Wilson's inquiry about their conditions for peace, by making the liberation of the small nations one of the terms.

The United States may congratulate themselves upon the actions of Austria. It will give our country an opportunity to get rid of a host of disagreeable agents of the kaiser, who recruited themselves from all the Austrian diplomats and consuls in the United States. They can be removed now. Consuls Nuber Von Pereked in New York, and Ernst Ludwig in Cleveland, are two men 4who have acquired much notoriety by their agitation to incite strikes and other unrest. Nuber was the go-between in the sales of ammunition to the Central Powers, and was aided by the Austrian ambassador Dumba. Ludwig was under observation by United States detectives, who found him involved in diverse spy activities.

These conditions have changed now. The kaiser has lost his agents who worked here under the guise of Austrian employes. Bulgaria and Turkey will within a short time be counted among our enemies, not in theory, but in actuality, then the line up will be complete. On one side the whole world, on the other a handful of desperate autocrats, who hide behind the protection of so many millions of oppressed people who do not know where they stand.