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[March 15, 1909.
THE HONGKONG WEEKLY PRESS AND
position to a similar mandate from the Berlin Nor was the gradual cessation of the Congress, and who was so to speak admini-hubbub brought about by any return to strator "on good behaviour," has for the more rational modes of thought. Austro- last ten or twelve years been pulling at the Hungary, officially the Dual Monarchy, in skirts of European royalty to allow him to reality is compounded of three elements enter their society, and wear a crown on almost of equal moment.-Teutonic, Mag- terms of equality; a claim which has always yar, and Slavonic, each one carefully watch- been rejected with a shrug and a smile. It ing the other for any sign of temporary seemed clear to him that if Austria could weakness. Pretty equally balanced, Mag don the cr n of Bosnia without remou- yar and Teuton have generally combined strance, Bulgaria, whom he thought when the other became too aggressive, and equally ad looking, had an equal right to in this case the largest Slavic element in change his headgear.
Austria itself was showing unmistakeable signs of joining with Servia in a Pan-Slavic demonstration. Austria had been talking rather too big, and had gone to the lengths of threatening hostilities. Of course state for state in war with Austro-Hungary Ser- via would be no-where, but Austria at last began to recognise that however successful she were in the field, her most dangerous enemy was to be found, not in the field, but at home in her own large and united Slavonic population. When therefore England grave- ly proposed that the Powers should
tending family government to a State will arrive; just as, upon Imperial lines, it will arrive at a paternal system similar to that which has worked so much oppression in China. Whether government emanates from above or from below, it ought clearly to be confined to its own province; and harm will, in the end, always result when its powers are directed to matters not properly within its sphere. It is, of course, not easy to define absolutely at what point the sphere of government action ends. This, however, can be done negatively and the ordinary test is, whether in any given case what is pro- Meanwhile Servia had on its own account posed can or cannot be done by individuals been playing higli jinks at home, had been or by legitimate independent associations. murdering in a merry mood her worthless Such matters or enterprises may no doubt king, had been placed under tabu by the be at times advantageously aided by Go-other sovereigns, and was smarting under vernment, but this is a very different thing the indignity. For her, too, the time seemed to the Government undertaking them itself to have come that by deeds of exalted as has been markedly the case in recent prowess she might receive the respect of times.
her neighbours. Bulgaria had succeeded by sheer persistence in making the Powers acquiesce in her occupation of Eastern Rumelia, and Servia could not be brought to see why by similar self-asserti in she should not creep into Novi Bazaar and northern Macedonia. She was a young nation that had not yet come to years of discretion, and in her young Crown Prince GEORGE, she had a second WINSTON CHURCHILL who kept goading her on to doughty deeds irre- spective of consequences. Montenegro, too, though more mature, had a little grievance which she thought might as well be settle! while the fun was on. Austria blocked her from her sei coast, and she would like Cattaro, a reasonable enough request if every one was to have a finger in the pie.
THE BALKAN SQUABBLE.
Only Turkey was left out, and as she would have eventually to pay the piper, it was not unnatural that she should protest to the signatories of the Berlin Convention to shield her from wholesale spoliation. Such was the little bit of fun that BARON VON AEHRENTHAL's unconsidered attempt to change his fee-farm to fee-simple had raised in the Balkan ten-cup.
C
admonish" both Austria and Servia, the situation at once began to change with a rapidity almost ridiculous. Austria at once recognised that the admonishment, on a question of mistreatment of her Slavic population, would tend to still further weaken their already strained ideas of allegiance. It would have been a repetition of the case of England when the Pope put King JonIN under an interdict. So Germany was invoked, and the Emperor, still strong in the doctrine of Divine Right, declined to agree. This opened the way for the acceptance of Russia's proposal that Servia alone should be "admonished." What admonishment implies it is not worth while stopping to enquire, the threat seems to have been sufficient, so there is room for the hope that at last the symptoms are favourable to reason. 0, it is to be hoped, has evaporated before serious harm has been done one of the most senseless "shindies" which bas occupied Europe for two
centuries.
(Daily Press, 11th March) Therecentshindy in the Balkan Peninsula, for the contretemps really deserves no better name, affords a fair illustration of how very undignified may become the petty squabbles of civilised Europe. FRANCIS JOSEPH, the veteran Emperor of Austro-Hungary, now in his seventy ninth year, has naturally been seeking to shift as much as he could of the responsibilities of Empire on to the shoulders of the Heir, the Arch-Duke FRANCIS FERDINAND, and the Imperial Minister, BARON VON AEHRENTHAL. Delighted at being out of leading-strings, it seemed a fine thing to inaugurate their newly found free- dom by some safe but noteworthy act. The House of Hapsburg, whose head is at once Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, and the many dependencies of each, which are largely inhabited by peoples of Slavonic race, holds its huge possessions by a very com- plicated tenure, each of the three main aces having its own peculiar constitution, and all three being intensely jealous of one another. Since 1878, by the decision of the Now it is hardly saying too much to Berlin Congress, the Austro-Hungarian | affirm that of the main points at issue, not monarch has been further entrusted with only the public of Europe, but most of the administration of the formerly Turkish governments were profoundly ignoraut. A CHINESE AND THE TRANSVAAL. provinces of Bosnia and Herzogovina. few well considered words at first would Under the administration of the wise old probably have prevented the subsequent Emperor FRANCIS JOSEPH, these provinces effervescence, but where all were excited, had made huge strides in wealth and general and each bawling at the top of his voice, the civilisation; and with the new home policy still small sound of reason could not be it seemed that the time and opportunity heard for the din. Germany at one time by had arrived to unify the administration by ecall ing her ally Austria to the facts of the formally amalgamating it with the Empire. ase, and advising caution before exciting -There was nothing very alarming in the the worst passions of the new Balkan States, idea, as for all intents and purposes Turkey might have definitely stopped the agitation; had given up all claim to, or thought of, the but at the moment she rather fancied the reversion, and with a little diplomatic hubbub; and when Sir EDWARD GREY respect to ber possibly tender susceptibili- suggested that as Austria had been placed ties on the subject, a few words might have in occupation of the principalities by the arranged the whole. BARON VON AEHREN- joint action of the Powers at the Berlin THAL, Minister of the Imperial House, was Congress, it was only right that before however, the hero of the Salonica Railway changing the tenure she should also get schemes, wherein he had sought to carry their approbation, he found that he had out his own views without consultation with inadvertently touched her raw spot, the the other Powers; and though he found that Divine Right of kings to do wrong. That on the whole the other Powers were favour. France loyally joined England in the able or indifferent, there was enough of attempt to end the turmoil only increased uncivil talk to show that old jealousies were the difficulty, for it was one of Germany's not extinct. Regardless of this the sorest grievances at the moment that Minister resolved to carry out his new France and England should have a joint scheme, which entirely altered the inter-policy in which Germany was, as she thought national aspect of the occupation of the left out in the world. Such were the cir- Principalities, with as little consideration for the public feeling of Europe and Turkey. The idea was, to say the least of it, not wise, but neither VON AEHRENTHAL nor Europe had any reason to anticipate that it would have become the occasion for a regular Irish row. Now it so happened that PRINCE FERDINAND the ruling prince of Bulgaria, who owed his
cumstances, creditable to none of the actors, that nearly plunged Europe into another Thirty Years War last year. There were absolutely no interests concerned of import- ance to any one of the Powers, the highest ambition of any one of them being the exchange of a cap of maintenance for a crown.
(Daily Press, 12th March.) We notice that Mr. AsquITH, at a recent assembly at the National Club in London, took occasion, in reviewing the work which the Liberal Government has accomplished, to refer to the question of the Chinese immigration to the Transvaal. He claimed it as a great credit to the Government of which he was the head, that they had put an end to the system--and this statement appears to have been accepted without any reservation, by his audience and by the public generally. There is, of course, no reason why the Prime Minister should not have put a crown upon all that the Liberal Government have accomplished, especially when speaking in so congenial an at- mosphere as that of the National Liberal Club. But it might have been wise to have left the Chinese Immigration question alone as, however much the Liberals may pride themselves on having put a stop to the immigration, the facts with regard to that matter are only too well known. In the first place it was conclusively shown as time went on that the cries which had been made to serve their purpose at the last general election were simple fabrications; and that there was not anything of the nature of slavery, or even of unduly severe conditions in the contracts for labour which were concluded with the Chinese. The inter- ference which was attempted was therefore uncalled for; and when this was pressed