Servia’s ambitions have since grown and have been solely directed against the Dual Monarchy.  Russia has tacitly approved of Servia’s action because Russian statesmen wish to form an iron ring of enemies around Austria-Hungary and Germany in order that Russia’s grasp on Constantinople and on Asia should never again be meddled with.  Austro-Hungarian soldiers are fighting for their homes and for the maintenance of their country, the Russians are fighting to help the Russian Czar to gain the rule of the world, to destroy all his neighbors who may be dangerous to Russian ambitions.  England is helping the Russians to oust her German rival.  She feared for some time that German culture and German scientific methods would prove the stronger in a peaceful competition, and she now hopes to crush Germany with the help of Russia and France.  And France is fighting to win back Alsace-Lorraine, to take her revenge on Germany, which the French nation has been aiming at for the last forty-four years.

     That is how Austria-Hungary looks upon the war.  She never wished
     for territorial increase, she wished for peace and that her people
     should develop in safety.

Germany equally had nothing to gain by a war, but Germany knows that Austria-Hungary’s enemies are her enemies and that the dismemberment of the Hapsburg monarchy would mean the isolation of the German Empire.

     And so, after all efforts to keep Russia and England from breaking
     the peace of Europe had failed, she drew her sword to defend her
     and her allies’ (ally’s) interests.

Truth and honor are on the side of the two empires in this war, the unspeakable inventions and prevarications published by the French, Russian, and English press in the last weeks alone must prove to the American people who can afford to tell the truth and nothing but the truth in this war.

     The Austro-Hungarian and German people have a clear conscience and
     need fear no misrepresentation of their action.

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A DISCORDANT NOTE.

By Count Michael Karolyi, Leader of Hungarian Independent Party, New York, July 27.

If Austria had pursued a policy of directly helping the Balkan countries, if Austria had in the past made it a point to be actively their friend, this war would not confront us.  Since it has come, of course all Hungarians will support the empire and internal differences will be dismissed while the empire is imperiled.

As for the loyalty of the many Serbs within Austria-Hungary it is hard to say.  There again we must hope that they will take the Austrian side.  But the Austrian policy toward the Balkan countries has been wrong, all wrong.

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A German Review of the Evidence