Show ALIX ALI X INTERESTS IN Th EASTERN SEAS r New ew York Tribune Captain T Mahan might add a postscript to his book on sea power In history history his his- tory to show the manner In which relations between a third rate maritime marl marl- time power and a n. wholly inland power were determined b by naval operations S between two other powers at the other side eldo of oC tho the world t It ma may to some strange to say that tho the controversies contro contro- over Bosnia and Herzegovina and between Hungary Austria and Sen-la Sen were decided years ears in advance ad off oCt Port Arthur and Tsu Island yet It Itis itis is exactly true No o Judicious observer imagines that at any time before beCore tho Japanese Japan se war Hungary Austria would havo have ventured to seize the provinces pro inces and to humiliate and oppress Servia or that If IC she had done so o RUBIa Rue RUB sla sia Ia would have havo meekly acquiesced It 1 w was as the tho annihilation of oC her sea power r Rn and her consequent overwhelming o defeat de defeat de- de fe feat t on land Jand which so impaired Rus- Rus sias sia's authority in Sn European councils as as' as to subject her to tho defiance of ot S Hungary Austria-Hungary and to compel her to endue with complaisance the spoliation tion thin of ot those Southern Slays Slavs whose Interests interests in interests in- in were formerly 7 the object of ot her hel Jealous and effective e care F This his was t and L is J the situation Aus- Aus J r iria took advantage antage of ot Russia's Rus Bus alas sia's weakness to seize the provinces pro before beCore rehabilitated Turkey should bo be strong enough to reclaim them and also to crush Servia Into practical vas- vas so as to open tho the way war from Crom the Danube to Salon Salonica lea and Germany German 5 from the tho first encouraged and supported support support- ed cd Hungary Austria if IC indeed she did not riot actually suggest the latter's action Ital Italy deprecated it all but hut was kept neutral by br obligations as a member of ot the Triple Alliance Amance Great Britain and 4 France strongly resented and opposed d 1 the thc breach of ot faith but they naturally waited for Russia to tako take tho the initiative since RUs Russia's ia's Interest was obviously paramount to theirs Moreover had l they antagonized Hungary Austria and andI I Germany outright there would have lz been a contest of oC two powers against two What was wanted and nd what but for the tho cataclysms of ot the Eastern seas would promptly havo have been granted was vas for Russia to throw her weight into tho the scale against tho treaty breaking break break- lug ins spoilers But Russia's strength strengthS S had been sapped and her weight t wasted wasted wast wast- ed cd at Port Arthur and Tsu Tau Island and she was con constrained to stand by a a. passive passive pas pas- sive sivo spectator while while- the tho interests atthe of at the Southern Slays Slavs were t disposed cd of b by alien powers She was or Is even worse than pas pas- 1 sivo for tor by acquiescing In the annexation annexation annex annex- atlon of ot the provinces pro she has bas deprived deprived deprived de de- de- de her friends of oC the little strength th which she had left loft and has lent it to her enemies Had she sho simply refrained from that acquiescence Great Britain and Franco could logically and ef f f- f have havo done the same rind nd in inthe tho the face tace of ot such refusal to approve her her- her course courso Hungary Austria-Hungary oven under un- un dor der tho the ambitious lead of ot Archduke Francis Ferdinand and Baron Daron thaI thal would doubtless have paused in tho assault upon Servian 1 dence deuce But with Russia the especial champion of oC Slav interests thus condoning condoning con con- the Magyar German raid Inthe in inthe the tho Balkans there there- was left little ground for Cor or effective resistance by other and less Interested powers Sir Edward Grey is doubtless doing his best for tor equity to Servia but ho he is sorely handicapped by Mr Iswolsky's practical desertion at the critical mo mo- S ment mont Perhaps however wo we should not riot blamo blame Mr Iswolsky lIe He is too sorely handicapped b by the blunders 1 and nd disasters of oC his predecessors Russia's Russia's Rus Rue sias sia's defeat In the thc Far East means Russian Impotence in the thc Balkans |