Balkan Peninsula -- Description and travel; Eastern question (Balkan)
During my stay in Belgrade, besides being graciously granted private
audience by His Majesty King Peter, I had many opportunities of
discussing Servian politics with the Premier, M. Nicholas Pachitch; Dr.
Milenko Vesnitch, Minister of Justice; M. Stoyanovitch, the Minister of
Commerce; M. Patchu, Minister of Finance; M. Andrea Nikolitch, Minister
of Public Instruction; M. Yovan Gyaya, who has formed the new Radical
Party; and many other leading men of both sides. I very carefully
investigated each question, in order to present to the British public,
for the first time, the actual truth of the present state of affairs in
Servia.
Quite recently the British Government resumed diplomatic relations with
the Servian Court, therefore it is fitting that a fair and unbiassed
statement should now be put forward, in order to show Servia as she
really is, her aims, her aspirations, and her future policy in the
Balkans.
I confess that I found considerable difficulty in forming my
conclusions. The policy, however, which the present strong and
level-headed Government are pursuing is a policy which, having carefully
heard both sides, I have no hesitation whatever in endorsing as the very
best for the peace and future of the nation. It is strong, without being
belligerent, even though Austria has never ceased to annoy, irritate,
and intrigue.
Balkan questions are both difficult and intricate, but I will endeavour
to describe the true state of affairs as plainly and briefly as
possible. This work, though not intended to be a political treatise,
would be incomplete without some explanation of the mysteries of the
politics of the various Balkan countries I visited. Therefore, at risk
of being perhaps a little too outspoken, I will state the Servian case
just as I found it.
One of the burning questions in Servia at the present time is the
Customs War with Austria. The latter Power has endeavoured to ruin
Servia, but has fortunately not succeeded, even though her emissaries
are everywhere, and many newspaper correspondents are undoubtedly in her
pay. For this latter reason Servia has, for many years past, been
presented to Europe in a false light and columns of untruths telegraphed
from Zimony, or Semlin, the Hungarian town on the opposite bank of the
Save.
Briefly, the truth is as follows:—
Austria—and with her Germany—is slowly but surely marching to the East.
One sees and hears evidence of it everywhere in the Balkans. The
extended talons of the Austrian eagle are as apparent—and perhaps more
so in Servia than in Montenegro. Servia bars Austria’s way southward to
that much-coveted port, Salonica. It is therefore not to Austria’s
interest that Servia should be at peace. Unfortunately for Servia, the
Occidental people view the Eastern questions through the spectacles of
the Vienna Press, which is—for the most part—inspired by the Austrian
Government.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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