been the same—financial gain, political power, and personal glory. No generous impulse has ever been allowed to "spoil trade." The latest transaction of this kind to be carried through by the Hapsburg family was the illegal seizure and annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. These provinces were snatched by the Hapsburgs in flagrant defiance of their treaty obligations. To call this sort of thing "trading" is to libel the term. It was nothing more or less than robbery or piracy of the meanest sneak-thief class. It is illustrative, however, of the class of "trade" the Hapsburg family have generally been engaged in. If respect for treaty obligations were always alone sufficient to invoke an appeal to war, then, at the time of that seizure, Britain and the other Powers might well have declared war against the monarchy. The present war, therefore, so far as Austria-Hungary is concerned, is but a war which should have been commenced, but with Britain and her Allies as the aggressors, many years ago.
The House of Hapsburg is now represented on the throne of the monarchy by the Emperor Francis Joseph, who has worn the Dual Crown since 1848. The heir-presumptive, who may be said to have been even more Hapsburg in his ideas and his actions than Francis Joseph himself, and who is the subject of a more detailed reference elsewhere, was, until his assassination, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The present heir-presumptive, Archduke Charles Franz Joseph, was born in 1887 and so far, in the absence of opportunity, has shown nothing of his ideas and aspirations as a future sovereign. He is married to a princess of the House of Bourbon-Parma, he and his consort, in the nonpolitical life they have hitherto led, having become very popular with his future subjects. In view of the fact that his wife is the granddaughter of one of the French kings, has been educated in France, and is known to have strong French sympathies—her brothers even having large commercial interests in France—it is more than probable that, at present at least, the heir-presumptive has decided French leanings, and so may not be so decidedly friendly with Germany as was his predecessor.
Francis Joseph, because of his great age and because of the peaceful conditions which have been forced upon him during the last few years, has, during the present generation, acquired in countries distant from the influence of his dynasty a reputation for peaceful wishes and principles which he is far from deserving. A word from him could have prevented this present great war. It was a word from him that commenced it. The words which let loose the dogs of war were prompted by feelings of irritation and revenge. Irritation because his Slav subjects would not submit
