Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - XVI. On the eve of war
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
280
ON THE EVE OF WAR [chap. xvi.
ancient formula made on me. I thought to myself:
"When will the day come on which the Emperor, my
august Master, will open in person a national Duma
really worthy of the name and will with confidence
address the real representatives of the people, strong in
their rights, conscious of their duties, and especially
feeling themselves to be the sons of their country and
the authorised mandatories of their people?"
The Riksdag, with a few amendments, consented to
the expenditure which the Government asked for, for the
augmentation of the Swedish Army and its equipment.
While this Riksdag was sitting, the political situation
in Europe was becoming more gloomy every day. First
there was the milliard in free gifts previously deducted
by the German Chamber from all the great fortunes
of the country; then there was continual coming and
going between Berlin and Vienna; the heads of the
Staffs of the two Central Empires, and the heads of their
Fleets conferring together ; the interview of Konopischt
when William II. went to put the finishing touches to
the manipulation of Austria-Hungary in the person of
the heir to the throne, the warlike Arch-Duke Francis
Ferdinand; finally, the enormous sum poured into the
treasury of the German Red Cross. The language of the
Austro-German Press became daily more chauvinistic,
more uncompromising.
What was our country doing in view of all these
demonstrations, all this work, which were so to speak
staring us in the face ? I have no idea. No echo reached
me from St. Petersburg or from our Foreign Secretary.
Our Ambassador to Berlin, M. Sverbeieff, went on
leave towards the end of June—as he did every year at
the same time—to superintend farming operations on
his property at Tula. The Russian Ambassador to
Vienna, M. Schebeko, was soon to follow him, and did
actually start—two days before the sending of the celebrated
ultimatum to Serbia—for his property at Yaroslav. (He
had to retrace his steps almost as soon as he arrived in
St. Petersburg.)
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
