WAR ALMS: [To THE Enrroa or ma " SPECTLTOR."3 Sea,—In
view of Count Czernin's opposition to the passage in the Russian peace offer concerning the "self-determination of subject nationalities," it is unfortunate that this principle, which is by all means more important than the ambiguous catchword " Without annexations or indemnities," should not have been more fully endorsed and emphasized by the recent Labour Conference. The liberation of Austria's subject nationalities is the first step towards the democratization of Central Europe. The Austrian Empire, based on dynastic power, racial tyranny, police and bureaucracy, cannot be allowed to continue to exist, if justice and democracy are to triumph. The complete emancipation of Aus- trian Slays and Latins is synonymous with the realization of the principles of democracy. If the dynastio power, racial tyranny and autocracy, which are the very foundations of Austria, are broken, then Austria will cease to exist and will fall to pieces. On the other hand, democracy will not be realized as long as the thirty million Austrian Slave and Latins are left to the mercy of the Germans and Magyars. It would, therefore, be quite con- sistent with the Allies' policy, since they have already declared the liberation of the Czecho-Slovaks, Slave, and Rumanians to be one of their war aims, if they endorsed also the principle of " self- determination " proclaithed by the Bolsheviks, who declare that " nationalities not hitherto in the enjoyment of political inde- pendence are to be allowed the right to decide by means of a Referendum whether they elect to be united to other nations or to acquire independence." There is no doubt that if the Austrian Slays were given full freedom of decision they would decide for complete separation from Austria. The silence of the Allied statesmen and ixditicians on the problem of Austria-Hungary only tends to give the world the wrong impression that the importance of the liberation of Poland, Bohemia, Serbo-Croatia, and Rumania
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