MANIFESTO.
To my peoples! It was my fervent wish to consecrate the yearswhich, by the grace of God, still remain to me, to the works ofpeace and to protect my peoples from the heavy sacrifices andburdens of war. Providence, in its wisdom, has otherwise decreed.The intrigues of a malevolent opponent compel me, in the defense ofthe honor of my Monarchy, for the protection of its dignity and itsposition as a power, for the security of its possessions, to graspthe sword after long years of peace.
With a quickly forgetful ingratitude, the Kingdom of Servia, which,from the first beginnings of its independence as a State untilquite recently, had been supported and assisted by my ancestors,has for years trodden the path of open hostility toAustria-Hungary. When, after three decades of fruitful work forpeace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I extended my Sovereign rights tothose lands, my decree called forth in the Kingdom of Servia, whoserights were in nowise injured, outbreaks of unrestrained passionand the bitterest hate. My Government at that time employed thehandsome privileges of the stronger, and with extreme considerationand leniency only requested Servia to reduce her army to a peacefooting and to promise that, for the future, she would tread thepath of peace and friendship. Guided by the same spirit ofmoderation, my Government, when Servia, two years ago, wasembroiled in a struggle with the Turkish Empire, restricted itsaction to the defense of the most serious and vital interests ofthe Monarchy. It was to this attitude that Servia primarily owedthe attainment of the objects of that war.
The hope that the Servian Kingdom would appreciate the patience andlove of peace of my Government and would keep its word has not beenfulfilled. The flame of its hatred for myself and my house hasblazed always higher; the design to tear from us by forceinseparable portions of Austria-Hungary has been made manifest withless and less disguise. A criminal propaganda has extended over thefrontier with the object of destroying the foundations of [pg 226]State order in the southeastern part of the monarchy; of makingthe people, to whom I, in my paternal affection, extended my fullconfidence, waver in its loyalty to the ruling house and to theFatherland; of leading astray its growing youth and inciting it tomischievous deeds of madness and high treason. A series ofmurderous attacks, an organized, carefully prepared, and wellcarried out conspiracy, whose fruitful success wounded me and myloyal peoples to the heart, forms a visible bloody track of thosesecret machinations which were operated and directed in Servia.
A halt must be called to these intolerable proceedings and an endmust be put to the incessant provocations of Servia. The honor anddignity of my monarchy must be preserved unimpaired, and itspolitical, economic, and military development must be guarded fromthese continual shocks. In vain did my Government make a lastattempt to accomplish this object by peaceful means and to induceServia, by means of a serious warning, to desist. Servia hasrejected the just and moderate demands of my Government and refusedto conform to those obligations the fulfillment of which forms thenatural and necessary foundation of peace in the life of peoplesand States. I must therefore proceed by force of arms to securethose indispensable pledges which alone can insure tranquillity tomy States within and lasting peace without.
In this solemn hour I am fully conscious of the whole significanceof my resolve and my responsibility before the Almighty. I haveexamined and weighed everything, and with a serene conscience I setout on the path to which my duty points. I trust in my peoples,who, throughout every storm, have always rallied in unity andloyalty around my throne, and have always been prepared for theseverest sacrifices for the honor, the greatness, and the might ofthe Fatherland. I trust in Austria-Hungary*s brave and devotedforces, and I trust in the Almighty to give the victory to my arms.
FRANZ JOSEF.
