The utterances of Servia's statesmen and people since the
war began have not appeared in English. Only accounts of
fighting by the nation from which the great conflagration
started have been printed. How Servia has judged the issues
while conducting her struggle against annihilation, and how
the neighboring Balkan States regard her, are
authoritatively presented below.
_Premier Pashitch spoke in the Skuptschina, or Servian Parliament, on
Aug. 4, 1914, and made the following declaration given to the press by
the Official Servian Bureau:_
Mr. Pashitch laid stress on the fact that the Serajevo affair was used
as pretext for the war, desired long ago by the Austrian Monarchy,
which did not look on Pan-Serbism with a favorable eye, while the
aspirations of other countries of Rumania, Germany, and Italy were
tolerated. The Austro-Hungarian Monarchy wished to crush Servian
aspirations by curbing the Servian prestige.
In answering the Austrian note, Mr. Pashitch said, we reached the
extreme limits of submission to her demands. We did everything in
order to avoid the conflict and prove that we were peaceful. Now, all
united, we will defend our rights.
We rely on the sympathy and support of great and sisterly Russia, who
knows that our foes have been conspiring against our independence and
our progress, and who will not permit our prestige to be crushed. At
the side of Russia we have other friends.
(Long live Russia! Long live England! Long live France! Long live the
Triple Entente!)
I thank the Opposition--continued Mr. Pashitch--because she has united
with us in these critical moments, forgetting in the face of danger
party lines and the dissension of opinions.
_From Nish the following official communication was telegraphed to the
foreign press by the Government Bureau on Aug. 9, 1914:_
The Servian mobilization was effected with marvelous order, and once
more it proved the good military organization of Servia, and how much
the country can rely on the patriotic devotion of her soldiers.
Notwithstanding the erroneous statements of a part of the foreign
press, notwithstanding the speedy development of events,
notwithstanding the season of work in the fields, fully 80 per cent.
of the reserves presented themselves on the first day of mobilization,
which was completed amid general enthusiasm.
For a long time the Servians knew that the main struggle would be
turned against Austria. The Montenegrin and Servian peoples enter the
war against the common foe with an equal confidence in their armies.
The enthusiasm of these two countries is all the stronger from the
fact that they are fighting simultaneously with the aid of the
Russians, French, and English. Numerous manifestations have taken
place in Servian and Montenegrin cities in favor of Russia, France,
and England.