Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 August 1916 — FOURTEENTH ENTRY IN WAR [ARTICLE]

FOURTEENTH ENTRY IN WAR

Roiunania Declares War on Austria- / Hungarian Government. London, Aug. 28. —Italy’s formal declaration of war on Germany has been followed promptly by a declaration of war by Roumania against Austria-Hungary. Official announcement of Roumania’s action was made in Berlin today. Roumania’s decision to enter the war was taken at a meeting of the crown council held at Bucharest terday morning, says a news dispatch from Geneva. / Rome and Berlin both reported officially late yesterday that declaration of war had been issued by Italy. The notification was sent through the Swiss government and declared that the Italian government regarded itself at war with Germany from August 28. Germapy probably will declare war on Roumania within 24 hours, after which Turkey and Bulgaria are expected to do likewise. The Roumanian legation in Berlin is being guarded by the police, these advices say, as stones were thrown through the windows of the Italian embassy in Berlin yesterday.

Roumania is the fourteenth nation to join in the war. Her intervention either on the side of the entente allies, or the central powers has been awaited with symptoms of concern by both since the beginning of the great conflict. This is due, not entirely to Roumania’s military strength, but also to the strategic advantage of her geographical position, and the fact that her entry into the struggle opens to the Russian army a gateway through to Roumania to attack the Bulgarians from the north, while the allied army having its base at Salonica attacks them and their German allies from the south. Roumania’s military strength is by no means inconsiderable. The country has a population of 6,800,000 and her army has been estimated at 580,000. It often has been described as one of the most thoroughly equipped and disciplined armies in Europe, but recent information from Bucharest has thrown some doubt on its quality. Lately it has been stated that Roumanian officers are illtrained and undisciplined, that Roumania has no heavy artillery and that its flying service is inferior. Some advocates of Roumania’s participation in the war have asserted that she could mobilize as many as 1,000,000 men. The mobilization of her army has been in progress for months and, a few days ago, was reported to be complete.