Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1849-06-16
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HuNeARY.-The important position assumed
by the people of Hungary gives deep interest
to all their movements. The annexed article
from the Boston Atlas presents in a condensed
form an intelligent view of her existing rela.
tIons with Austria
THE HUNGARIAN WAR.
1t is very prevalent, but very erroneous
idea, that the contest now raging between
hungary and Austria is a mere rebellion of
one OF The provinces of great Empire-that
the Hungarians are but half civilized race
her nobleoare tyrants, and her people are slaves.
But Hungary is an independent nation her
government is limited monarchy, and her
constitution, in many respects, similar to that Of
England. She has a Parliament, called the
Diet, composed of two chambers, Peers and
Commons, which the King is bound to summon
at least once IN three years; and this Diet
regulates the internal affairs Of the State
Unfortunately, however, it cannot originate
laWs-lts action Is confined TO those subjects
which the King chooses 10 present for consid-
Grafton; and 1t is for this reason only that Hun
gary has been behind the age in political re-
form. Until lS47 her population was divided
into two distinct and entirely separate classes
mobiles and peasants; and all ofnoble descent
belonged to the first class, whether rich or poor
titled or not. The entire class was exempt
from taxation, and the whole burden of the
State was borne by the peasants. In the course
of events, the Dukes of Austria--the residuary
legatees of all the rulers "by divine right
with whom they have ever intermarried-be-
came kings of Hungary, and thus it happens
that Hungary has come TO be considered merely
an Austrian province. Each of these Dukes
more recently Emperors-on his accession to
the throne was obliged to swear that he would
govern IN constitutional manner and support
the institutions of the State but most of them
like the English Stuarts-haye broken their
oaths and endeavored To substitute divine
right" for law, despotsm for liberty, consolida-
ton for independence. But these attenps at
usurpatlon have always been manfully met, and
neither force nor fraud has ever vet been able
to deprive the HungarianS of their laws and
their independence the most that Austria
could accomplish was to keep them from ad-
vancng. For more than half century the
Hungarians have been trying to induce their
kings 20 call the attention of their Diet TO po-
litlcal subjects, IN order to bring about impor-
tant reformatlons IN legal manner; petition
and promise has followed promise, only to be
e1aded or broken. At length, in lS47, the
long sought favor was granted the Archdnke
Palatine-representlR the king-caied the
attention OF the Diet to those subject which had
been so long the object OF petitions, and the re-
suits of the deliberations of that assembly are
without parallel III history. The upper House
like the English House Of Lords-was COM
posed of the hereditary nobility-owners the
soil, who received its produce and were exempt
from taxation; and the lower House was elect
ed, IN great measure, from the class of mobiles
who were in like manner free from all the bur-
dens otthe State and yet, IN the words of the
writer in Blackwood-
:" by unanimous votes of both houses, the
Diet not only established perfect equality of
civil rights ard public burdens amongst all
classes, denominations, and re ces in Hungary
and its provinces, and perfect liberation of re-
ligious worship; but with generosity perhaps
unparalleled in the history of nations, and
which must extorl the admiration even ofthose
who may question the wisdom of the measure,
the mobiles OF Hungary abolished their own
right to exact either labor or produce in re-
turn for the lands held by urbarial tenure, and
thus transferred 10 The peasants the absolute
ownership, free and forever, of nearly hall the
cultivated tand IN the kingdom, reserving to the
original proprletors such compensation as the
government might award from the public funds
Vi hiullSai1. hOFe tHdH OUU,UuU peasant J0fll-
itteS ,oere thus INFESTED Nth the absolute 0,on-
ership OIL from thirty to sixty acres ofland each
The elective franchise was extended to every
man possessed of capital or property of the val
ue OF $50, or an annual income OF $50 to ey-
cry man who has received a diploma from
university, and TO every artisan who employs
an apprentice"
We repeat it, such On instance of liberahly,
oftrue patriotism, of disnteresed love of liberty,
cannot be found in the history OF the world
And this splendid deed is the true cause of the
present war. 1t was this which reused the
sluggish Austrians from the sleep of ages, and
made them think of freedom. II was this
which lighted the flame of liberty in despotlc
Prussia. 1t was this sacrifice oftime. honored
vested rights-this great concession of a gal
liant and generous race to the claims and long
lost rights Of the people, which came near over
turning all the despotisms of Europe at one
swoop.
To crush this noble nation, despotism IS arm.
ed and arming. For an open attack there vac