The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-04-17

The Cause OF Hungary and IT. Amertoau
AdveEsaxtes.
Hostsss--'s put thee now to thy book oath
deny it il thou canst
FaisiaG Ito the Justice: IN ylord, this is a poor
mad souls and she says, up and dovm the te.on tho
her eldest son is like you.
The Courier and Enquirer saw fit on the 80
instant, to alude to the contemplated visit of the
editor OF the Tribune to Europe, and express
hope that he would extend.hs tour to Austris
ana hungary, In order to disabuse himself OF
ms impression that the cause Of Hungary, as
represented by Kossuth and his compatriots in
the late struggle with Austria, was the cause OF
national and general freedom. The Courier
and Enquirer thereupon proceeded to set us
right with regard to the origin and causes OF
that memorable contest, asserting that the basis
OF the quarrel was an attempt by Austria 10 de-
stroy The exclusive privileges Of The Magyar race
IN Hungary by extending equal privileges and
universal suffrage 10 The hitherto subject and OPP
pressed Slaronic races. Says the Courier
'The Hungarians are brave and gallant peo-
pie; and the Magyars had just as much right to
insist upon retaining in their own hands the pow
er which had always been theirs, as the white
population of the Southern States would have the
right to resist the extension Of suffrage to their
slaves by Congress. Such an attempt by the gen
eral government would be good cause for rebel
| lion; and althe world would respect them for re-
sisting it. And this is precisely what Austria did
illegally and in defiance Of the ancient constitution
| of Hungary and the vested rights of the Magyar
race. She gave freedom and equal rights to the
Siaponic races--the Croatians and others--in d.
rect violation of the constitution of Hungary and
of the vested rights Of those who had for centur-
les governed the country. This was lawfully and
CALAMITY resisted; and all Christendom admired
the indomiable courage of nation doing battle
for its ancient rights. For this they were entitled
to respect, and admiration but Republicans we
were not called upon to syn,pathise with their re-
sisance to decree which gave political freedom
to the great majority of the people ofHungary"
| To these distinct averments we (the next
morning. made answer that
"1'he pretence Of granting universal suffrage in
Hungary was not resorted TO by Austria till long
after the breaking out of the war in Hungary,
nor even till after she had been severely logged
in her single-handed contest with the Hungarlans
That it was only pretence even he must allow !;
for Austria is, by Russia's help, completely tr-
umphant, and the last shadow of resistance to her
sway has long since vanished; yet up to this day
the Hungarians have had nothing but the promise
Of government by universal suffrage any form
of self government. Will our diplomatic friend
be good enough to meet explicitly on these vital
ponts' We ask him to give the date of the rup-
ture between Hungary and the Austrian court,
and along with it the date of the decree of unver-
sal suffrage in Hungary by Austria, and then tell
us when this paper grant of universal suffrage be-
came anything more than paper programme
akin to the oaths TO respect the Hungarian consti
tuition, appoint none but Hungarans to Office in
hungary. &c. &c. which Austrian kings have
regularly sworn and broken for centuries past'"
Here you see the issue distinctly made up
The Courier asserting that the Hungarian
struggle had its ORIGIN in an illegal attempt by
=, Il 80 RI
which that journal declares them utterly unfit to
the Slavonan population,of Hungary, and the re-
sistance thereto of the Magyar aristocracy, con-
tending lawfully and galantly for their "ancient
constitution" and "vested rights !" The Tribune,
on the contrary, contending that such could not
have been the origin of the contest for two rea-
SONS viz. /. The war between Hungary and
Austria broke out long before Austria made any
pretence of giving freedom and equal rights to
the Slavonic races" and
| 2. In point of fact, she nerer did anu such
thing, but merely issued paper constitution in
the crisis of the struggle, to which, up to this
moment she has never given the least practical
validity, nor manifested any disposition to carry
into effect.
If these two averments are sustained, do they
not completely confute the Courer's assertions
and inM.idate its whole line of argument
Most surely, an illegal decree issued by an Aus.
trian monarch in March, l849. cannot have been
the cause of n conflict which commenced in the
autumn of l848. Is it not so!
But is not the other point equally clear Aus
tria, it is assumed by the Courier, desired to
emancipate the Slavonians-to grant them uni
versal suffrage, equal rights with the Magyars,
and political freedom. This desire was express
sed in an imperial decree dated March 4th, l849
Within a few months thereafter, Hungary was
utterly crushed by the immense armies Of Rus
sia and Austria, aided by the Slavonian tribes
and the treason of Gorgey. Since that event,
| the Emperors fiat has been omnipotent and I'M
resisted throughout Hungary and its former de-
Tendencies, and whatever he has willed has been
done. Now nhere are The political freedom and
equal rights of the SlduonidnS and other races IL,
Hungary We see equal subjugation, equal
absence of political freedom, equal slavery but
where is the universal suffrage? where is the
freedom In vain did we call the attention of
the Courier most emphatcally to these points
1t has room for nine vast columns of aspersions
on the fallen and libes on the patriot dead but
on the vital controlling points of the controversy,
it stands mute 1t bndy but fully admits its
error in asserting the precedence of the Austrian
decree of equality to the breaking out of the
war ana, Oy aDSOlute Slience Win regard TO the
sincerity and reality of the imperial grant Of a
popular constitution to Hungary in March, l849,
il clearly gives up that point also. Though we
published its former article in full, it finds room
in its nine columns for no paragraph of our reply,
which is mainly devoted to aspersing the motives
and blackening the characters Of the hereof un-
fortunate Magyars. This, by the help of the
entire despotc press of Europe and its few but
INSCRIPTIONS echoes in America, is not difficult.
A civil war is apt to be sangunary;a war of
races however excited, is certain to be So Un-
questionubly, acts of outrage and cruelty were
perpetrated during the conflict under color of
zeal for the Hungarian cause there were many
such perpetrated during revolutionary strug-
gle, and we could not expect it to be other
wise in Hungary. But WAS there ever any
thing in the history of civilized man equal in
cowardly ferocity in fendish cruelty, to the
shooting and hanging in cold blood Of nearly all
the general officers of the Hungarian armies who
had been surrendered, while still at the head of
a powerful force, by Gorgeyl There is not on
earth human being who believes that Kossuth
and his compatrots, had they triumphed, would
A