The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-10-11
LOUIS xossv1x.


| ".
Like Washington, Napoleon, Charles the Twelfth,
Frederick the Great, Alexander, he fills brilliant
page in history; but more like Washington than
the others named, Kossuth occupies the heart of
the republican world. We give sketch Of his lifs
Our authorities, however, are Austrian bitter,
malignant, and vindictive against the patriot; but,
with the sting and the venom extracted We believe
we have furnished our readers with o pretty fair
biography of the man.
Kossuth is in his 45th year. He was born in the
county of Zemplin, in 1906 His father was
LAWYER, and small landowner, Of the noble class,
at Ujbely, in the comitat of Zsmplin, member of
the Augsburg Confession. His possessions being
limited to few of vineyard and arabic land,
did not admit Of much expense on the education Of
his children. He found means, indeed to place
his son Louis in the College of Scharaschpatack, a
Protestant institution of the neighborhood. With
this aid he pr epared himself for the profession Of
an advocate. After obtaining his diploma, he be.
came agent to Countess Szapary. The influence
which he derived from this position, and from the
relations which he had established at college with
the noble class Of the district, gave him some
| weight in the assembly of the conitat, in which
the roble proprietors and official dgnitaries are
accustomed to meet together from four to six
| times in the year, fer the management of local
|
In these assc mbes the principal influence naturally
devolves the holders of civil offices, and those
who. by their oratory, influence the elections to
| those Offices
After the lapse Of several years. Kossuth closed
his accounts with the Countess Szapsry, aud in
hopes Of larger lie for the practice of tho law,
| removed to Pesth. Here he found the chances of
advancement in the legal profession cut off by the
mum her Of established competitors, and in the year
1922 he betook himself to Presburg as the ablegat
or representative in the Hungarian Diet of an alb
lapfrr pota in Uhi oh ko al
| dence rept-free, seat at the lower table, and q
right Of speaking, but not of voting, in all which
particulars his position was exactly that of some
| 800 simi ar representatives of absentee noblemen
| most Of whom were likewise edu, for tho law.
| At the commencement of the proceedings of this
bet, kossuth, it is said, assayed to speak
but as abashed at his presumptisn in the presence
| of the older and more experienced heads around
him, be desisted, and fell back upon the idea of
setting on foot journal, to be devoted to the pro-
ceedings Of the Diet, and specially to the publica
ton Of the discussions in the sittngs of the circles
so-called OF which ne printed protocol had yet
appeared These sittipgs were, in fact, held by the
government to be merely conferences of the depu-
lies, at which subjects were discussed, not under
| the presidence of deputy OF the government, but
| under that of members who were changed every
| week. and merely as preparation for Interior dis
cussion in the Diet proper, the diary of which
printed This preparatory discussion did, how
ever. in truth, involve the pth Of the proceedings
of the Diet for, conducted under the supervision of
popular audience, unchecked by the presidence
Of government official it laid the ground for the
| constant preponderance of the party which en-
joyed the favor Of the people. The effect, indeed,
upon the deputies present was not immediate with
respect to the decision of questions at issue, for
the deputies were strictly bound by the instructions
| furnished to them by their constituents. The
| comitats received once or twice month from their
respective deputies official reports of proceedings,
aud were vey generally guided in their further in-
structons by the tone Of these reports, and the
manner in which the various propose of the popular
| or opposition party was commented upon in them.
These reports we're ad in the comitat assemblies,
and those who had seat in the latter thus btained
knowledge Of the speeches delivered ia tho Diet,
but the public at large had little or no information
| Of them.
| This state of things Kossuth determined to turn
to- the account of the opposition. With funds con-
| tributed by some Of the deputies, he procured
photographic press, with the view of disseminating
bis journal at cheap a rate as possible, though
not without some profit to himself, through all the
| comitats The experiment took With tho people
| but the Austrian spies became alarmed, and soon
the central government ordered the paper TO DO sup
pressed Kossuth's party in the Diet resisted u
would not do to put down the liberal Journal and the
mater wss compromised by buying out the press
But thi, did not stop the paper. IL was published
| In manuscript, and though the price raised Of
necessity, the experiment still succeeded. The price
was, indeed; raised to six forms for the monthly
amount Of the journal, of which one two sheets
were issued twice week tho number Of readers
| decreased, but still each comtst was q customer
| for from one to six copies. 10 the towns several
| triouted individually, for il was found that the
speeches Of subscribers and benefactors were i'm
| proved and enriched under kossuths treatment,
and reputation and popularity flowed from his pen.
| The enterprise was altogether hit, aud Kossuth
soon arrived not only at covering bis expenses but
stsome consideration Ia country Of which he inau
enced with progressive force the representative
body, their discussions, and their decisions WHILE
at the same time, he acquired numerous folio vers,
IN body ofyoung copyists, who remained in after
times his Jealous adher ents.
With the close of the diet, after session Of four
years in the year 1885, these sources Of Kossuth's
influence and prosperity were dried up, and be be-
took msef to reporting the proceedings Of the
| itat assemblies, which we're communicated by local
reporters, and distributed once more in lthogra-
pho shape, among numerous subscribers Mt Pesth
The government again became alarmed, and
made several Intellectual attempts TO suppress tho
obnoxious Journal but still IL continued TO- report
lions which now agitated the whole country, and bis
own speeches In the assembly trangressed all limits
Of the respect considered to be due to the sovereign
The Palsne at last received an instruction to seize
the press at the comtat House Of Assembly, to ar
rest kossuth himself, and proceed against hin on
charge Of high treason In consequence Of the ILL.,
ness Of the Archduke Pslatine the execution Of this
order devolved upon the Chief Judiciary, the Count
Cyraky; and the Grown Fiscal, Fej ssch, with
company Of grenadiers, arrested Kossuth at bis
residence, in the Ofnerhils, in April, 1881. His
papers also we're seized. and among them many i'm
portant letters from deputies Of the opposition. Of
which, hovever. no further notice was taken. Kos
suths defence was conducted by the Baron Ni,ho-
las Wesseeny, who was him self under similar ac-
cusation, founded on expressions against the king,
which, in his zeal for the dissolution Of all bonds Of
hyahy, he had made use Of in the Assembly Of the
Szatbmar comtat. In his case, his personal liberty
was not effected, as. BY the Law Of Hungary, GER
tain amount Of property IL considered as surety
against the escape OF an accused party. Kossut6,
having no property, was not exempt from personal
dursnce: Several young people, who had followed
kossuth's lead IN the agitation OF their comitats
Aar .le sf.Io .Aa .an(1 f.~h "a. ri.
himself was clnveytd TO the fortress Of Ofcn where
he was allowed books, writing aterisls, aud news
papers, and daily walk on the bas,ions With
officer. Hee be devoted himself with much appli.
cation to political studies and e. that Of the French
language, and IL at this period that no gathered
irtm the repub lean literature Of that country max
ius and principles which inersd,csbly fixed his
opinions. IL was here that the dream Of Hungs.
risn independence rose upon his ina gnatien-that
the idea Of revenge upon Austria for the wrongs
which his country bad endured, was enSendered. II