The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-10-23

nists or socialists, nor were they what the con-
servatiyes call anarchists The nation desired
! justice, and knew how to be just to all, IRE
spectiye of rank, language or religion. "A peo-
pie so worthy Of freedom were generous enough
| TO leave something to time, and to be satisfied
with a progressive development. No violence
was used; no just right was attacked; and
even some Of those institutions were left unds
turbed, which, in their principle and origin,
were unjust, but which having existed for CEN
turtles could not be abolished at once with i'm
punity.
The Hungarian people did not wish to OPP
press any-not even the aristocracy; they were
more ready to make sacrifices than to punish
the descendants of nobility for the evils of mis-
government, and of those institutions which
emanated from their ancestors nor would they
| let the many suffer for the sins of the few.
! There was no anarchy among us. Even IN
! the bloodiest conflicts when the human pas
sions are most excited, there was the most per-
! feet order and security of property and person.
| How did the conduct of my noble countrymen
compare with that OF the "order-maklng Aus
tria Whenever the whirlwind Of war ceased
| for while where the social elements were lett
in chaos the instructive moral feelings OF this
incOrruphble people, in the absence OF all gov
eminent preserved better order and safety than
legions Of police A common spirit animated
the whole natiOn-no secret aims no personal
or local attacks, but bold and open defence
in the face of the world Following the exam
pie of your great Washington, we adopted, as
our policy, Cancellation, justice, and legality,
and scrupulously observed the laws Of nations
The Russians and Austrians made the soil of
Wallachia the basis of military operations and
the Turkish Government which either knew
not its own interests or was unable to defend
them, silently permitted this violation of trea-
ties and the rights of nations, thus humbliDg
itself and betraying its own weakness. Several
| times we drove our enemies across the Walla-
| chan boundaries for it was only necessary for
our victorious army to advance into the coun-
tries of the Lower Danube to rouse the inhab-
itants against the Russians and to transfer the
war to their own soil But we respected the
law of nations and stopped our conquering
| forces on the confines of Wallachia. Her soil
was sacred to us Austria left lallacia almost
unprotected, and collected all her forces to at
taef, w. -, Had ,waat this time sent small pore
ton of our army to Poland y would have
caused general jnsurrection, and that heroic
but unlOftunaSo naCItnl %Uuld lIa;e I6NoiS "a
herself by throwing the Russian empire into
state of revolution But we acted in defence
only, and we deemed it a sin to precipitate other
nations into a terrible and uncertain war, and
we checked our sympathies. Besides, we avoid
ed giving the Emperor of Russia a pretence for
war of retaliation against us. Oh it was
foolish-for the despotic hypocrite made pre-
tence he called our own struggle the Hunga-
ran- Polish revolution, though the whole num-
Der of Poles in our armies did not exceed four
thousand.
We doubted not that the European Powers
would negotiate a peace for us, or that they |
would at least prevent the Russian invasion |
They said they pitied us, honored our efforts |
and condemned the conduct of Austria but |
they could not help us because Europe required |
"A powerful Austrian empire, and they must
support it, in spite Of its evils as n balance
against Russia in central and eastern Europe. |
What a mistake What diplomacy Is it not
as clear as the sun that the Car in aiding
Austria would do it in such manner rs to
obtain the greatest advantages for himself?
Was it not manifest that Austria-whO had
always through the help of Hungary, strength
enough to oppose Russa--would, when she de-
stroyed Hungary by Russian bayonets, no long
or be an independent Power, but merely the
drant-gdrde Of the MoscOvte Yet Europe
permitted the invasion 1t is an indelible mark
of blindness and shame. 1t is ever thus in the
imbocile Old World They treated us just as
they treat Turkey. They assert always that
the peace of Europe and the balance of power
require the preservation of the Turkish en-
pre-that Turkey must exist to check the adj
vance of the Cossack power But, notwith-
standing this, England and France destroyed
the Turkish fleet Mt Navarino-a fleet which
never could have injured them, but which might
have contended with Russia in the Black Sea.
Always the same worn-out old, and fatal
system of policy while Russia ever alert,
seizes province after province from Turkey.
She has made herself the sovereign of Moldavia
and Walachia, and is sapping the foundations
of the Ottoman empire. Already Turkish Off
cals are more dependent on the lowest Russian
agents than upon their own Grand Vizier.
Oh, that Hungary had received but a slight
token of moral support from the European
Powers-from those Powers whose dreams are
troubled with fears of the advance of the Cos
sack Had only an English or French agent
come to us during our struggle what might he
not have done? He, too, would have seen and
estimated our ability to sustain ourselves-he
would have observed the humanity, the love of
order, the reverence for liberty, which charac-
terized the Hungarian nation Had these two
Powers permitted few ships to come to Osso-
IA, laden with arms for the noble patriots who
had asked in vain for weapons, the Hungarians
would now have stood "A more mpregnable bar
rier against Russia than all the arts of mis-
cradle and expensive diplomacy.
There was n time when we, with the neigh
boring Poles saved Christianity in Europe.
And now hesitate not to avow before God
that we alone-that my own Hungary-could
have saved Europe from Russian domination
As the war in Hungary advanced, its character
became changed In the end, the results it con-
templated were higher and far more impor-
less, in fact than universal free
dom, which was not thought of in the begin
nng. This was not choice it was forced
upon us by the policy of the European nations,
who, dlsregardimg their own interests, suffered
Russia to invade and provoke us. Yes, we were
martyrs to the cause of freedom and this glo-
rlous but painful destiny was imposed upon MS.
Though my dear native Hungary is trodden
down, and the flower of her sons executed or |
wandering cxiles, and !, her Governor, writing |
from from my prison, in this distant Asiatic |
Turkey, predict-and the eternal God hears |
my predictIon-that there can be no freedom |
for the continent Of Europe, and that the Cos
sacks from the shores Of the Don will water |
their steeds in the Rhine, unless liberty be re-
stored to Hungary. 1t is only with Hungarian
freedom that the European nations can be free ;
and the smaller natonalties, especially, can
have no future without us
Nor could the united Russo Austrian forces
have conquered my heroic countrymen, had they
not found a traitor to aid them, in the man
whom, believing in his honesty, and on account
of his skill, raised from obscurty. Enjoying
my confidence, the confidence of the nation and
the army placed him at the head of our
forces giving him the most glorious part to per-
form ever granted to man. What an immor-
tally was within his reach, had he been hon
est! But he betrayed his country. Cursed be
his name forever will not open the bleeding
xxn do NV fha SaI Al