New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-04-14

out long before Austria made any proteuce
of giving 4" freedom and equal rights to tho
Slsvonic Races" and
.. In point Of fact, she rercr did any
such thing. but merely issued a paper con-
stitution in the crisis of the struggle, 70
which, up to this moment, she has never
given the least practical validity, nor man
ifested any disposition to carry into olcc,
If these two averments are sustained, do
they not completely confute the Couricr's
assertions and invalidate its whole line OF
argument Most surely, an illegal decree
issued by an Austrian monarch in March
ls49, cannot have been the cause of con-
hict which commenced in the autumn Of
lS45. Is it not so!
But is not the other point equally clear !
Austria, it is assumed by The Courier, de-
sired to emancipate the SlavOnians-to
grant them Universal Suffrage, Equal
Rights with the Magyars' and Political
Freedom. This desire was expressed in
an Imperial decree dated March 4th, 1a49.
Within few months thereafter, Hungary
was utterly crushed by the immense ar
mics of Russia and Austria, aided by the
Slavonian tribes and the treason of Gorgey.
Since that event, the Emperor's fat has
been onnipotent and unresisted throughout
Hungary and its former dependencies, and
whatever he has willed has been done.
Now ,chere are the political freedom and
equal rights Of the SIarOnians and other
Races in Hungary? We see equal subju-
cation, 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 emphatically to these points. 1t has
room for nine vast columns of aspersions
on the fallen and libels on the patriot dead
bat on the vital, controlling points Of the
controversy, it stands mute 1t blindly
but fully admits its error in asserting the
precedence of the Austrian decree of equal
ity to the breaking out Of the War and,
by absolute silence with regard to the sin
cerity and reality of the Imperial grant Of
a popular Constitution to Hungary in
March, 1849, it 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 aspers-
ing the motives and blackening the char
acters of the heroic, unfortunate Magyars.
This, by the help of the entire Despotic
press of Europe and its few but unscrupu-
lous echoes in America, is not difficult. A
civil war is apt to be ssnguinary; War
of Races, however excited, is certain to
be so. Unquestionably, acts Of outrage
and cruelty were perpetrated during the
conflict under color of zeal for the Hunga-
ai~n Os.~ss ,I.~.s ..4~"J o~Oh PorPo-
trated during our Revolutionary struggle,
and we could not expect it to be otherwise
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 surren
dered, while still at the head of power
ful force, by Gorgey! There is not on earth
a human being who believes that Kossuth
and his compatriOts, had they triumPhed,
would thus have massacred in cold blood
their captured and utterly helpless foes.
If there be any lover of Human Liberty
who doubts whether the case of kossuth
was or was not that of Freedom, we ask
him simply to inquire and consider tohO are
noio the aSSaiidntS and tohO are the deftnd-
ers Of that cause. The world of Opinion is
to-day divided as clearly on this question
as on any-those who exulted in the sue
cesses and lamented the reverses of the
Republicans of France, Italy, Germany,
&c. being uniformly the indicators Of fall
en- Hungary, while the champions of Des-
potism where it prevails and its apologist'
and servitors in freer countries-the men
who shouted over the establishment Of
Papal despotism in Rome, and had no word
of condemnation for the Infamous treason
which moro recently Frustrated the Democ-
racy of France by depriving One-third of
her electors of their Constitutional right Of
Suffrage, and which is now plotting a still
further usurpatiOn of the Peoples Rights
by so bewitching the Constitution as to
perpetuate the worthless Louis Napoleon's
power until such time as Monarchy may