The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-02-13

The New York Courier and Enquirer has
published the following letter from another Of
KossurH's companions in exile.

LETTER OF NJ. sCZMERE.
Mr. Editor In the number Of the goth De
cember, 1851, of your Journal the Semi Week.
Courier and New York Enquirer, in its morning
edition, an article is inserted, with the heading
" Governor Kossuih" In it is embodied TIN
authentic act Of the sbdicati0n OF the govern
ment by Kossuth and among the names Of tn
subscribers thereto find also my own.
did, indeed, take part in the business Of tn,
war, which we were compelled to wage fol
our constitutional liberty and independents,
against the Austrian dynasty. have indeed
participated in that holy war, but in 30 doing,
only fulfilled my duties as a citizen and man
and consequently have done nothing that coul(
entiile me to lay claim to any particular glory
yet, on the other hand, | must insist that have
dore nothing which could by any means, bring
shame upon me, or soil clear conscience.
feel myself, therefore, constrained for the
sake Of truth-for my own honor and politica
character---to make the following declarations
l. That | never subscribed that act of add ca
ton.
2. That never saw the same.
3. That neither my sense of duty as a citizen
nor patriot, would ever have allowed me tc
put my signature to that act, had ever seen it
or had its existence ever been made known Ia
me which never.was the fact
Since il is undoubtedly the fact that Mr. Kos.
suth neither was nor could have been compelled
to that abdication by any moral or physical force
whatever, and, as besides Mr.. Kossuth himself
had for weeks or even months before spoken of
General Gorgey as a traitor, | cannot see how
his abdicatlon and transfer of the supreme
power into the hands of traitor can be consist
ent with his much praised heroism and and love
of country In war and in revolutions the hero
and superior mind is manifested not by words,
but by deeds. In the controversy between
kossuth and Gorgey in Arad, on the Ith of
August, l849, one or the other must have sunk,
and We see that neither of them appears to be
hair the worse. Gorgey caused Kossuth to be
requested to abdicate, and Kossuth fastened to
do it, and Immediately fled across the Turkish
boundary.
II is important to remark here, that at this mo-
ment there will still be in the hands of the ma
ton four fortresses, and two of the strongest in
the whole country, to wit Komern and Peter
warden, as well as an army of $4,000 men and
300 field officers. believe that never before IN
the history of the world has the head of a ma
ton turned his back on 80 powerful military
force.
Gorgey laid down his arms only with rs 5000
men. The rest of the army surrendered only
because they heard not only that Mr.. Kossuth
had abdicated, and by so doing had declared the
hopes Of the nation as forever lost bnt that he
had himself fled the country, giving himself no
thought for the fate of his party, his friends the
army, the fortresses, and the nation. He went
over the boundaries entirely alone; he avoided
carefully his friends and acqnaintances, espec-
ally all those who assembled on the boundaries
in order that he might the more certainly Sc
cure his own safety.
Mr.. Kossuth was chosen governor on the l4th
of April, 1886 not directly by the people, but
by the national assembly. professionally, and not
by votes, but by acclamaton, and under the
condition of ruling in connection with the min
istry, which was also made responsible for every
thing
1t is true that Mr. Kossuth could resign his
office. In this case, if the national assembly
were in session, new dispositions of authority
could have been made; in the absence of the
assembly, the government. must Of necessity re-
main in the hands of the minister's
1t is rot necessary to remark, that the nation
lad the sovereign right to delegate executive
power, but that the person to whom the same
had been delegated, could never transfer his
right to third party
Mr.. Kossuth, however, on the lth of August,
l849, in Arad, not only resigned, which he had
the power to do, but not only did not assemble
the ministry, which had received powers of gov
eminent contemporaneously himself, but he
transferred to another the power which had been
to his own person.
He did more, he appointed dictator, which
he was not himself
Mr. Kossuth can no longer consider himself
either in law, or in right as the governor of
Hungary.
Because he voluntarily surrendered this pow
err.
Because he transferred this power to another,
which he had no right to do.
Because he also abdcated in the name Of the
whole ministry, without having previously con-
suited them.
Because he immed ately transferred the pow.
er OF the State TO Gorgey, man whom he, and
he more than all others, had long before consid
cred traitor
Finally, because he did all this without con-
ministry, which had been appointed with him,
and consequently even so far as mere form is
acted contrary to the law.
1t is not my intention to dissect the unfor-
tunate and ever iluctuating policy of Mr.. Kos
suth; yet as am obliged to excupate myself
from any differences to be drawn from that act
which, nevertheless, though done in my name,
was done without ny knowledge and without
my consent, it is impossible for me on this oc-
,asion not to declare, that Mr. Kossuth has no
claim, either in law or of right, to the character
of Governor of Hungary. Not iniaw, because
ne so hastily surrendered the office, without even
observing the legal form; not of right, because,
while on the l4th of April, lS49, when our
troops were everywhere victorious. we saw him
stand forward as governor, yet afterwards, on
The 18th of August, 1919, when we were suf.
Fering continual defeat, we saw him hastily and
precipitatey free himself from the same office
hat is to say, in the day of victory and glory
ne accepted the Office; in the day Of danger. he
it to the first who demanded it of
him.
And now he steps forward, weakly and un.
forgetting all this, before the world
as the Governor Of Hungary, and as the dictator
among his fellow-exiles, demanding from US un-
conditional obedience, and asks second time
Tor power for which he showed himself before
partly incapable, and part of which he missed.
However much | pity the political want of
conscience shown in his public character. how |
ever much he may rejoice if he should succeed
BIZ his rhetorical aptatiop to obtain uonav md