Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-08-30
Hungary ana Austria.


her.in the same year by Imperial treach-
cry, will be a grateful one to the friends
of liberty in this country, who have always
taken warm interest in the struggles Of
this noble nation for Independence and
civil rights. It may not be uninteresting
to our readers TO review briefly the later
history of this unfortunate country, and of
that constitution which, after nearly twen-
ty years of imperial usurpstion, the Aus
trian emperor has been forced BY the for
tune of war and the fear CT revolution to
restore 70 it.
The beginning of the present century
found Hungary, once separate country,
and still possessed of the Oldest and most
aristocratic nobility of Europe, ruled by the
same monarch as the Austrian empire.
Hungary was nevertheless q separate king
dom, and not part of Austria Its ruler
gained his power not as Emperor Of Aus
tris but because he was also King Of Hun
gary. 1t possessed Constitution, laws
and legislative assembly of its own This
constitution was in some respects great
advantage TO it; in others, partaking of
the feudal spirit of former generations, it
was lettering and CALLING. 1t preserved
the personal liberty of the Hungarian
against Austrian interference, and guar
anteed 10 Protestant and Catholic alike q
degre of religious freedom utterly un-
known to the proscriptiye legislation of
Austria But it left the populace almost
at the mercy of the nobility. 1t exempted
the mobiles from all tax or service to the
state, except personal presence with the
army in time of war, and placed in their
hands the choice of judges and civil Off
GERS The magnates, bishops, and other
prelates constituted the diet or legislative
assembly of the kingdom, which met at
Presburg at the call of the sovereign, but
at least as often as once in three years.
Such was the constitution Of Hungary
fifty years ago-an excellent barrier
against Austrian usurpstion or encroach-
ment but anti-democratic in its distribu-
tion of internal power.
This constitution was soon exposed 10
powerful modifying influences. The first
was the Austrian Government, then con-
trolled by the SUI tie and audacious Met
ternieh, who, as the scepter of the German
empire slipped from the hands of Haps-
burg, turned his eyes eastward and sought
to make amends for loss of power in
Germany by an increase of despotic au-
thority in Hungary. With this idea in
view he commenced a series of insidious
attempts to destroy the constitution of
Hungary, so as TO reduce that country
from is Posisi9GS IS Ssq jgSepsRdsPt ind kip
Austrian empire. This design was soon
penetrated by the leading Hungarian
MOBILES, who, being a singulsrly able and
liberal as well as patriotic body, perceived
that the best way 20 resist this imperial
usHrpation was to liberalize the entire
Hungarian government and thus
unite the people and the aris-
tOcrscy against Austrian domination.
Undoubtedly the idea of an independent
Hungarian Republic was one of the glo-
rions visions of the future seen by these
prophetic reformers. Thus two great in
huences were at work, from different stand
points and with different aims, to modify
the Hungarian constitution: and thus
was presented to the world the sublime
spectacle of E hereditary aristocrscy busted
in destroying their own class immunities
for the benefit ef their country and of
their people. Among the leaders in this un-
selfish reform we're Count Batthysni. Zay,
the distinguished noble WesseIenyi and
the publicist Louis Kossuth. Under
their influence, the aristocracy laid aside |
many Of their privileges, granted addi-
tional power in the government to the
people, equalized the administration of the
laws and the collection of taxes, and great
ly enlarged and extended religious lib
erty. These reforms were met with pas
sive and frequently active resistance on
the part Of the Austrian government-re-
sistance which eliminated in the arrest
and confinement of Kossuth and Wes-
selenyi on charge of treason. But :his
could not crush or check the
reform movement. While lying in his
prison cell, Louis kossush was elected
member Of the Hungarian diet from the
free city of Pesth The signs of disafFectioii
were widespread through Hungary, and
the Austrian rulers trembled at the thought
Of a Hungarian revolution. At the same
time the French revolution put an end TO
the power of Prince Metternieh, and Aus
tria, fearing rehearsal of the French
scenes within her own borders, hastily took
Kossuth from his cell, and On March 18th, |
ls4s, placed him al the head Of the Hun
garian government A liberal ministry
- ss''---v-a- rrrrSrr-rtha -a-=i.-1 81
proved constitution of Hungary, to which
was given the name of the constitution of
1888 and the government was rencdelled
upon republican forms as much as was
consistent with its allegiance to the Aus
trisn despotism. But with the character
istc treachery Of monarchs, tie Austrian
emperor repented him of his act before he
mad fairly cOnsummated it and com
lnenced to plot the overthrow of
.he new government almost before II was
Emissaries of the Austrian
government melted instructions against
Kossuth in Dslmatia and the Littorale.
md finally the Austrian emperor, in Sep
Iember, ls4s, dispersed the Hungarian diet
BY force, and declared Hungary no longer
an independent nation, but a crovnland of
the empire With the details Of the rev.
olution that followed, with the skin, pa
tiencs, devotion and d-courage with which
the Hungarian people resisted the over
whelming power of the Austrian army,
with the treason and fSifhlessness which
finally overwhelmed them, with Kossuth's
fight 70 our own shores and with the
subsequent sad oppression of Hungary,
most of cur readers are scqnainted.
During the present war it seemed at
one time probable that a HlngArian rev.
olution, under Kossuth and KlApks. two
heroes Of the revolution of lsSs-le, would
be instigated by Prussia and Italy, The