Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-01-24
The Eastern Questionable. 4.

LONDON, November 90, lS7

give some ldea Ol tne peculiar cOnululon ol
the Austro-Iiungarian empire and its rela-
tions to the other great powers in the pres
ent state of the momentous Eastern Ques-
tion. Before beginning, however, must re-
late an incident taken from letter by Mr..
McGahan to the Duly News of yesterday.
1t is as follows Mr. McGahan met Turk
ish soldier on his way home carrying with
him woman's robe. beautifully embroid-
cred. Having enquired as to where it was
obtained, he received the following account {:
The soldier with party of four or five en-
tered Saitschar in Serbia, after the capture
of that town by the Turks and its evacua-
ton by the Serbans. One Serbian family
had decided to remain and throw themselves
on their enemies mercy. The soldier and
his comrades found this family, entered the
house, locked the doors to prevent escape,
and spent the day in collecting all articles of
value they could find The family consisted
of an old man, his married daughter, a
young woman with two children, and girl
of fourteen. Toward evening the house was
thoroughly pillaged and it was decided to
spend night in riotous debauchery. What
happened it is not easy to describe. 1t is
enough to say that it was one out of thou
sands of cases of loathsome Turkish brutal
ity which defy description. Imagine the
condition of the wretched family during
that night of terror When morning came
"a dispute arose as to whether all should be
killed or not. The majority were in favor
of killing. Mr.. McGahan's informant saw
what was coming and stripped the robe from
the girl so it might not become bloody by
her death. All were hacked to pieces with
sabres. The old man, the young mother,
the little helpless children, the young girl
all were slaughtered, not only without mercy,
but to afford new amusement in the morn
ing after the hideous saturnala of the night.
Mr.. McGahan adds with regard to the Turk
ish soldier: " He told the story in quiet,
phlegmatic manner, and spoke very freely ;
looking upon me as an Englishman, and,
therefore, friend" A deserved compli-
ment to England, but | think one which
should cause every decent Englishman to
blush with shame.
Now as to Austria's condition, it is a pc
culiarly critical one. Austria is state in
which the forces of repulsion and attraction
are about equal, so that very slight exter-
nal shock would shatter the whole body to
fragments. The ustro-Hungarian empire
is monarchy with dual government, hav-
ing two parliaments entirely independent of
each other, one at Vienna and the other at
Pesth. The parliament at Vienna is made
up of members from the western or Cislei
than part of the monarchy, beyond which its
authority does not extend. The parliament
at Pesth is composed of representatives of
the eastern or Transleithan portion to which
its labors are limited. 1t seems am imper-
sonal way of naming the two divisions of
the empire, to call onehalf Cisleithania, or
this side of the Letha; the other half Trans
eithana or the other side OF the Leitha.
The small river Leitha serves as a boundary
between them, hence the name.
The two parts of the Austro-I Hungarian
empire are kept together by having the
same sovereign and by the institution of del
egations chosen by each parliament from
amongst its own members aud which meet
alternately at Vienna and Pesth, where'they
hold joint sessions to regulate the affairs of
the whole empire. 1t may be asked why
it was that the system of a double state with
its difficult system of separate parliaments
and delegations was invented The answer
to this is as follows: When Austria was
still i'll Germany, that is, when she struggled
with Prussia for the leadership of Germany
and when there was not even the pretense
of constitutional government the diff.
ferent nationalities lived well enough to-
gether This is the more easily understood
when it is remembered that the government
bore down with equal pressure upon all the
different races of the empire and granted as
little freedom TO one as to another. The
German had no more political rights that
the Magyar, the Zech or the Croat. 1t is
true, he belonged to the privileged race and
had more chances of favor and success in
official and court circles. This was an ad
vantage, however, which could be possessed
by comparatively few persons and the antag
onism of races was developed with full
force only after the war with Prussia il
1866. When Bismark deprived Austria o.
her possessions in Italy and excluded hel
from Germany altogether, the Vienna gov
erument found itself in very difficult con
dition. The methods of governing must b,
changed. When the Emperor visited Pragu,
after the war he was received with chilling
GOODNESS, not a shout wentup from the assem-
bled thousands who had come TO gaze at hin
as he rode through the streets. Hungary
which had even furnished a legion to fgh
against Austria, now saw her opportunity
Count Beust, Saxon, was called to tn
head of the government. Two systems 0
reconstruoting the empire struggled fo
supremacy-the dual system demanded b.
the dominant party in Hungary, and fed
eralism proposed aud supported by tn
Slavonic population of the empire, the mos
prominent being the Zechs or Bohemian,
Federalism in Austria would have man
points VI I'otilpldnct W our system IN TN
United States, 1t was proposed that ever
province should have its local Diet or Parlif
ment where business would be carried ON /
the language OF the majority of the peopl,
Then IA central Parliament in Vienna, whel
the language for all would be German
This was the system sought for by tw,
thirds of the inhabitants of the empire, tha
is, by all the Slavonians of Austria. Meth,
the Germans nor the Magyars would hear {
federalism for moment for the obyiou
reason that it would deprive the minority
the power of ruling over a majority Qua
ism was accepted. The eastern half of u
empire was delivered over TO the Magyar
who are five millions in population of fl
teen Millions and the western half TO II
Germans, who are seven millions in pop
ation of nineteen millions.
The management of the newly constitute
Austria was thus put in the hands of tv
minorities, where it has remained to Il
present day. A constitution drawn up
Vienna, without the concurrence or adyi