The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-10-11
BOSNIA.


mans 10 the Austrian occupation OF their
country in accordance with the late
treaty of Berlin is apparently surprise
to most of the world. And yet it ought
not to be so to anyone acquainted with
the ancient and modern history of that
people, or, rather, those peoples, for here
we have races which through long ages
have persistently refused to coalesce BY
turns conquerors and conquered, OPP
pressors and oppressed, divided in faith
and language, and bitterly fanatical,
occupying separate quarters in their
cities, and forever regarding each other
with suspicion and hatred, they are
united in nothing but in opposition to
foreign interference of any kind. Like
O'Flannigan and his wife, they are al
ways in row among themselves until
their neighbors run in to part them,
when they instantly join weapons to ex
pei the would-be pacifcators.
The semi-barbarous and distracted
condition of Bosnia has been charged
to the misgovernment of the Turks.
This has been bad enough, beyond
doubt, but it must be admitted that this
region never has been really governed.
Lit has not been much, If any, worse off
under the Turks than it was under the
Romans, and subsequently under Sla-
vonic and Hungarian rule. 1t must be
borne in mind that this is portion of
that "Illyris Barbara" of the Greeks
which Athens, even in the height of her
power, never essayed to subdue. Philip
of Macedon, and Alexander, the Wanted
conqueror of the world overcame East
ern Illyricum, but they were fully salts
fed to leave the fierce, untamable tribes
of this wild, mountainous "Illyris Bar
bara to themselves as long rs they
would keep within their own barriers.
More than 500 years afterward the Ro-
mans, after succession of encounters
extending over 200 years, reduced them
to quasi-subiection in the time of Au-
gustus Caesar. After that the famous
Nalerian legions, noted for their fe-
rocity, were recruited from the hardy
mountaineers of this region. Still the
country remained, with the exception
of the most fertile valleys and few for
titled Roman towns almost as barbarous
as ever. Instructions were frequent,
and could be repressed only by the
sternest measures. Under the sway of
Constantine and his immediate success
ors, the natives were better governed
and were nominally Christianized.
But in time those terrible hordes
from ASIA which in turn overran and
wasted both the Eastern and Western
empires, the Goths, the ferocious Lom-
bards, the Avars, and then that scourge
of God, the desolating Huns" one after
another burst through the defiles of
Bosnia, devastating fields and destroy
ing the stunted towns and villages, and
forcing the native Illyrians back into
the mountain businesses. In time the
Slavic tribes, that kept pouring in from
what is now Southeastern Russia found
ed the Servian and Croat kingdoms,
east and north of Bosnia, which in $40
A. ID. became subject to them. During
the twelfth and thirteenth centuries it
belonged to Hungary. In 1889 it was
reunited to Servia In 1876 it threw off
its unquiet allegiance and became indie
pendent. In less than quarter of a
century it was laid under tribute to the
steadily-growing power of the Turks,
and finally, in 1903, it was reduced to a
Turkish province, which, despite of al
most perpetual insubordination, it has
ever since continued to be.
Bosnia contains less than half the
area of Illinois, or some "a 900 square
miles. 1t is generally mountainous or
roughly broken, the cultivated districts
lying in the fertile valleys of the
Save, their northern boundary, the
Bosnia, Unna, Drina and Narenta
rivers. The climate is temperate. The
productions of the country are few be-
yond the immediate demands of the in
habitants. The principal exports are
prunes, honey, wax, timber, wool and
hides. The country is rich in coal and
iron, but the mines have never been de-
veloped. Manufactures are few, and
are principally agricultural implements,
swords and coarse leather goods
Such is the ot-very-tempting prize
for which Count Andrassy has already
expended millions of dollars and thou
sands of lives, with the prospect of
having to sacrifice still more in the
future to bring it into bare possession.
What it will be to govern it is still
more serious matter to contemplate.
In the first place, the ruling classes of
Hungary, the Magyars, fear prepon-
derance of Slavic influence in the en-
pire, which the acquisition of Bos-
MIA will reinforce. The Croats
are traditional haters of the Magyars,
and were a chief instrument in the
hands of Austria in its savage suppress
sion of the Hungarian rebellion of 1849.
But the most discouraging element of
the problem Austria has undertaken to
solve is the mixed character of the in
habitants, and their feuds among them
selves. The total population is rated,
according to various authorities, at from
100000 to 100000. OF these about
100000 are Bosnians, of Slavic origin,
and generally belong to the Greek
church, although many of them, es-
pecially of the wealthy classes, are Mo-
hammedans. There are 100000 Turks !;
III 900 Croats, of Slavic-Illyrian blood,
Roman Catholics; $4,000 Morlacks, of
Slavic-Dalmatian origin, Roman Catho-
lies and fiercely hostile to Mohammedan-
ism; and from 100000 to 100000 Wal
lachians, Hungarians, Armenians,