The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-11-05
What viii the Austrians DO with
BOsniat

Now that the work OF conquest is COM
pleted, how will the HAPsBURGH monarchy
deal with its new provinces 1t is clear
enough that in this instance occupation
means annexation; that on one prctext or
another the territory acquired with heavy
outlay will become an integral part Of the
AustrO- Hungarian empire. But to which
moiety Of the dual State will Bosnia be at
tached-on which side OF scale whose
balance is already maintained with no little
difficulty will this fresh weight be- thrown
That is a question which opens profound
constitutional problem, and OF itself would
amply Justify the present ministerial crisis
in FRANcIs JosEPn's capital.
There il no doubt that Oh historical
grounds Bosnia should be assigned to Hun
gary, since down to the peace Of Passaro-
vitz, about II century and n half ago, the
HAPSBURGH SUCCESSORS Of ST.. STEPHEN as
serted their titular claim TO that former
fief Of the Magyar crown. Moreover, the
weight of argument drawn from cthnio con-
sidcrations would tend TO the Same result.
Both SlayOnia and Croatia, constituting
two-thirds of the old Trlunc kingdom Of
the southeastern SAvs, are represented
in the Diet at Buda-Pcsth. Yet geo
graphical reasons ~ the most obvious
nature would dictate the junction Of
the new provinces, not 90 Hungary but to
the Cis-Lcithan Kingdom. They cannot with
any show Of justice be- eat of from their
natural commercial outlets on the Adriatic
Dalmatia Is nothing but a strip Of coast land
once belonging TO Bosnia and the Here
gONina, and now restored after an agc-long
mutilatiOn. Free access to the sea is the
first condition Of social progress in that re
giOn, and il would be an act of barbarism to
cut of the uplands from their lttural
province, though it were only by fiscal bar
rcrs. We may take for granted, therefore
that whatever Is done with the lately an
ncxcd provinces they and Dalmatia will go
together.
But how could Hungary afford so consid-
cradle an accession? The Magyar tongue
| is spoken by no more than onc-third OF the
! population in the existing Trans Lothian
kingdom, and already the Magyar element
| in the State finds itself oVcrweightcd by the
| Slavonic constituents II would be over
whclmcd, If Dalmatia and Bosnia should be
! represented in the Diet; and the dream of
| Magyar supremacy, which the scheme Of n
| dual monarchy was framed to countcnancc,
would be forever at an end. On the other
hand, what would cnsue, surprising the
Bosnian uplands should follow the lot of
thcir Dalmatian coast strip and be incor-
! porated with the Cs-Lcithan Statc2 This
would almost inevitably entail II similar
/ disposition of SlaVOnia and Croatia, ion the
only ground on which the ancient Triunc
! Kingdom, peoplcd by one and the Same
Serbo-C roatian race, has been split asundcr
and parcclcd out, was the interiection of a
wedge 81 Turkish territory. Hitherto Bos-
MIA was a wall between the Slavonic PROV
inccs Of the HAPsBURGHs; but now that the
barrier rs lcvclled, the natural tendencies TO
union will prove we'll nigh irresistible. 1t
follows that if Hungary will not accept the
/ lndiyisiblc gift Of Bosnia and Dalmatin, she
/ Is likely 20 lose at no distant day her Croa-
tan and Slovenian dependencies. Such a
loss would materially weaken her in popu-
latiou and resources, and would destroy the
senlblunco Of equilibrium with the Cis-
Lothian monarchy. Moreover, the surrcA-
der - Croatia would defeat n capital object
of Magyar ambition, namely, the possession
/ AZ am outlet 10 the sea. in n word, there il
/ nupuut Of view from which 10 5ooms possible
! 20 reconcile tine annexation Of Bosnia with
hungarian interests Ii the Mlgyars ac-
copt the newly acquired provinces, they arc
-wamu~, i'm their own Dot; and II they re-
lort ucm, they confer an overwhelming
pcpoudrruuuo, Tho prlhlcu, indeed, APP
pears n.-olublc; andi Ills not surprising that
the Magyar mniuHly In tnr Hungarian
IulamoHt should have o,iucod the bitter
est hostility 10 u Ministry which has
o i'm. a.