New-York tribune., 1889-10-13
BOHEMIA AND AUSTRIA.
THE CZECHS' FIGHT FOR AN AUTONOMY
LIKE HUNGARY,S.
tFRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT Oh THE TRIBUNE,

by the Austrian Government as the represe NATIVE
Of Mr.. C,evelands Administration, and when Mr..
Jonas was first mentioned as the future American
Consul to this place, the little American colony
here has not been directly interested in the politics
of the country. But it has just now been stirred
up by piece OF news from Vienna, which not
quite unexpected A Czech Committee has been
formed at the capital Of the Dualistc Empire, with
a view to stop the large emigration Of Bohemians
to the United States, and 10 colonze with those
people the yet uncultvaed tracts Of land in Lower
Austria. 1t is unlikely that the committee VIII
succeed in its scheme: for the real BOhemians or
! Slav Czechs are aware that they would have to
live in Lower Austria, under the rule Of the Ger
man race, which they have succeeded, at last, in
getting under control in Bohemia itself.
Out Of five millions and half Of inhabitants,
the Germans, who figure for only one-thrd, have
ruled the kingdom, politically and otherwise, un-
til recently when the National party, led by Reger
and Paacly, and known by the name OF Old
Czechs, conquered power. The German Deputies
to the LAndtag of Prague finding themselves in
minority, have declined to occupy their seats in
the Legislature. This mute protest coupled with
their savage attacks on everything and every man
that is Czech did not rally to their side the
native population. On the contrary, the Ola
Czech party, having been suspected of some weak
ness toward the German element, which it wanted
to have reappear in the Diet, has just been beaten
| on the electoral field by the party of the Young
| Czechs The latter are more irreconcllable and
more anti German than the followers of Reger,
who belong to the land aristocracy and the con-
servative element in old Bohemia.
| The advent Of the Young Czechs, somewhat
tainted with revolutionary ideas, greatly dis
pleased the reactlonary governmental circles at
| Vienna, and still so the people of Hungary,
who retain one-half of the power in the Dualistlc
Empire. The Magyars forget that the Czcchs, Old
or New, are merely following the example gwen
! by themselves when in 1s49 they claimed and
| fought for their autonomy, which they obtained
| only in 1867. The Emperor Of Austria was then
crowned at Pesth, as King of Hungary, exactly as
the Czechs demand that he should be crowned
King Of Bohemia They do not see why the crown
of Saint Wenceslaus should not be placed, like
that of Saint Stephen, upon the Imperial head of
| Franz Joseph. This innocent demand of the Old
and the New Ozechs would be readily granted 20
| them if it amounted 10 a mere regal ceremony. 1t
was performed formerly for the last time in S36,
when the crowning of Emperor Ferdinand, pre-
decessor to the present Kaiser, King of Bohemia
did not bring any change in the political status
of the Czechs' land But now things are different;
people, like individuals have come to be more
practical; and they want title deeds, Oaths and
| ceremonies TO be sanctioned by acts The Hun
garians easily understand that in case the Emperor
should be crowned King of Bohemia the Empire
| would be no longer dualistic an Austro- Hungarian
affair, but tripartite, the Austro-Hungaran-B Bo-
| hemian Empire.
OF course, they also understand il at Vienna,
where the Government is not anxious, after hav
| ing surrendered to Hungary in 1867, half of its
sovereignty, to abandon to Bohemia portion OF
the half it preserved At the HOfburg of Vienna,
as at the Schloss of Pesth, they think that the
Empire is sufficiently endowed with its two
political and geographical divisions, Transei-
thania and Cslethania, without adding third
division, Bohemia which would make of the realm
three-headed empire. But Metternichian policy
had to be followed, in order not TO drive the Greeks
to extreme resolutions, and to keep them within
the imperial folds, without giving them that
practical autonomy which was the only means
which prevented the Magyars from constituting an
independent monarchy after Austria's defeat at
Sadowa in 1866. 1t was resolved, therefore, on
the one hand, to hold in check the party of the
Young Czechs to prevent it from spreading dis
affection among the masses, and on the other
hand, to lure the latter with vain promises of a
crownng at the Ilradschin Palace of Prague,
which, even if at ever took place, intended
|
Bohemian autonomy
The first part of the programme was performed
through the closing of the Alademiclly Spolek, or
Free Academy, which numbered more than 900
members, and was frequented BY all the Young
Czechs who declined to follow the academical
course of the official Prague University, the hot
| bed Of German influence and antl-Gree< oppO-
stion. The pretext given for that closing was
rather bad one-that the Bohemian students had
sent to their younger brethren at Paris, on the
occasion Of the opening of the new buildings of
the old Sorbonne, address of oongratulatOn,
! filed with friendly words for the French Repub-
hc which had given new and beau N roof to
the Sorbonne Meanwhile, Doctor, Baron and
General Kraus, who delights in being called
| Doctor rather than Baron General. and who has
been for a long while the Governor, has been asked
to resign. He has ruled Bohemia with tact and
intel gence, for he is rather sceptc in politics
and Liberal. The German leaders dislked him
because he declined to rule with and through
| them, who represented but one third Of the popu,
! latiOn of the whole country, and whose age had
increased since they had that their bOycOtting
! OF the Diet did not stay the work of legislation.
| They called the Prague Landtag the Rump'
| Dict and DR.. Kraus a Rump' Governor. Stll, II
was not in view of conc hatlng the German ec-
ment of Bohemia that the Vienna Government
ordered Count Taaite 10 ask for DR. kriuss reSlg-
| nation. II rather to please the party of the
| Old Czechs and assist in its fight against the
| Young Czechs for the supremacy in the land.
| Moreover. the Old Czechs, being essentially re-
| cruited among the landed aristOcracy and the
/ wealthy classes, are ever disposed not
| to press TOO harShy their political
and autonomist ideas. whenever these ideas
! shown to them endangering their conservative
! programme Nobody better than the new Gov
| ernor Count Thun Won Ilohenstein. representa-
| tive Of the old arstocracy will be able TO play
! upon the minds of the Old Crechs, and slowly
but surely lead them to sign a truce with the
! Vienna Emperor and perhaps with his friends
! also. the Germans of Bohemia.
But il remains to be whether this will
| amount to any weakening in the autOnomiSt feel
! ing Of the Slav- Bohe mians, led by the yOnne
Czechs, who are called contemptuously by their
enemies, the Neo-FIussists, the new disciples of
Johann Huss, exactly as the patriots OF the