The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-12-05

guage( kept their countrymen in con-
tlnuous state of excitement. Both jour
mails we're confiscateu several times each
week by the aul horities but that only
made matters worse.
r. MANY of the Czechs were not satisfied
with DR.. Rogers extreme ideas Of ultra
montanlsm and feudalisa, and in 1859 a
DR.. Gregr caused an open ruptue Ly
forming the party of Young Czechs,
whose more pronounced liberalism
brought them many adherents III COM
paraiiye!y short space OF time. Since
1869 the Young Czech party has seen
many ups and downs. They repeatedly ex-
ercised an all-controling interest in their
national affairs, and they are al he present
time strongly rel" esented in the Bohemian
as well as in the imperial legislature.
The "historic" Bohemian nobility re-
presented bv the Princes Schwartzen berg,
kInsky, Waldstein, Clary, Auersberg,
Clam Gallas, Clam MartlnitZ, Schlick.
Octavian Kinsky and many others have
repeatedly changed sides, though most OF
them were always supporters OF the I'M
perial Government. AgitatorS were sent
all over Bohemia and Moravla, but the
country peop.e were slow 10 take an inter-
est in the national movements, and the
large towns, particularly Prague, were Tor
many years, as they are now, the chief
centers OF all disturbances.
The students and social associations
took prominent part in spreading the
national Spirit, and did all they could to
excite luminosity against the Germans.
The zechish Turn Society, "Sokol," even
went so far as to make repeated pilgrim
ages in force TO Paris, where thew were
EN- braced, kissed and feted by the French
men, and returned home lull OF their own
importance of having struck a death
blow TO everything German. The Jews
are hated almost as much as the Ger
mans. and apparently for no other reason
than because their instructive business
enterprise has made them rich and COM
Portable.
The entire kingdom north of Prague,
which contains all the large centers
of industry, is peopled exclusively by
Germans. The same may be sad of the
extreme southern part; ana the largest
and best paying enterprises in Prague
and elsewhere are in the hands of Ger
mans and Jews The same condition
holds good for Moravia and the few other
provinces of the empire which contain q
partly Slavic population.
The Austrian Government deserves Sc
we're censure Tor permitting the dlscOn-
tent to grow in Bohemia. No other coun-
try would have tolerated such state of
affairs, and 1t is small wonder that things
at last assume dimensions which it Is i'm
pOSSlDle 10 suppress without TeSOTtlDR TO
force OF arms. The continuous cnange in
the Austrian NJ nistry, which naturally
led to as frequent a change in the COVER
nOrship OF Bohemia, furnished officials
who were either absolutely in favor or alb
solutely opposed to the CZechish move
ment. AS m atters stand now there can be
little doubt that Austria is able'to subiue
the 100000 CZechs in the empire. a
different question is what sides he Mag
vars and Poles Will take. They are not
ovsrirlendiv to the Germans either and
if they should make common cause with
the Czechs the 1900 600 Germans will not
be able, and perhaps no. even willing, to
support the Government in the effort t.
prolOng the existence of the dual mon
archy.
One thing is certain; the empire has
never been so much in danger of dlssOlu-
ton as now. 1t IS true the army, the
police and the largest part Of the people
can be relied on 10 support the Govern
ment as long as the iresent Emperor
lives and neither the German umpire nor
Russia can desire a non-exIstence OF
-tria, not even if both countries would
gain considerably in territory by dissO u
ton. But as pointed out before the con.
hagraton must not be allowed to spread
otherwise the other races in Austria Will
be forced 10 take sides on their own &C
count and a little OF at might be quit,
! sufficient TO kill the oldes' dynasty in Eu
| rope. WILLIAM LoDTMANN.
I