Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-08
DEMANDS OF HUNGARY
Independent Army the Most I'M
portant of Its Desires.
SEPARATE TARIFF WANTED
Majority in Parliament Obtained by
the Revolutionists.
BODY DISSOLVED BY FORCE
Action of the Commissioner Sent by
Emperor Denounced as Uncon-
stitutional and Illegal.
BODY DISSOLVED BY FORCE

By WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the Chicago
Record Herald.
VIENNA, August 10, 1906.
AS I told you yesterday the people of
Hungary are on the point of fighting one
way or another for their freedom. They de-
mand the dissolution OF the common gov
eminent with Austria and their own inde-
pendence, but many Of them are willing to
accept temporary compromise. They de-
mand as the price of maintaining the pres
ent dual government:
l. Their own distinct coat-of-arms.
2. separate tariff, Independent Of that
Of Austria. and separate commercial trea-
ties with foreig nations based upon in
dustrial and commercial conditions in Hun
gary, which are quite different from those
Of Austria.
8. Their own diplomatic and consular
service. or at least the transaction of all
| business with foreign nations concerning
Hungary at Budapest, its capital.
f. A separate national bank.
5. The official use Of the Magyar language
In all correspondence and transactions con-
corning Hungarian affairs. and that the
commands to the army shall be given In
6. An Independent national army, with
Hungarian officers and uniforms and words
Of command.
And in general a release from the obli-
cations which now bind the two Kingdoms
Hungary's Complaint.
Hungary complains that she does not have
her share Of the consular and diplomatic
representatives of the empire in foreign
countries-that they are nearly all Aus
trians-and that the foreign Office is kept at
xr,har h,,eI
garian interests is conducted in the German
language. Her people demand their share
Of the offices: they demand that at least
branch Of the department of foreign affairs
correspondence and business relating to
Hungary shall be conducted in the Magyar
language. They want the embassies and
foreign legations to be compelled to have
bassadors and ministers shall spend a part
of their time there. These demands are not
based alone upon national pride, but there
is movement to revive the Magyar Ian
guage like that in favor Of the Gaelic.
There is already an imperial bank which
bears a relation to the government similar
to that of the Bank Of England to the Brit
ish government. 1t Is the depository of gov
eminent funds and an agent for their dis
burSement. The headquarters are tn Vien-
ma, with branch at Budapest. But the
Hungarians insist upon distinct and inde-
pendent financial agent for their affairs
! with headquarters at Budapest, and a
branch at Vienna. If the Austrians want one
there. The accounts Of the imperial gov
eminent are not kept separately, although
Austria pays 65 per cent and Hungary IS
per cent Of the total.
Industrial Interests Conflict.
There is free trade between the two ma
tons now and their tariff policy is the
same. although their Industrial and eco
nomical interests are very different and
conflict directly. Hungary is an agricul-
tural country, while Austria has large man
ufacturing interests, and the two compete
in different lines with different countries
Austria wants free raw materials, particu-
larly food products. and high duties on
manufactured merchandise. Hungary wants
low tarin on manufactured goods and
high tariff on breadstuffs and provisions.
Austria wants to reduce the cost Of living
for her working classes, because she does
not raise enough to feed them. Both coun-
tries are reasonably prosperous, although
Hungary has been a good deal broken IN
by political agitation. In many places the
Hungarians boycott Austrian goods, the
feeling Is so strong.
Hungary would like to inclose her bor-
ders with her own red-white- and-ereen
fence and establish an Independent customs
territory with heavy tax on Austrian
manufactured goods. Her agitators are SO
absorbed in their national pride and selfish
ness that they do not appreciate the value
Of the Austrian market or realize that Aus
tria would retaliate with energy. Nor do
they consider the disadvantages of their
geographical situation. With the exception
Of the Roumanfan and Servian frontiers
and small strip of seacoast Hungary is
surrounded by Austrian territory and could
not send her farm produce to France, Ger
many, Switzerland or any other market
without crossing Austrian soil, while Aus
tria could lay any embargo she pleased
upon the Hungarian trade. Nevertheless
the Hungarians are fighting for an indie
pendent tariff and duty on Austrian goods.
and the fact that the ausgleich or customs
compact between the two countries has
covered periods Of only ten years shows
that both nations have regarded 1t as tenn
porary. This compact expires in a few
years, and the negotiations for the renewal
will bring matters to q crisis.
Magyar Army Wanted.
But altogether the most serious. matter is
the army. The entire Magyar nation is in
fever Of excitement, fighting for a ma
tional Magyar army, and not only indi-
viduals. but newspapers, discuss with cold
blooded candor the possibilities that NAV
occur in case Austria refuses what they
consider a legitimate and reasonable de-
mand. But 1t involves vital principles It
Is question of power between the king
and the nation and a question of policy
that cannot be yielded. 1t is obvious that
garians would share Hungarian prejudices
and sustain Hungarian interests, and soon
bring about an armed conflict In short 1t
is question of nationality, and, although
both sides realize that perfectly well,
neither cares to offer that fact as an OBJ
lection. The army is now made up indis-
crimnately Of representatives of all the
seventeen different races and clans in the
empife-Germans, Czechs, Slovaks, Poles,
Ruthenians, Serbs, Slovanians, Croatians,
Bosnians, Italians, Bohemians, Roumanians,
Magyars and various other conscripts of
different races, customs, tongues and creeds
Each unit holds with more or less tenacity
to his own nationality.
There Is little patriotism or imperial en-
tity in Austria, while in Hungary, and es-
pecially In the Polish provinces, there is an
Intense racial feeling and prejudice For
example, when Hungarian emigrant lands
upon American soil he declares himself a
Hungarian. but when an Austrian lands he
describes himself as a Bohemian. a Slovac,
nj fo1 nr n Dol md <ha ~;