Evening star., 1909-03-07
AUSTRIA And THE SERB STATES.

ASSAs.N~
| opened the door to concerted action. ac-
cording to recent cable
Russia's grams, on the part OF
as Russia. France. Germany.
England and Italy to In
duce Servia to abstain from seeking aug
mentation of territory. Russia hesitated
to interfere, lest her motives should be
msnterpreted; but finally she has sent
| friendly message to Servia advising her
to renounce her demands and await the
action Of the prospective conference.
The idea of conference. 1t should be
| said, was first suggested by M. 1svolsky.
Russian minister of foreign affairs. The
minister sought to establish a program
In anticipation. and to that end he under
took negotiations in the European capt.
tails. Austria and Germany regarded the
conference with distrust. England would
accept only upon condition OF plenary
powers; the Turks and Bulgarfans were
| |non-committal: the Servians and Greeks
rendered 1t complex by their claims. The
| situation looked decidedly bad. Finally
Austria and Turkey and then Bulgaria
and Turkey executed agreements. II
Servia accepts the united interference OF
the above named powers NJ. Isvolsky may
complete the necessary program and the
conference be proclaimed
Meanwhile the situation in Servia and
Croatia is full Of dangerous possibilities
which have not escaped the attention or
the European powers equally interested
In maintaining peace.
The London Times in a recent editorial
on the situation entitled "Austria-Hun-
gary and the Serbs,'' says:
ho NJ This rPiSfS in
the near east the western powers and
Russia. and later on also Italy. admitted
that 1t would be wise to provide some
compensation for the two Serb states
(Servia and Montenegro. whose interests
In the maintenance of the status quo had
been at least negatively affected. and the
question of the form which that COM
peneatton should take was one of the
points to be submitted to an interna-
tional conference"
Servia and Croatia, with their capitals.
Belgrade and Agram, constitute the hope
of the Slav peoples of Eu-
slavic rope. NJ. Victor Berard, in
uon.. the Revue de Paris. has an
article entitled IAN Action
at Law at Agram' which is particularly
interesting and instructive at a moment
when the Slav question. almost unknown
on this side Of the Atlantic. seems destined
to play an important part in the confer
ence which must soon assemble.
Croatia, it may be recalled, is political
division of the ustro-Hungarian empire.
situated southeast of Styria and Carniole,
and separated from Hungary by the
Drave and the Save. Croatia is ac-
movement. which proposed the forma-
ton of Dalmatia and Bosnia into ''tri-
unitary kingdom under the suzerainty
Of Austria.
The Austrian empire accorded this
racial formation special diet in $780,
and a chief known as the ban: the
academy and the university of Agram
are the centers of the 'Yougo," or south
ern Slav movement. The Croatian troops
formed an excellent light cavalry In the
was created in the French army a like
corps. which took the name of Royal
Cravats."
January y. 1909. the official journal
"Naronda Novina,'' the Peoples Gazette,
and the official gazette of Croatia. the
"Ustavnost Constitutionalism.'' published
the indictment by the procurcr general
Of Agram against Adam Prebitchevitch
and ffty-two accomplices accused of
high treason: ffty-three conspirators
against whom the procuror demanded the
penalty Of death by hanging. In order to
restore respect of the laws in Croatia
and In the Austria Hungary monarchy.
These flfty-three conspirators are not per-
sons without vocations. nor students. nor
anarchists. nor Journalists; but 16 small
merchants. IL professors. landholders,
bourgeois and peasants: functionaries.
priests. physicians and 1 lawyer.
*
The "obturnica," or arraienment by the
procuror general is as follows: The ac-
cused are charged with
Formal direct and indirect re-
ch.rra. lations with a political
association known as
"Slovenski Yong" Of Belgrade. with the
object of political and social enfranchise-
ment Of the national southern Slavs to
propagate and introduce into the king
dom of Croatia" Slavonia. Dalmatia and
Bosnia Herzegovina. the idea Of a great
Serb state. This idea is based upon and
supported by general revolution
throughout Servia and Croatia, and by
the armies of Servta and Montenegro
tro-Hungarian monarchy and incorporat-
ing them into the kingdom of Serviain
order to found a Serb state under the
scepter Of King Peter Karageorgevitch 1.
The accused trust the people to rally
around the kingdom Of Servia, which in
cludes the kingdom OF Croatia Slavonica.
Bosnia-Herzegovina, that all the territory
between the Semlin to the Adriatic should
be under Servia and under Peter Kara
georgevitCh ], who will free them by the
sword of the evils from which they suffer
In orthodox families emblems of Serva,
the portrait of King Peter with cries of
"Vive Servia, Vive Peter l." are popular
ized. They have introduced the Serb
alphabet as a sign of serbism. And,
finally the accused have favored the re-
volt in order to seize the kingdoms of
Croatia. SlavOnica, Dalmatia and Bosnia
Herzegovina from the Austro- Hungarian
1.-The accused, therefore, have
committed the crime OF high treason, as
defined in the penal CODE
To hang forty heads of families and
twelve bachelors on the testimony of the
prOcuror and his witnesses without sin
gle evidence of guilt is a manifest alton
of a very singular condition of things at
Vienna. And the author asks how 1t Is
possible that the Magyars permit such q
state of affairs. the Magyars who have
their own difficulties with the monarchy
at Vienna!
The Compromise exchanged between
Vienna and Budapest in 1s67-1S6S and
between Budapest and
Triunitary Agram declared that Dali
Kinpdom. malta. slavonica and
Croatia should form a |
"triunitary kingdom" which, while be-
longing to the Hungarian crown. and
having a certain number Of affairs in
common with the Magyar state and a