Evening star., 1909-03-07

and its own official language.
These stipulations have never been re-
the administration direct of Vienna on
condition that Vienna left the Serbo-
Croats under its tyranny. The ban"
named by the government at Vienna on
the proposition of Budapest is in reality
an omnipotent satrap, who controls the
ulet consistory. Official pressure, the
reign of the arbitrary and secret denun-
citation, electoral corruption and. above all,
natred adroftly maintained between Cath
olic Croats and orthodox Serbs. rendered
illusory Serb influence in the diet and
practically assured the police absolutism
Of the ban"
Up to 1905 a sort of tacit convention was
maintained between Vienna and Buda-
pest IN order to perpetuate this enslave-
ment OF the Serbo-Croats. In 1905 the
coalition of some Magyar statesmen
against the pretensions of Vienna feared
tnat IN the civil war that threatened
the Hapsburg would renew against them
her tactics Of 1919 and awaken In their
rear Serbo-CrOat rebellion.
Inc cnlefS OF the independent Magyars
promised that in future the "Nagoda"
would be respected and that the autonomy
OF Agram would no longer be a vain eX-
preston If the Serbo-Cro deputies in
tne common parliament at Budapest
would join their Magyar colleagues
against the crown.
BY the Resolutions" of Fiume and
cara the advanced factions of the two
parties, Croat and Serb
magyar of the 'triunitary king
Coalition dom" registered these
promises and accepted
the electoral alliance. In 1906 the ad-
hesion Of the Serbo-Croats gave the VIC
tory to the Magyar coalition" which the
emperor-king was obliged to call to power
in April. 1906. not without imposing upon
1t. however. the preliminary renunciation
Of the one-half of it's program.
For the first time, in April. 1906, the
Serbo-Croats elected diet which was
not entirely composed of official candi-
dates: twenty-five deputies of the national
party-that Is to say, servitors ready to
DO anything for Magyars, or, as they are
termed there. "Magyarons"; twenty depu
forty-two deputies, "revolutionists"-
is to say. partisans of the revolutions
or Ffume and lara. The Serbo-Croats
were in favor OF the alliance with the
Magyarons.' but under the promise of
autonomy and privileges to be faithfully
respected and under the rule of the Nago-
da.
The Magyarons have always affected to
believe themselves to be the superior race
and would not risk to be governed by a
the Serbs to be.
The Magyars then resumed their former
errors and assumption Of authority over
the Croats. Budapest announced her
purpose to regulate In the common par
lament certain affairs which belonged to
the diet cf Agram. Among thes, she
would change the bilateral contract Of
the Nagoda in 1868. Article 81 of the
Nagoda stipulates that In the Croat-Sla-
vonian territory the Croat language shall
official 100 nj ovln ~
the common government.
The Budapest parliament desired to
impose the Magyar as the language of
l. the railways in Croatia
Language Slavonia. In the COM
rssua mon parliament there
were violent discussions
between Maygars and Croats, but finally
the contested law was voted by the Mag
var majority.
The newly elected officers left Buda-
pest for Agram, where they were re-
ceived with hostile demonstrations by the
Croats. The agitation extended through
out the Serbo-Croat territory. The hon.
est Croat ''ban," Peiatchevitch, who de-
clared that he would not oppose the wish
es of the people. was deposed by an order
from Budapest and was replaced by
Rakodc7ay. Magyar. at the same time
that ministerial order required him to
enforce the Objectionable railway laws.
The manifestations increased, both in
the cities and In the country When the
diet of Croatia assembled in Agram in
December. 1907, twelve motions were pre-
the new ban" and declaring null and void
Budapest dissolved the diet. The pan"
Rakodczay. not being able to form a
government. was obliged to resign
that it baG fooS @ Budapest concluded
Baron Rauch. a "Croatise'' Of German
descent. The official journal of Buda-
pest of December 80, 1905. the Magyar
Hirlap," said:
I'm 1867 Baron Levin Rauch was the
first constitutional ban of Croatia 1t
was the grand Andrassy
daucn's who made this happy
Plan choice. Baron Rauch was
in the strict sense of the
word a 'unionist:' this Croat desired to
implant Magyarism in Croatia, not
only through ordinary people, but by
appeal to the Magyar nobility. and
found them large landholders; taking the
lands under their care and exploitation,
the Magyars would turn the people to-
ward the Magyar idea"
The new ban" endeavored to divide
that he might reign. and with this view
sought to array the Croat Catholics and
Orthodox Serbs the one against the
other. The ban accused the Orthodox
Of favoring an anti-dynastic movement.
His first efforts resulted in a check at
the election of February, 1905. The
'revolutionists' achieved q victory. ac-
companied by no little disorder and con-
tenticn with the defeated ban" party
In the meantime the Turkish revolu-
ton occurred, July % Q9OS). The situa-
tion was critical and Baron d d'Aehrenthal
sent for Baron Rauch, and subsequently
there appeared at Agram two pamphlets
signed by George Nastich. a former Serb
journalist.
George Nastich avowed himself a men,
Der of the pretended conspiracy Of
the fifty-three Croats charged with high
treason at Agram. Such is the policy
by which the Austria Hungarian mon
archy proposes to terrorize the Croat
and the Serb, with a view to his absolute
subsection.
Some idea of the character of the
charges of high treason may be discov
the accused committed high treason by
publishing and propagating a book en-
titled "A Geography Of the Kingdom of
Servia: Published at Belgrade in 1905"
and that 1t contains the following treason
able utterances: THE Servian people oc-
cupy the kingdom of Servia. Montenegro.
old Servia, Macedonia, Bosnia -Herze-
govina, Dalmatia, Istria, Slavonia Syr-
mia and Croatia; Servia and Montenegro
are free; the others are under foreign
domination