Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-30

Hapsburg absolutism.
The Issue was confused by the strong |
determination OF Kossuth and his follow |
ers to preserve the Magyar character |
of the Hungarian state-a principle diff |
cult to reconcile with any theory of de- |
since the Magyars formed
minority Of the population. The difficulty
was solved by the simple expeCfent OF so
restricting the franchise SO as to secure
the predominance of the Magyars. who
constituted, as they still do, the wealth
lest and most cultured part of the popula-
ton. The March laws. then, for all their
apparent finality. only marked the begin
ming Of revolution, which is not yet COM
plete.
Hungary proper and Croatia -Slavonia
as a monarchy date from the occupation
of the country. A. D. S92.
Recent The first king. st. Ste
u;.A phen, was crowned ip
'AJ 1890. The first chaSter. or
constitutional code. is the Bula Aurea of
King Andrew, granted in 1222. which de-
fined the form of government as an '.aris-
tocratic monarchy" The Hungarian con-
stitution has been repeatedly suspended
and partially disregarded, until at the end
of the revolution in 1S49 it was decreed
forfeited to the nation. This decree was
repealed in 1850, and the emperor. In
June. 1857, swore to maintain the consti-
tuition when crowned King of Hungary.
Hungary, 1t should be understood, how
ever, handicapped by race rivalries in her
midst and about her, never loses sight of
the fact that Austria has had but a sim
gle policy toward Hungary. Austria seeks
the dissolution of Hungary and its incor
poration into Austria, not as state, but
e.
Hungarians, is not always clear to the
European. Coalition for fact means
just that and nothing more. 1t is the
alpha and the omega of Austrian policy.
1t began Immediately after 1S4S: 1t will
end when there is no longer a German
party in Hungary.
The kingdom of Hungary is composed
of Pennsylvania, Croatia -Slavonia, Ger
mans. CroatS, SlavS and Magyars, an in
congruous mixture, each class filled with
race hatred, the one for the other.
In the German reichstag, in 1903, DR..
Hasse, the leader of the pan-Germans,
attacked the Hungarian government for
its treatment of the Transylvanian Ger
mans and demanded that the imperial
government intervene. Prince Won Bue-
German consul general at Budapest. in
1888, on which there were marginal notes
in Bismarcks handwriting. Germany
had no more right to intervene in Hun
gary Indu Sne mao TO intervene In the
Baltic provinces" Prince Won Buelow's
answer left DIR. Hasse almost in state
Of collapse.
A recent writer has drawn a parallel
between the organization Of the Hun
garian state and the Nor
Parallel man conquest Of England
~ in the eleventh century.
Oto"A' The Normans in England,
he says, were a conquering class rather
than a conquering race. French, as the
language Of the dominant caste, became
that Of the government, though not of
the people; while the Norman kings,
schooled by experience in the conse-
quences Of unchecked feudalism, were
careful to preserve the native system of
local government and Of the national
levy as counterpoise to the descriptive
power of the feudal barons. Thus. after
the loss of their continental dominion, the
Norman and Angevin kings developed
into national English kings-the conquer
ors became merged in the conquered and
the rival languages were fused into a
common English tongue.
The author does not see why this was
not possible in Hungary. Why should
King Stephen break up the old Magyar
tribal system, why he did not attempt to
fuse the various races. why he did not
cause the Magyar language TO be adopted
in place Of the Latin language, which re-
manned the language OF the nobility OF
Hungary down to the revolution of 1S4S?
The English developed their constitu-
tional liberties behind the rampant Of the
sea. After William the Norman no for
eign invader came to interrupt the evo-
luton of the race.
The Magyar nation. on the other hand,
grew up with hostile surroundings and
exposed to constant invasion. It may
orlSn hot
its survival? The answer has a direct
bearing on the present-day problems in
Hungary.
The Magyar retained his constitution
after the disaster at Mohacs. Soliman
the Magnificent, the
Independence victor in 1925. was truly
na great prince. and, in
'S~ stalled at Budapest. he
gave small heed to Magyar autonomy.
1t is no paradox to say that the Otto
man conquest preserved the independ-
ence of the Magyar. Leopold /, EN-
peror OF Germany my was se not 50 great or
the Magyar constitution on the ground
that the Magyars as Calvinist heretics.
had forfeited it. When Charles of Lor-
raine captured Budapest from the Turks
III 1uoo ACOEOlu TcSlOEcu Tie magyar con-
stitution, on condition that the crown
should be recognized as hereditary in the
house of Habsburg, and it was then that
Hungary and the parts annexed Croatia
SlavoniD became hereditary mon
archy.
The Hungarian revolution of 1s4s was
wrecked ON the rock Of race division. To
this vital question other questions have
developed to endanger The safety of the
ship of state. Hungary Is aggrieved
because Austria has failed to keep her
promise that II Bosnia and Herzegoyina
were annexed they should be joined to
Hungary. Then there Is the question of
universal suffrage, which has been ac-
corded to autocratic Austria and denied
to democratic Hungary.
WIN universal suffrage prove the boon
which the Hungarian patriot assumes
Will follow? Indeed, the constitutional
reforms demanded by Hungary are sin
gularly bound up and obscured by in
Vulnerable race prejudices that appear
insurmountable because they do not di-
miniSh, but increase. with time -