New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-25
AUSTRIA WORSE THAN TURKEY
and Then ed to DenauonaHe
Both Of Them.

The fault is not of those unfortunate peo-
ples: they cannot love country which does
not love them.
The ignorant opponents Of the unihcauon
Of the southern Slavs with their brothers IN
Serbia. in order 10 cloud the issue, accuse the
Serbs OF irving to disrupt Austria by wills
perinc into the ears of Austrian peasants false
stories about the Austrian oppression ana
tyranny" This statement, as all the others,
is far away from the truth. The oppression
and tyranny whispered themselves into the
ears Of Austrian inhabitants. The Austrian
oppression and tyranny caused the people 10
fee from their own lands, and the emigra-
ton TO this country shows clearly enough
that there are in Austria oppression and
tyranny. Only a short while ago mass meet
incs of the South Slavs from Austria-Croats,
Slovenes and Serbs-held in the leading cities
in the United States furnished sufficient
proof that oppression and tyranny still exist.
At those meetings resolutions were passed
which bitterly denounced Austria, asking OF
the Allied powers TO unite them with their
fellow brothers in Serbia. And no one can
say that those meetings and resolutions the
Serbian agents have arranged. The people
spoke for themselves and in the name OF their
brothers, who are still suffering terribly from
Austrian "cvilization"
Austria for period Of forty years did not
solve the agricultural problem in these prov
inces and they are the only ones in Europe
where still the feudal system is in existence.
According to the statistics Austria has been
spending twice as much for the gendarmerie
and police service, twice as much for build
ing "kassernen" for the gendarmes in Bosnia
and Herzegovina as she allowed to be spent
for education and erecting schools. Austria
has made a colony out of Bosnia and Here
goyina by turning over the forests and all the
natural resources TO a small number of Aus
TRAN Jews; the whole population was made
destitute to force emigration so that German
colonies could spring up in the midst of Ser
bian inhabitents Therefore, If anybody says
that Austria has expended Of her own IN
these provinces he will be telling a gross un-
truth. as we know that Austria has robbed
these provinces of everything they have had
and then has come back and forced the popu-
lation TO subscribe for loan from which 10
build railways but only strategcal railways
and hundreds of fortresses along the from
tier. 1t is there whore the money has gone
But the people do not consider that as the
worst. When ! was in Bosnia four years ago
talked 20 an old man who has known both
the Turkish and Austrian rule in Bosnia and
Hcrzegovna, and | asked him 10 tell me the
difference between the two governments
shall never forget his words: MY son, under
the Turkish rule my head was always in the
sack, but my stomach was always full Under
Austria my head is somewhat protected, but
my stomach is always empty" and, he con-
tinued "let me tell you, Turkey never tried
TO do what Austria is trying to. Austria
wants to take our language our religion and
our customs away she is trying to pluck our
heart from our breast and our soul from the
body; Austria, my son, is worse than Turkey
was" DUSHAN D. SILASHKI.
/ New York, Sept. 10, 1915.