The daily progressive-miner. [volume] (Ketchikan, Alaska) 1915-1919, 1918-09-24
HOW SOUTH SLAv
REVOLUTION BEING

Austria possesses Europe's most
rapidly growing club. Nominally it
has only So members. but in reality 1t
has some 100000. 1t is the Jugo-
Slav Club. Its charter members are
the Jugo-Slav deputies in the Austrian
Reichsrat, and in Austria all such ma.
tional groups Of deputies are known
as clubs Thus there are also Czech
and Polish Clubs. And under peace
conditions they might have continued
20 exist in a state of merely academic
opposition. But the war has turned
at least one of themGit is rapidly turn.
ing all of them-into something en-.
tirely different. The business of the
Jugo-slav Club is no longer dinners
and good fellowship but revolution.
As elected representatives its lead
ers have a certain power in the Aus
trian Government Not long ago one
OF them. who. was member of the
Reichsrat budget committee. was able
temporarily to delay the issue of the
new war loan. And DR.. Won Seydler,
the Austrian premier. has had to in.
wife the president and vice-president
of the Club to meet him in order that
he might learn the attitude of the Jugo
Slays toward the proposed sitting OF
the Reichstrat. But the Clubs 35
charter members draw their chief ad.
vantage as organizers of revolution
from this. Being Reichsrat deputies
they enjoy partial immunity from
arrest. They can do things which for
the private citizen would be treason.
And accordingly their whole present
proceedings might be pretty accurate
" described as the organization of rev |
olution under camouflage.
camoufiased Meetings
They hold meetings. but meetings |
for no seditious purpose. In the towns |
they are for the purpose of encour-
aging national art, or TO promote a I
national theatre-the Slovenes have
Just shown their racial breadth by sub
some 100000 kroner for
national theatre for the Croats-or
hey are for choral singing. The /
ehoruses are for the most part old
Jugoslav national songs. But where
S the sedition in that?
In the country districts the meet
ngs generally take the form o, re-
,eptions to the Clubs president. He.
Dr.. Anton Korsetz, is veteran tri-
pune II the people and famous ora.
or, so why should ne not be given
And accordingly, as he
5 almost constantly travelling, his re-
,eptions are all but continuous. In
me sense the reception is rarely held
FOR while the people, peasants and
miners and village laborers, some
lines 10000 or more, gather in from
niles around. the military and police
till powerful enough where they
AVE only unarmed civilians to deal
With, can forbid DR.. Korsetz to speak.
But that makes little difference. The
,eople understand what they are there ,
or. They Sc their own numbers
Whole new districts begin to know
ach other. And If there is no speak.
ag from the platform. nothing can
.eep them from doing all the speak.
ag that is really needed. among them.
elves. They sing the Jugoslav Mar.
eiliaise. II they cannot shout for a
rec Jugosiavia, they can shout for
his Jugoslav Club And the Club adds
0 many thousands more to its unofh-
.al membership. Often there are ar
ests. In one small Syrian town,
nuremberg, more than 500 such new
Tub members are now awaiting trial.
tut the meetings continue.
Every meeting, too, is a means OF
distributing the needed revolutionary
terature. The speakers and their
sistants do not carry it, but 1t is
here. And it is passed about in some
-ay. Much is the product of secret q
resses and the Jugoslav Central Com
littee in Rome sends owe rmuch by !
irplane- 1t is dropped at haphazard, !
nth not needless explanations. But
gets to the centres OF the Jugoslay :
Tub eventually. We have just rec
gnized the Czecho-sloyak nation and
overnment. Already, probably, Ital-
IN airplanes have carried in that
ews bulletin for the next Club meet.
lg.