Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1918-11-29

dominant race in Hungary. They ruled
over the following subject peoples:%
| Austria Hungary
CxechO-SlOvaks -. 8,435, 1888 1897 $40
Poles ............. .4,967 ,0S4
Little Russians. .... .8,61s,sS4 472,5Ss
SerbO- Croatians a.... 1884 4,039, 1888
Italians .... 70S,4%2
ROumanians ........ 275,115 2,048,O27
In Austria the German population,
numbering only 1858 per cent, has
clear majority In parliament, and
treats the Slavs and Latins as inferior
peoples. In Hungary the Magyar pop
ulation outnumbers the Slavs only
slightly, but gives them few political
rights.
Magyars Become Oppressors.
1t will be remembered that little
over half a century ago the Magyars
themselves were engaged in a terrific
struggle for liberty, and were only sub
dued by Austria through the assistance
of the then car of Russia. The dual
monarchy was then formed, and the
Magyars were placated by the grant
/ ing to them rule over portions OF the
various ,Slav races. From people
battling for freedom they have since
been transformed into people who
apparently enjoy the oppression of 9TH
ers as much as the Germans them
selves.
Most of the Slavs in the dual mon
archy came under the Hapsburg rule
originally, because of the invasion of
Europe by the Turks. The Holy Ro-
man empire, of which Austria is the
decrepit descendant, was the bulwark
/ of Europe against Mohammedanfsm in
those days.
Take Lands From the Turks.
Bohemia, threatened with Moham-
medan conquest, allowed herself to fall
into the power of the Hapsburgs. Hun
gary was rescued" from the Turk. AS
the years and centuries went on other
territories were s'freed," the last ones
to be thus liberated being Bosnia and
Herzegovina, which were only for
mally incorporated into the Austrian
empire in 1909. The inhabitants of
! these two provinces are almost purely
/ Serbian in blood and language, and the
/ seizing of them by Austria would in
all likelihood have provoked a world
war at that time had it not been for
/ the fact that Russia, the protector of
/ the little Slav nationalities, was SO
weakened by the japanese war and
4 torn by revolutionary movements that
! it dared not take up arms.
] Bohemia, with the neighboring prov
/ inces OF Moravia and Slovakia forming
i the most compact and numerous group
/ Of Slavs in the empire, Familiarity
known as Czecho-Slovaks, was, before
/ the war, the best educated, the most
prosperous and the most highly deyel-
oped part Of Austria Hungary, in spite
of the fact that the Bohemians were
under the domination of the Germans
of the empire. They chung tenacious
/ II, however, TO their desire for free
/ dom, and when the war broke out BO-
/ hemia was soon q seething mass of
suppressed revolt.
mo F~%SSaAiCs
Tive years ago it might have been
possible to placate the Slav races OF
Austria-Hungary by giving them equal
rights with their German and Mag
var oppressors. Now it would be i'm
possible. The avenue Of expansion for
Germany to the southeast must be
closed forever. The just national as
pirations of oppressed peoples mus. be
satisfied, or the Balkan aproblem will
remain after this war just what it was
before, q continual menace TO the
/ peace of the world.
Already the experience Of the cen.
trail powers in subjecting other ma
tions, q bit at q time, has been such
| that they now think they can treat the
whole world that way. For half a
century they have been getting ready
| for this course of action. Now they
have definitely embarked on it. They
have in their grasp conquered terri
/ tory and subject populations Of sufh-
| cient magnitude to assure them OF
| practical success il they are allowed
to keep what they have gained.
They must give up all they have
won and more or no spot on the earth
will be safe from their aggression III
the future.
statistics from the Statesman's Veal
Book, 1917, census of 1910. These are Of
fetal statistics, which favQr the ruling
| nations. For instance, nearly all the i,
100000 Jews in Austria are classed as Ger
| mans while in Hungary not only the
Jews. numbering 100000, but almost every
| one else able to speak the Magyar len
guage, are classed as Magyars.