Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-06-12
AUSTRIA-HUNGARY
Peoples of old Dual Empire Formed
Racial Medley

The new nations, Czecho- Slovakia and
the Kingdom of the Croats, Serbs and
Slovenes Gugo Slavia), have emerged
largely from races and territory Of
Austria-Hungary.
The following is based on n commun-
cation to the National Geographic So
ciety from DR.. Edwin A. Grosvenor:
1.-The Austro- Hungarian monarchy was
an anomaly, both as to its system and
as to the clinical composition of it's
inhabitants. A reference to it's method
will throw some light upon present and
future conditions.
Overwhelmingly consisted of two
equal and Independent partss Austria and
Hungary. In Austria in 1910 there were
9,9500OO Austrian Germans as against
IS, 2i3, 900 non-Germans of various races,
mainly Slav In Hungary in 1910 there
were 1O,o51,OOo Magyars as against 10,SS6,0o0
non-Magyars of various races.
1.-The Germans. though but one-third
the population in the one, were domi-
nant there and the Magyars, though
less than half the population in the
other were dominant there, To MAIN
tain this ascendancy of these two
minorities summed up all the internal
policy and determined most of the for
THE Austrian Germans and the
Magyars always dlsliked each other.
The Austrian was a foreigner at Buda-
Pest and the Magyar at Vienna. But
each recognized that his own political
salvation depended largely on alliance
| with the other. To the, Austrian espe-
| cially it was an absolute necessity. The
| ascendancy of each was to be ascribed
| in part to long monopoly of power and
| to superior cleverness in manipulation.
! But always 1t could count on jealousies
| and divisions among the Slavic sub
| jects. a condition always encouraged.
More than once the hopes of some one
of its Slavic peoples have approached
realization. only to be thwarted by oppo-
sition of other Slavs or by it's own dis
sensions.
| THE disruption of the Austro- Hun
garian empire left the Magyars in much
| the same position as before, but broke
Austria into fragments. The Austrian
Germans still formed a compact body,
but each of the subject Slavic peoples
| sprang to a realization of the national
| idea.
1.-THE Germans inhabit large terri
| tory. extending from Switzerland south
| to Bavaria to little east of Vienna
also belt of German population almost
surrounds the Czechs, and German en-
\ claves are dotted like islands in the midst
of neighboring Magyars and Slavs.
| Despite frequent usage, it must not
| be forgotten that the word Austrian
never was identified with or represented
a race. 1t is a convenient distinguish
| ing term. as in saying that the Austrian
Germans have strong sympathes with
| the Germans in the former German en-.
pire and will ultimately unite with
| them.
THE former South Slav. or Jugo-S lav
subjects of Austria-Hungary. included
| the Bosnians, Helvats, Croats, Slavon-
| ians, Dalmatians and Slovenes. The
other Slavic peoples, former subjects OF
Austria, are the Czechs, Moravians
| Slovaks and Ruthenians.
| THE Czechs, together with the Slovaks
| and Moravians, are now recognized by
| the United States and the entente allies
as forming the independent Czecho-
| Slovak nation. a broad area, inhabited
by Germans and Magyars, separates the
Czecho-Slovaks from the Jugo-Slavs."