Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-04-30
DEFENDS JUGO-SLAVS
o the Editor of the Telegraph:

To the Editor of the Telegraph:
We love our Jugo- -Slavia, our
geographical name for the country
of the Croatians, Slovnes and Serbs,
as much as the Italians love their
Italy. We have the right to life and
liberty, as the Italians. At the mo-
ment, when we thought that our
calvary was over and the stone OF
oppression was rolled back and our
national resurrection was in sight,
Italy is in our road, denying Us the
liberty and self determination. Italy,
the Europe's boot, with shameful
and arrogant synism with the same
boot is trying to step on our neck,
taking from us our best cities, our
coast, our islands.
Italy, the country which fought so
long for her own liberty and unity.
is denying the same right to the
others.
But the time of oppression is past.
The small nations cannot be any
more slaves of the big ones. The
might shell be replaced by right.
The Jugo-Slavs have fought for
centuries against the Venice Repub-
! lie: especially the Croatians on the
lDalmatian sea coast and the islands
of Austria. The life of this people
was real martyrdom.
The Judgo-Sla in the same time
have fought against the Turks from
the early fourteenth century to the
last Balkans wars. Croatia was
never under the Mosemans rule, and
| for their able defense of their own
country and Christianity, Pope Leo
X called them-Antemurale Chris
tianitatis.
The Jugo-Slavs have suffered for
centuries under the despotic Austro-
Hungarian government, and now
when Austria a-Hungary went TO
pieces. crumbling down under the
weight of her sins and injustices,
the liberated nations thought that
the time came for their liberty, so
long expected and deserved.
Now Italy, by force, won't take
our life, our liberty again. and start
the Austrian rule of force and per-
secution; or to play the role of the
pirate of the Adriatic, like the Ven
ice Republic did in the time past.
Between the two evils we would
prefer a hundred and hundred times
the old Austrian rule to the new
Italian. Under Austria we were suf-
fering; under Italy we would die.
There is no word which could even
IapproXimately express the telling OIL
hatred and contempt against TINS
unjust aspirations of the Italian gov
erning class for our country.
THE Italian Irredenta is. nothing
else than the shield to the most
aggressive militarism. Since the Ital-
Ian unity, all the wars waged by
Italy were for conquest. The war
against Abyssinia, where the 1tal-
| ian army was defeated by Menelick;
the war against the Turks for Trip
oil and for the Greek Islands in the
| Aegean. then under Turk dominion,
but inhabited by Greek people; and
especially the present war was en-
tered by Italy not for the noble prin-
ciples of democracy and for the lib
| erty of the small oppressed nation,
hut for the lust of conquest and
+ land grabbing.
For almost a year Italy was on
the market for highest bidder. All
the explanations to the contrary
were excuses. Now it is clear to
everybody. Da'matia and Fiume
(Riieka) are not Italian: all the
Italians there are colonists, fleeing
from Italy in search for bread.
Riieka (Fiume) is the natural out
let of Croatia. The beautiful port
of Rijeka. with its solid piers and
wharves of massive stones and con-
crete are built with the money of
the Croatians taxpayers and other
subjects of Austria Hungary, and
not with Italian money.
| Dalmatia and Riieka (Fiume) are
Croatian. and We have to be united
with our mother country. with
croatia. Our capital city shall be
lZa agreb- -Biieli Zagreb-the white
city-the Jewel Of the Jugo-SlaVT.
as was STYLED bv the American Red
Cross now in that country.
Zagreb (Agram) is our historical.
cultural and political center. With
IT'S renowned university. the first in
tho Balkans: with its great academy
(Jugn- -SIavenska Akademija) with
its splendidly developed and fire.
uuented classical. technical and COM
mercia1 high schools: with it's COL
leges and normal schools for the
education Of the teachers. males and
females: with its beautiful opera
house and government building and
lhospitals, is the model city. where