Evening star., 1921-03-01
jUG0SLAVA SPLIT
CALLED UNLIKELY
Fifty-Nine Communists in AS
semb|y Not Fighting to
Separate Kingdom.
ny A. II. DECKER.

by Cable to The Star and Chicago Daily News.
Copyright, 1871.
BELGRADE. Serbia, February IS
The most striking feature Of the
Jugoslav situation is the presence of
fifty-nine communist deputies in the
constituent assembly now in session to
frame and adopt a constitution. At
first glance one is tempted to believe
! that the kingdom is on the verge OF
! an upheaval that might result In a
! republic or possibly d plunge INTO
! communism Closer eXamlnat ion
! shows that the communists are such
, in name only. In Jugoslavia the po-
| litical parties. whether in or out OF
! power. are always JuSoslaV and al
| ways pro-Serb.
! Party names signify little. For ex
| ample, the radicals, with ninety-four
! votes are. conservatives: the demo
| Gratis. with uinety-fiNe votes are ma
ticraliS:s. while the peasants. with
thir:y-niu" deputies are ultra natloii-
aIistS with "a desire for ii political
truce and = strong state organization
with central control. The MuSsumanS.
with twenty-four votes. are pro-Svrb.
The clericalS. controlling about iihe-
teen votes, are inclined to be anti
.IugOs!av and pro Austrian because
the Hapsburgs were the pillars of the
Roman church. There are four re-
publicanS who would like to get away
from the monarchjcai system anu
eleven socialists of various shades
The peoples party is pledged TO troa-
tian self-rule. II has eleven votes.
Real Opposition Party.
NJ. Radisch, with his so-called re-
publican peasants party. commanding
forty-nine votes. is really the only
opposition party to the government:
Radisch was formerly great friend
of the Hapsburgs and on one occa-
sion wrote complime hymh 10
Emperor Charles He is hardly more
than trouble.maker. HIS party
alone has refused to take the oath
of allie egiance to the king RsdlSch
remains in Agram or Zagreb. as the
Jugoslavs name the chief city OF
Croatia and refuses to attend the
meetings of the assembly His posi-
ton is that before a constitution is
framed and adopted he cannot take
the oath of allegiance TO the king
Meanwhile, he suggests that there De
separate autonomous Croatian re
public within the Croatlan Juso-
slav kingdom.
Other Jugoslavs consider such an
arrangement Impossible. They say
the situation is similar to that IN
Italy after the first union. to that
| of Great Britain before the union
and to that In Alsace today. The
real fight in the assembly concerns
| the form of the union. some de-
manding a federation with local gov
ernments while others want the
| provinces divided into administrative
departments.
Make-Up of Government.
The present government is formed
! through the union of radicals. dem
| ocrats and peasants. the leaders OF
which are for division, according to
! administrative needs. into perhaps
! thirty departments, instead of hav-
! ing representation by provinces such
as Croatia. SIovenia, Bosnia. and so
on They want national unity with
| out division into states. which, they
say. will develop local differences.
! am convinced that Jugoslavia viii
| continue TO exist as unified king
dom. for the union parties far out
number the separatists, who in d.
vision see a chance for political
! spoils But it is most remarkable
! that the presence of the fifty-nine
! communist deputies does not preoc-
| cupy the Jugoslavs nearly as much
| as the problem of national unity.
. Probably If Radisch continues to
, refuse to join the assembly new
! elections will take place. but the
| attitude of the government is that 1t
! has nothing to do with the affair and
that it is merely a private quarrel
| between Radisch and his electors.