Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1921-04-07
CROATSSERVED
SERBIA With
AN ULTIMATUM
Notified Belgrade They Con-
sidered Themselves In
dependent State
CIV The Associated Press.)

vienna, April w nat purpOTIS
to be an address to Belgrade by the
Croatian Peasants Party formu-
ated at a meeting in Agram on Feb
ruary 11-12 and suppressed by the
government is printed by the Reich.
post of this city. 1t is virtually de-
claration of independence of Crotia,
A significant feature of it is the
fact that it is addressed to His Roy,
al Highness, the Regent of the King
dom of Serbia as Military Com
mander in Belgrade" Signed by As
deputies of Radich party it begins
with the statement that they consid-
er it their duty to invalidate in the
name of the Crotian nation and
state the address which the Central
Committee of the ational Assembly
with only eight member of the Croa-
tian Diet, presented to the Regent
in December, 10, 1918, and also to
invalidate the decisions of the Croa
tian Diet since October of that
year.
Declaring that the Croatian Diet
in October 1918, proclaimed the en-
tire independence of Croatian,
S'avonia, Dalmatia and the Muir
Islands and handed over to the Ma
tional Assembly the supreme pow
er, the address points out that at
the same time it distinctly made
clear that they meant only to be-
come members of a union but by
no means to join the centralized
state of the Kingdom of the Serbs.
Croats and Slovenes. 1t supports
this view by constituting the decision
Of the Peace Conference in res
ponse to its appeal for an Independ-
ent Peasant Republic as meaning
Croatia was compelled to become
part Of the s. II. s. only in an inter
national sense and that the confer
ence did not force upon Croatia the
Serbian monarchy.
Thhe monarchy was proclaimed by
the Regent, the manifesto continu-
es. "on the basis of the above men,
toned address which was repudiated
and invalidated by the Croatian ma
ton in November of last year." SO
'that the present regime which
constitutes an unprecedented reign
of terror can only be kept up by
force of arms and oppression"
Since December of 1920, the ma
nifesto continues, the Croatian ma
tian has been oppressed and suppress
sed in a manner never before ex-
perienced in its history, while the
introduction of corporal punishment
and its daily practice upon the peas
ants by the gendarmrie because OF
their republican tendencies ''is a
deadly hurt to the national feeling,
dignity and culture of the country"
Relying upon military force. the
manifesto charges that the Serbs
have deprived the Croatians of equal
rights in the union in any sphere
and has outlawed them in financial.
military and constitutional affairs.
Suppression of newspapers print
ing articles offensive to Belgrade is
charged as well as the strict proh-
bition of a Peasants Party organ. II
recites the arbitrary dismemerment
of Croatia by a packed commission
in a way mot even attempted by the
Venetians, the Turks, nor the Aus
trains" in the course of centuries.
II recites the arrests and imprlson-
ment of the Croatian deputy Nikola
Srdovic because he defied the kirs
and stood by his constituency and
saws that the Serbian commission
aires publicly declare they VIII bring
about the bankruptcy of those mum
cipalities who do n0s vote as bel
grade directs
..By far worse wrongs were done
Nv your government 10 the Croatia1-
Mohammedan majority ia Bosnia
and Herzegovina" continues the DO
cument. las well as to the Croat'ar
majority in the Barska. Two hundre'
(Continued on page two.l