Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-06-24
DEPUTIES DEATHS =
ROUSE BALKANS
Shooting in Jugoslay PaTIia-
ment Taken as Inten-
sifiyng Crisis.
BY GUSTAV sToLPER.

BY Radio to The Star.
BERLIN, June 23.-The shots which
killed two leaders Of the opposition in
Jugoslav Parliament this week have
alarmed the world. The CONSEQUENCE
cannot at the moment be foreseen. but
they may be far-reaching.
The murders, committed by the gov
eminent party deputy, Ratch!tch, lave
no parallel in the history Of the worlds
parliaments. They throw searchiight
on the tremendous tension that chsrac-
terlzes the life OF the young Jugoslav
state.
The slayer had been accused Of cor
ruption by one of the opposition leaders
he killed, and these charges of corrup-
ton. which the opposition long has been
making against the government parties,
naturally poison the whole political
atmosphere.
But back of the bitter struggle of
the parties lie greater and more serious
differences, which long have been
known to those familiar with Jugo-
Slav conditions.
Lack National Unity.
THE Kingdom of the Serbs. Croats
and Siovenes," as the state is Officially
called. has not yet found Itself after
almost 10 years OF existence.
The peoples, who. as their names
indicate, belong to three races. did not
achieve national unity in the same
manner as Germany and Italy in 1871
The German and Italian peoples had
for decades been inspired with a strong
feeling in JugoSlavia. The territory
today constitutes the kingdom in
1918 of seven states, or parts Of
states, with differing legislation and
administration - Serbia. Montenegro.
Austria, Hungary. Croatia, Bosnia ami
Bulgaria. These were heterogeneous
elements, not merely in respect TO their
social structure and degree of ciyiliza-
ton, but also religion and writing.
The Serbians are Creek Orthodox.
the Croats and SloveneS are Roman
Catholics. and there are numerous No
hammedanS in Bosnia and Macedonia
Croats and Slovenes, Latin.
But above all, the Serbians and Croats
come from a different culture. Until
a few decades ago the Serbians be-
longed to Turkey and hence 10 the
Balkans. and the CroatS belonged as
Austro-H Hungarian subjects, TO the
Western cultural world
Greats Good Soldiers.
The war found them on different
sides. The Serbians belonged to the
Allies. whereas the Greats were the best
soldiers in the Austrian army and also
the truest to the last. especially On the
ISonz0 front against the Italians
The chasm is not yet bridged. The
Croatian peasants struggle against Bel
grades eentralizing tendency ard re-
gard themselves as forced into the posi-
ton of second-rate citizens.
The two Raditchis-the murdered
nephew and the wounded uncle--were
leaders in the struggle for Croatian
home rule. They fought corruption as
the most dangerous means of classifying
the real viii of the people.
There is also a second factor. Jugo-
Slavia feels itself oppressed and Isolated
The Croat who dwells on the Adriatic
Coast, which he regards as msnaced
by Italy, and who is the nearest neigh
Dor of the hated Italy, suspects the
Belgrade government of betraying him.
This explains why the announce
ment OF the JugoSlav government that
it would ratify the Nettuno agreement
with Italy evoked such tremendous ex-
element in Croatia. The government
remained firm because of foreign poiit-
ical and financial reasons and the op-
position grew more passionate.
The shootings now have made II i'm
possible for the Jugosiav state 10 take
any political action in the near future,
and thus the Balkan menace. which
threatens Europe's peace. becomes
greater.
All the European cabinets are trem-
bling at the thought tbs the shooting
NAV begin at any E-1-lent on the
Balkan frontiers which would disrupt
all political conditions.
fCopyright. 1882