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fiuence on the South Slavs was prob
ably greater than that OF any Jugoslal
public man. AS one Of the most i'm
portant members of the Slav opposition
in Austria, he had stood by his South
Slav brothers at the time of the Fried
jung trial. a lurid attempt by the Aus
TRAN government a few years before
the war to destroy the national move
ment in Croatia. Masaryk had not
shrunk from bringing before the judges
the proofs that the Austrian govern
ment was producing documents, at the
trial which had been forged at the
Austro- Hungarian legation in Belgrade
Therefore when, an exile in Rome
like Trumbich, he said that the heroic
struggle of Serbia had created a living
program for all the Southern Slavs, his
word and his influence were decisive
All doubts, all reservations, melted into
a common offlcial action. In reality
the differences Of temperament were
almost unconsciously, more important
than the intellectual and political de-
cisions. Serbians and CroatS went on
seemingly hand in hand. in reality
speaking two different languages
The military defeats Of the allies on
the British, French and Italian fronts
brought more union in 1917 and lele
than the early hopes OF victory. In
April. 1918, a Congress of the Oppressed
NationalitieS was held in Rome.
Dissolution Most Important.
The resolutions adopted by the con-
gress proclaimed that each of the OPP
pressed nationalities had the right tc
constitute its own state unity (like
Poland) or to complete 1t 0ike Ru-
mania and Jugoslavia): that the Aus
tro- Hungarian monarchy was the fun
damental obstacle to the realization OF
the rights of the Oppressed Nationali-
ties; that 1t was imperative to wage q
common struggle against the common
oppressors.
important as the resolutions were, 1t
was even more important that the dis
solution Of Austria Hungary had at
last been realized as one Of the logical
and essential aims of the struggle
against the Central Empire.
In reality, beneath the unanimity
forced on all the Jugoslav elements by
the Austrian danger, 1t was easy for me
to detect the same moral divergence
more alive than the Slavs themselves
realized-which 1 had watched two
years before, in Corfu among the
Croatians and the Serbians.
LlA0 CO11lC W NOIIu W COh~
fer with Pachich about a common
declaration which would have shown
the world that the SerbianS and the
Croats-and, with the Croats, the Slov-
enes-had decided to become q single
sovereign state. Their parley produced
a document-the Pact of Corfu.
During the long weeks Of the secret
Corfu discussions Trumbich appeared
as an Austrian to the Serbians, simply
because he was struggling against
Austria-struggling with all his forces
but with an Austrian mentality and
Austrian methods. For example, he
had fastidious distinctions about flags
coats-of- arms-everything in a word
which might insure Croatian autonomy
Autonomy for decades had been the
only method with which to keep Croatia
alive to the danger of Magyarization.
CrOAts Given Excuse.
The SerbianS, who were naievely
thinking Of the union as Of an annexa-
ton to Serbia, were bewildered by
Trlmbich's principles and his mistrust
Of Belgrade. Often they complained to
me- Knowing that had expressed my
pity-more than my indignation-for
certain childish slogans Of the Croatian
Committee, claiming even old italian
lands for the future Jugoslav State
they told me more than once: DO not
be afraid of our agreements. after the
victory it will be easy for us to bring
to reason those busybody Croats. -
It was difficult for me to make them
understand that they were as wrong
as their brothers; and. above all, i'm
possible for me to admit that the Ital-
Ian Foreign Minister Sonnino had pro-
vided the Croats with some excuses fol
their conduct. BY his treaty of London
signed on the eve Of Italy's entry into
the war; Sonnino had obtained from
the other entente powers q great part
of Dalmatia; his secret treaty obliged
him to feel toward Serbia almost As
toward q potential enemy. since Serbia
was thinking Of new Jugoslav state
which would necessarily have claimed
Dalmatia as one Of its provinces.
It cannot be denied that immediate
appearances were in favor of Sonnino's
conception. History had worked to en-
phasize the differences between the
Jugoslavs. While all the nations In
Europe are Western or Eastern, the
Jugoslav nation seems divided into two
parts by the imaginary diagonal line
dividing East and West in Europe.
Two Parts Of Nation Differ.
Lubljana, the main city of the Slo-
veneS, near the Italian frontier, Is one
Of the most Catholic centers in Europe
while Belgrade is Orthodox; Zagreb, the
capital Of Croatia, Is o town Of strons
western vitality, while Sarajevo In more
Turkish than NaoderniEed GtamhNl. Il