ZajednicÌŒar = Fraternalist. [volume] (Allegheny, Pa.) 1894-current, 1956-05-30
Croatian Immigration
To Allegheny County
By STJEPAN GAZI, Member, Lodge 20

Political, economic and social causes Of emigration
Nrhe natural outlet for Croatian agricultural goods was
L Austria, especially Vienna. But transports had to be
made via Budapest, as no regular train service existed be-
tween Croatia and Austria. For Zagreb, Capital of Gro
alta, it meant the same as it would for Pittsburgh, if all
the transports from here to Cleveland had to go through
Philadelphia.
This monopoly, maintained by the Magyars, brought
all industrial developments to a standstiil, and the indus
tries already existing, were transferred to Hungary. Their
policy of railway tariffs was so homogeneous, that Hun
garian flour was cheaper on the Croatian and Bosnian
markets than Croatian and Bosnian flour 1t dealt a dead
ly blow to the Croatian industries and commerce.
Croatia and Slavonia belong to the richest European
countries regarding forest wealth. The Hungarian Gov
eminent appropriated all of it. All timber plants were
placed under Hungarian control, with Budapest as COM
mercial center instead of Zagrebs
Dalmatia was known to be the cradle of famous ma
vigators. Croatian sailors from the Dalmatian coast
navigated all the seas. The Venetian adventurer and sea-
farer, Marco Polo, 0254 1929, the first white man to
visit China, was born on the island of Korcuta, on the
Dalmatian lttoral. During the Middle Ages the prosper
Gus City and Republic of Dubrovnik, (Ragusa), shared
the honour of being the greatest naval merchant power
on the Mediterranean Sea, with Venice and Geneva. The
glorious Age of the Mediterranean Sea had ended with
the discovery of America Q492). Columbus, too, counted
among his crew some Croats, natives of the cities of
Dubrovnik and Sibenik.7 The great catastrophe for the
Croatian sailing trade came in the middle of the XIX-th
century III liz NCHIlO u JIG Se0oiASAAP "ASN oNA
dominated the seas. Sailing vessels became obsolete.
Croatian sailors reaped with their condemned fleet a last
glory, when, under Austrian command, they defeated the
modern iron navy of Italy in the battle of Wis Q886).
Nevertheless sailing vessels disappeared from the surface
of the sea, and the formerly rich captains came to know
poverty. Many sailors found themselves without work.
Only memories remained. The dying cities Perast, Risan,
Korcula, Orebic ETC., with their beautiful churches and
magnificent palaces of marble allow today's tourists an
admiring glimpse into an ancient, fabulous world. Ihe
approaching XX-th century found Dalmatian haroours
neglected and abandoned. Some small fishing crafts and
one or two sailing ships, relics reminding joy and pros
perity, gave the only life to the bleak picture; for no rail-
ways connected those ports with their rich hinterland to
give them new activity.
At that time the phyloxera, a vine disease, ravaged
Dalmatia's vineyards, destroying her only other source
of living. The Government in Vienna made no move at
all to help the distressed population. With nothing to
live on people left their native country to try their luck
elsewhere. They went to North and South America,
Africa and Australia. The young and vigorous people
departed from everywhere in Dalmatia leaving behind
only the aged and the chldren.s At the beginning of the
XX-th century the situation in Dalmatia was hopeless.
More than six hundred villages had no drinking water,
worse still, sta gnant and infected waters covered the rich
valleys of the Neretva, Vrgorac, SIM, Imotski and Vrana.
Despite this misery, the Austrian Government spent
large sums undermining the city and harbour of Trieste.
Until 1885 this seaport was in no way more important than
those Of Dalmatia. In 1857 the new harbour of Trieste
was finished and connected with Vienna by railroad. In
1907 a new and better line across the Alps was inaugurated
between Vienna and Trieste. But never did they find the
means to build the ten miles of rail that separated the
Croatian railways from the Dalnatian coast, their natural
outlet to the sea- .-.-
The French occupation of South Croatia and Dali
malta, during the Napoleonic era, changed profoundly the
political and social life of Croatian society. The doctrines
of the French Revolution shook and later destroyed for
mer social relations as well as the old political system.
The autocratc regime of Metternich tried to renew it after
the Austrian reoccupation, but the volcano of national
and social dissatisfaction continued to shoulder. Through
the revolution of 1848 a national Croatian movement
brought about the abolition of serfdom on the civilian
territory of Croatia. From a social and juridical point
of view the peasant was~free. But reinforced absolutism
following the year 1849 did everything to stop further
development of the cause. Abolition of serfdom did not
solve the economic problems of the peasant. Without land
he was not a peasant any longer, thus he was compelled
to look elsewhere for work to cover his immediate needs.
Continuous peasant conflicts and disturbances arose over
the common use of pasture land and forest which degen-
Grated before, but especially after the turning of the cen
fury into bloody revolt, a revolt with national and political
Significance
The peasant, liberated from the aristocratic land
owner, only changed his master, who now was the gentle
man of the city, the civil servant. The peasants dues were
no more payable in goods, but in money. These new de-
mands constituted for him a problem which he was I'M
prepared to solve.