page_title: Viltis (newspaper)
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Viltis (newspaper) / Viltis in 1907–1915 / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas (right) transfers Viltis newspaper to its new editor Fabijonas Kemėšis (left) Lietuvių: Vaižgantas perduoda laikraščio Viltis redaktoriaus pareigas kun. Fabijonui Kemėšiui
context_page_description: Viltis was a Lithuanian-language newspaper published in Vilnius in 1907–1915 and 1991–1994. The newspapers was established in October 1907 by Antanas Smetona and Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas. It promoted unity among Lithuanians attempting to bring together conservative Catholic clergy and more liberal intelligentsia. The newspaper concentrated on cultural matters as opposed to politics or news reports. It was supported by the clergy, but it was not a religious newspaper. Eventually, the clergy grew dissatisfied with the secular and moderate tone and Smetona left in 1913 to establish a separate newspaper Vairas. The intellectuals around Viltis became known as viltininkai and formed an early embryo of the Lithuanian Nationalist Union, the ruling party in Lithuania in 1926–1940. Viltis was discontinued due to World War I. It was briefly resurrected in the early 1990s by the Lithuanian Nationalist Union.
context_section_description: The newspapers was established in October 1907 and published three time a week. It filed the void of Lithuanian-language newspapers in Vilnius as Vilniaus žinios was discontinued due to financial difficulties in March 1907. Antanas Smetona, an intellectual who previously edited Vilniaus žinios, and Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas, a priest who previously edited Tėvynės sargas, formed a partnership in hopes of uniting Lithuanians. They hoped to bring together the conservative clergy and the more liberal intelligentsia (known as pirmeiviai) to combat Polonization, particularly in the mixed Vilnius Region. Smetona was the responsible editor setting newspaper's ideology while Tumas-Vaižgantas handled the business and the finances. They established a trust company, supported initially by 179 subscribers – mostly members of the clergy – who contributed 100 rubles each, to finance the operations. It was the first Lithuanian newspaper set up this way.
  In November 1910, Tumas-Vaižgantas published an article listing known churches were Lithuanian-language services were removed by orders of Kazimierz Nicholas Michalkiewicz, administrator of the Diocese of Vilnius while Bishop Eduard von der Ropp was in exile. This caused much controversy and Bishop Gaspar Felicjan Cyrtowt assigned Tumas-Vaižgantas to Laižuva in northern Lithuania. Effectively, it was an exile and also meant his departure from Viltis. His place was taken by other priests, Fabijonas Kemėšis and later Juozas Dabužis. Various Lithuanian groups sent letters protesting the removal of Tumas-Vaižgantas to Viltis for three months.
  In light of other Catholic publications, such as Šaltinis and Vienybė, Viltis seemed too secular and the clergy grew dissatisfied. The pressure only increased when Viltis announced its plans to become a daily. During the September 1913 shareholders' meeting, the clergy insisted that Pranas Dovydaitis, member of the Catholic Ateitis federation, would become Smetona's deputy. Unexpectedly, Smetona interpreted it as a vote of no confidence in him and resigned. Dovydaitis took over the newspaper, which switched to daily publication on 1 January 1914 at an annual cost of 25,000 rubles. Smetona, with financial support from Martynas Yčas, went on to establish another newspaper, Vairas, where he continued to advocate the middle road between the clergy and the intelligentsia. The episode illustrated continued splintering of Lithuanian cultural movement.
caption: Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas (right) transfers Viltis to its new editor Fabijonas Kemėšis (left)
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