RUSSIAN AGGRESSION. 



211 



their leader, their lord, their protector. The 

 Muscovite papers do not conceal that, as the ban- 

 ner of " The Slavonic Cause" is unfurled, so, after 

 the Turkish " Slavonic Cause," the " Slavonic- 

 Cause " of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy will 

 follow. And this is no idle boast ; it is logic. 

 This latter kind of Russian extension is really 

 more dangerous for us and for Austria than any 

 occupation of territory — a mode of extension 

 which does not win over, but alienates, those 

 whose country is occupied. It is not a desirable 

 fate to be a Russian subject, and an occupation 

 is, at the worst, but a boa-constrictor, against 

 which it is still possible to struggle ; but the oth- 

 er one is the polypus : if he pierces into our 

 flesh, there is no possibility of extrication left 

 for us. 



The danger which arises from the Russian 

 movement cannot be averted effectually from the 

 Austro-Hungarian Empire by watching the czar's 

 promise ; for in either case he will occupy a con- 

 spicuous place on the page of history as the vic- 

 torious leader of Panslavism. The Slavonian 

 aspirations toward a universal monarchy will 

 gather around czarism ; this will be the star that 

 will lead the way, the Messiah to whose call they 

 will listen, the idol they will adore, the lord who 

 will command them, and whose obedient serfs 

 they will be ; and thus Panslavism will develop into 

 Panslavo-czarism. 



But, if we send the czar who unfurled the Pan- 

 slavonic banner back as a loser, then the wings 

 of his Genghis-Khanic flight will be clipped, the 

 charm broken, and the Panslavic aspirations 

 will lose their force. The Slavonians will per- 

 ceive that it is not safe to carve for themselves 

 an idol in order to adore him as the god of lib- 

 erty. The prop will be found broken, and the 

 support will fall asunder like loosened sheaves. 

 The different Slavonic nations will not seek sal- 

 vation in the worshiping of the czarism that leads 

 to Russification, and therewith to the fetters of 

 slavery, to drunken misery, and dreams of bru- 

 tality ; but, in the conservation of their individ- 

 ual nationality, in the elevation and maintenance 

 of the vestal-fire of their self-esteem, they will 

 find the road that leads to freedom. And we 

 Hungarians will welcome them heartily on this 

 road, accompany them with warm sympathy, as 

 we accompanied them in past times, and, as far 

 as we are able, aid every pulsation of the vital 

 power of yon miraculous Slavonic " living statue," 

 whose national consciousness has never been bro- 

 ken, either by seduction or by the storm of long- 

 sufferings. 



Really, if there be any situation that is clear, 

 the present one is. 



The Turk has understood the signs of the 

 time. He gave a constitution to the communities 

 of his empire, without distinction of race, tongue, 

 or creed, on the basis of equality before the law. 

 His enlightened statesmen provided that all the 

 excrescences of exclusiveness, which had been 

 successively added to the morally pure civilization 

 of Mohammedanism, should be buried in the 

 grave of the past. The Czar of all the Russias 

 threw his army into the midst of this peaceable 

 undertaking to prevent the Turks from realizing 

 this liberty. He was afraid that, when even the 

 half-moon should reflect the glare of the sun of 

 liberty, this glare might penetrate into the dark- 

 ness of his servile empire, as the beams of the 

 Hungarian peasant-emancipation had penetrated 

 the night of Russian slavery. 



The Austro-Hungarian Government must reck- 

 on with itself as to what can be claimed legally 

 and fairly from the Turkish Government in the 

 interests of its Christian subjects, without under- 

 mining thereby the existence of the Ottoman Em- 

 pire. Let them come to a mutual understanding 

 with each other. It will not be so difficult, since 

 the Porte has intelligence and good-will as well. 

 They should conclude a treaty of alliance on the 

 basis of this understanding, for the repulse of the 

 Russian attack which threatens our fatherland 

 and the Austrian monarchy very dangerously. 

 With this alliance consummated, let Austria-Hun- 

 gary say to Russia: "Well, the Turks have ad- 

 ministered justice to their subjects, and thou 

 wouldst still continue the war. This can have 

 no other meaning than that thou strivest to extend 

 thy power. This we cannot permit in the inter- 

 ests of our monarchy, and we are firmly re- 

 solved not to allow it. Then let the bloodshed 

 cease." 



And it would cease. The Russian would not 

 expose himself to the chance that, while the 

 Turkish lion stood in front of him, the Austro- 

 Hungarian military force should take up a posi- 

 tion behind his back and cut off his retreat. The 

 fatherland and the monarchy would be saved 

 without striking a single blow, or at a proportion- 

 ately small sacrifice ; which sacrifice might be 

 reduced to the concentration of a conspicuous 

 army-corps. This demonstration should of course 

 be made on the Danube and in Transylvania, but 

 not in Dalmatia, nor on the Croatian military 

 frontier, which would be very ridiculous if it were 

 not at the same time very suspicious. And with 

 the safety of the fatherland and of the monarchy 



