AUSTRIA-HUNGARY 9 6i 



inhabited by Czechs and robbers. Though for a time there was a cessation of hostili- 

 ties, race opposition smouldered. That it had not abated is proved by the fact that 

 the conference of Austrian Catholics fixed for the first week in September in Vienna 

 had to be postponed because it was feared that national ill-feeling would break it up. 

 The Czechs were not the only discontented element in Austria. There were also 

 difficulties with the Italian subjects of the Empire, who had long been clamouring 1 for an 

 Italian University at Trieste. But the Slav nationalities had also put for- 

 The Italian war d a similar request ; and while the Government were willing to meet the 

 Question. Italian demand, they were by no means disposed to listen to the Slavs. 

 Hence they were in somewhat of a difficulty. However, a Bill was intro- 

 duced in the Reichsrat (Jan. 20, 1909) for the establishment of an independent 

 Italian Faculty of law, to be attached to the Vienna University. But this did not con- 

 tent the Italians, chiefly because they considered the capital unsuitable, and more than 

 that, because in the proposed scheme lectures in German were optional. So the scheme 

 was shelved for the moment, and the Italian agitation continued. Several alternative 

 proposals were put forward by the Government, but none of them found acceptance, and 

 on May i4th 1910, two hundred Italian students demonstrated in front of the 

 Parliament buildings in favour of a full university at Trieste. No sooner did the 

 Italians recommence their campaign than the other nationalities again put forward 

 similar demands. The Czechs, who already had a university of their own at Prague, 

 clamoured for a second one at Briinn; the Ruthenians also demanded a seat of learning, 

 though they were not agreed as to the locality; the Slavonians pressed for a University 

 at Laibach, and the Rumanians asked that the University of Czernowitz should become 

 a Rumanian academic centre. The Government could not possibly satisfy all the 

 demands, partly for lack of funds and partly because it was not politic to accentuate 

 national differences still more. As it was, student riots were numerous enough; on July 

 i, 1910 a serious conflict between Poles and Ruthenians occurred at Lemberg. 



The Agram trial was another illustration of the determined policy of the Government 

 to maintain order with a firm hand. The dissatisfaction of the Slav elements in the 

 Empire expressed itself in sympathy with the Servians, and it was alleged 

 that an extensive Slav movement was on foot to wrest Croatia, Slavonia 

 and Bosnia from Austria-Hungary in order to join them to Servia, with the 

 view of forming a " Greater Servia." Fifty-three persons, mostly traders and teachers, 

 were accused of high treason; the trial lasted from March 3 to October 5, 1909, and 

 thirty-one of the accused were found guilty and sentenced to penal servitude. The 

 evidence was somewhat flimsy, and an appeal was lodged against the decision, which 

 ended (Nov. 22, 1910) in the quashing of the sentences. 



An echo of this case was the Fried Jung trial. The Servian conspiracy had naturally 



been commented upon in the press, and among others, Dr. Henry Friedjung, a publicist 



of some note, had written an article on the subject in the Neue Freie Presse 



Fri dl a ^ March 2 5> I 99> ^ n which he accused the leaders of the Serbo-Croatian 



case. Party (Dr. Tuskan and Messrs. Vinkowitsch and Supilo) of having received 



subsidies from the Servian Government. The three persons named brought 



an action for libel against Dr. Friedjung (September 9-22, 1909), in the course of 



which it was proved that the documents on which Friedjung had based his accusations 



had been forged. He thereupon withdrew his charge and the case was dropped. 



The racial conflicts were as bitter as ever in the year 1910. Nevertheless the smooth 

 drift of foreign affairs left the Government free to become master in its own house. 

 The Moreover, the personality of the Emperor did much to give it support in- 



Emperor's directly; the celebration of his eightieth birthday (Aug. 18, 1910) only 

 heightened the patriotic feelings of large masses of people. Hence the work 

 of the Government was facilitated somewhat, and it made fair progress. 

 It strengthened the army and navy, it made commercial treaties with the Balkan 

 States, and it promulgated a constitution for Bosnia-Herzegovina. For defence no less 

 a sum than twelve millions was voted, besides about 900,000 annually in addition, and 



