AUSTRIA-HUNGARY. 



55 



beaten the German Constitutional party out of 

 the field, these new leaders propose to con- 

 cede to the Czechs and the other races the 

 right to perpetuate their languages and na- 

 tionalities, retaining, to the extent that the 

 public interests require, German as the official 

 language of the Government. The paragraph 

 in the Constitution securing this right to each 

 race they would give full effect to by legisla- 

 tive enactments. If the Germans will accept 

 the situation now, as they must in the end, and 

 give up the ethnic contest, the liberal elements 

 of all the nationalities can unite in the pursuit 

 of constitutional liberties. The programme of 

 this growing party, which has purged its mind 

 of the idea that forcible Germanization is a 

 prerequisite of constitutional freedom, is of an 

 advanced democratic character : universal suf- 

 frage, with the entire abolition of the repre- 

 sentation of special interests in the Reichsrath ; 

 complete liberty of the press and the right of 

 assembly ; positive reforms for the benefit of 

 the working-classes. 



The dominance of German, even as the offi- 

 cial language in Bohemia, is endangered. The 

 civil servants already use their native tongue 

 inside the offices. Aroused by the intentions 

 of the Centralists to use state education as a 

 means for exterminating their national tongue, 

 the Czechs did not rest after expelling Ger- 

 man from the common schools, but insisted on 

 the instruction in all the intermediate and 

 technical schools being given in Bohemian, and 

 now have their national university. The Slo- 

 vens have imitated the Czechs, and are strug- 

 gling for the preservation of all the character- 

 istics of their insignificant nationality. Prince 

 Czartoryski is endeavoring to unite all the 

 Slavs in a revolt against Germanizing tenden- 

 cies. 



While Austria is experiencing a transfer of 

 political powers, which is in nature though not 

 in form a political revolution, Hungary is occu- 

 pied with no question more important than 

 finance. The harvest was abundant, and the 

 Government was never in a more favorable 

 position. Koloman Tisza, the able Prime Min- 

 ister, is the absolute master of the country, 

 and has no rival and no organized opposition 

 to disturb him. The chief problem of the Gov- 

 ernment at present is the reform of the system 

 of taxation. The people have suffered much, 

 and sometimes they have been provoked into 

 resistance and riot by the exactions of the tax- 

 collectors. The system of taxation is all in 

 confusion, so that the evils may be remedied 

 without reducing the revenues. 



INSURRECTION IN CRIVOSCIA A.ND HERZEGO- 

 VINA. By stubbornly ignoring the wants of 

 the people, the Imperial Government has, in 

 three years of harsh maladministration, civil 

 and military, greatly increased the difficulty of 

 amalgamating Bosnia and Herzegovina with 

 the empire. Austria entered upon the mission 

 of extending her rule into the Balkan lands 

 with the approval of Europe. The more intel- 



ligent spirits among the populations of the 

 peninsula looked hopefully to the prosperous 

 and enlightened empire for deliverance from 

 Turkish misrule, and for guidance and govern- 

 ment. The dual monarchy inaugurated its rule 

 in the provinces confided to it by the mandate 

 of Europe with a ruthless war against the 

 sturdy, freedom-loving mountaineers, which 

 cost $90,000,000, one quarter of which sum, if 

 expended in productive works, might have 

 won the hearts of the impoverished people. 

 The nominal sovereignty which the Porte in- 

 sisted upon preserving at the Congress of Ber- 

 lin has become more shadowy and problematic 

 since the Sultan has turned his attention to 

 consolidating the Ottoman power in Islamic 

 lands. The Panslavonic agitation has dwindled 

 away, and the dreaded influence of Russian 

 machinations, and of the ruble on its travels, 

 has practically ceased since the Russians have 

 given their thoughts to home problems. Yet, 

 after three years' trial of the civilizing efforts 

 of the Austro-Hungarian Government, a uni- 

 versal cry was heard in the occupied provinces, 

 from Christians and Mohammedans alike, that 

 the yoke of the Austrian was more cruel and 

 intolerable than that of the Turk; and the 

 Herzegovinians in their desperation arose again 

 in open rebellion. The Imperial Government 

 entered upon its task financially hampered as 

 usual, for in the united monarchy money can 

 never be had for imperial purposes when it is 

 needed. Only a small party approved of the 

 occupation in the first place, and after the 

 blundering war of occupation the Government 

 announced that no further appropriations would 

 be required from the Parliaments, as the rev- 

 enues of the provinces would suffice for their 

 administration. 



The Bosniaks and Herzegovinians were taxed 

 for their own repression more heavily than 

 they had been taxed by the begs and pashas. 

 All the Turkish taxes were continued, and a 

 host of octrois, tolls, license and excise taxes 

 were superimposed, with, finally, the salt and 

 tobacco monopolies. The Turkish taxes were 

 severe, but the administration was lax; and 

 the tax-gatherers, when seasons were bad, ac- 

 knowledged the will of Allah, and took only 

 what the raya could bring. The Austrian offi- 

 cials, entering this land exhausted by wars and 

 insurrections, its stock destroyed and its indus- 

 try unhinged, exacted the last penny of the 

 augmented taxes. The cattle of the peasantry 

 were driven off, their household goods and seed- 

 corn taken, and their houses sold to the highest 

 bidder. The Greek Orthodox and Roman Cath- 

 olic population suffered most from this unac- 

 customed stringency of the administration. 

 Many of the ruined emigrated into Turkish 

 dominions, and many became mountain robbers 

 and cattle-thieves. 



While draining away the capital and para- 

 lyzing the productive forces of the people to 

 pay for military roads, which were of no prac- 

 tical use, because wagons and draught-animals 



