But the people had stood firm. The dire sufferings of recent years
have begotten a new and healthy movement, which includes the entire
youth of Croatia. The younger generation has lost faith in political
parties, and begun to go its own way along the path which leads
away from Hungary and away from Austria, back to union with their
scattered kindred. Their aim is the establishment of a great, free and
independent Southern Slav State. At the head of this younger generation
stands a man of magnetic personality—Frano Supilo.
IV.
The Southern Slavs in Dalmatia, Carniola and Istria fared little better
than their brothers in Croatia and Slavonia. I have already alluded
to the economic neglect of Dalmatia. In politics, Germanization was
practised in much the same way as Magyarization in Croatia. Dalmatia
unfortunately does not enjoy independence, even on paper, and thus her
oppression could wear a perfectly constitutional guise. The Dalmatian
“Sabor,” like that of Istria and Carniola, is an assembly quite at
the mercy of the viceroy for the time being, who would never dream
of convoking it, unless he had made quite sure that no inconvenient
resolutions would be passed. As a rule these “Sabors” enjoy prolonged
periods of rest, and the people are only represented by their delegates
in the Viennese Reichstrat. There these delegates certainly make a
brave fight, but they are too few, and their voice is drowned by the
huge German majority. Because of this and also through the fault
of the Slovene Roman Catholic party, Carniola has become strongly
Germanized, especially as regards the administration of the schools.
But the Dalmatians and Istrians are a sturdy, progressive people, Slav
to the backbone, and all attempts at Germanizing them have proved
as futile as the beating of waves upon the shore. Beside the German
danger, this people also has the Italian danger to contend with. For
opportunist reasons the Austrian Government has always favoured the
Italian element (4 per cent. in Istria and 2 per cent. in Dalmatia)
and granted them concessions, which have given rise to the most absurd
anomalies. For instance, the election law in Istria is so framed,
that 96 per cent. Slovenes and Croats send fewer delegates to Vienna
than 4 per cent. Italians. The same injustice prevails in the Parish
Council election law, but in spite of this the Italians would never
secure their majority, if special Government regulations did not compel
all officials and State employees to vote Italian. _If to-day Italy
is apparently able to claim a sphere of interest in Istria, this is
the outcome of a chance state of affairs, arbitrarily created by the
Austrian Government._ As an instance of this policy, I will state
that shortly before the outbreak of the war the Government seriously
contemplated the foundation of an Italian University for a population
of 700,000 souls, while strenuously opposing the foundation of a
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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