COUNT LADISLAUS TELEKY.
COUNT Ladislaus Teleky is the scion of a family distinguished in the annals of Hungary by a long series of ancestors who were foremost whenever the ser- vices of the country demanded self-devotion and sacri- fice of personal interests. He was born at Szirak, in the county of Nograd, in 1814, during the momentary calm that preceded the reappearance of Napoleon I. upon the battle-field. His childhood and early youth passed away amidst the happy circle of a family life, and a careful do- mestic education did not fail to develop the germs which nature has laid abundantly into a bosom capable of the most noble inspirations. The enlightened Calvinism of his parents brought with itself a degree of Puritanism, not so rigid as to be favourable to asceticism, but suffi- ciently strong to develop deep religious sentiment, love of truth, and a great simplicity of manners. A near relation of his, the late President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and one of the high dignitaries of the realm, Count Joseph Teleky, seems, above all others, to have influenced the tender mind of the lively boy ; nor could it be otherwise when we recal to mind the great moral qualities and the profound knowledge which rendered him during life an object of esteem to all who had the happiness of being ad- mitted into his intimacy.
When, in 1828, the stormy Diet gave utterance to all the wrongs which have been inflicted upon the nation ever since the dangers from French domination disappeared, there can be no doubt whatever that in the hospitable halls of the manorial castle frequent meetings of political friends oc- curred in which the grievances of the country were dis- cussed. Ladislaus, notwithstanding his extreme youth, must have learned already in those days how Austria was wont to repay the sacrifices made by the nation, because, during all the different stages of his later political career, that one feature—the keen resentment of ingratitude—was, and remained, predominant in his character.
The Telekys, being magnates of Transylvania as well as of Hungary (they are possessed of large estates in each county), it is easily explained that Count Ladislaus, after a successful apprenticeship, acquired practically in the county discussions of NO grid, appeared on the stage in the Upper House of Transylvania. He did so upon mature consideration, and not without having taken advice from competent authorities. Great objects were to be aimed at in that remote corner of the common country : Transylvania was to be prepared for the union with Hungary, but before that final result endless obstacles were to be removed, the Principality being much behind Hungary as regards reform and progress. It may be said that, after Baron Vesselenyi, nobody did more in Tran- sylvania to raise the national conscience, to unite the dif- ferent shades of Liberalism under one standard, than Count Ladislaus Teleky, partly by his caustic power of speech, and still more by his charming manner of writing, in which one was as sure to be won over by the inherent validity of ent, as to be delighted by the external beauty of fle.n As is always the case with men really great, his influ- ence grew stronger with his years. In the county sittings at Pesth, previous to the memorable Diet of 1840, and during the Diet itself, of which he was a member, he dis- played such a wide range of views, that he was accepted as the most advanced among the Hungarian aristocracy. It was from that moment that his admiration for Sz4cbenyi began to diminish, whereas the friendship and identity of principles between himself and Kossuth became every day more evident and stronger. He saw already, at that early date, that Hungary, once abandoning the narrow walks of feudal institutions, could not be allowed to stop half way, but would be obliged to go the whole length of reform, accord- ing to the wants of modern civilization. " It is not enough," be would say, " to open the doors of your entrenchments, you must enlarge the same, and make room for the people, or else you will be swept away by the tide." There was inherent in his character a certain kind of gallant chivalry, which never abandoned him for a mo- ment, however embittered the strife might be. He was a thorough gentleman, in the most noble acceptation of the word, rebuking without hesitation what was against his conscience or not in accordance with the high ideas he entertained about parliamentary duties, but he was never personal, and, after the battle was over, he would shake hands heartily with his able antagonist (at that time), Count D—, as he would with the enlightened, high-minded, but moderate Count Szechenyi, or with his cuttingly sharp and logical democratic friend Szentkirolyi. Political and re- ligious freedom had never a champion more sincere in his convictions—less influenced by outward motives in his public struggles. His antagonists dreaded him for his power of reasoning; but they could not withhold the esteem due to his noble character.
He took a prominent part in the labours of the Diet of 1847-48, and left afterwards for Paris, as an Envoy of the Hungarian nation. It is not our purpose at present to enter into details as regards his stay in France. Suffice it to say that, notwithstanding the manifold schisms which divided French society at that moment, he was highly esteemed by the leading men of the different political sections for the amiability of his social intercourse. Our readers will re- member how Ladislaus Teleky was delivered, by the Saxon. Minister Beust, to Austria—delivered according to some clan- destine convention said to have been concluded between the two Governments for the mutual extradition of criminals!— and then delivered, torn, as he said, from his country by force and restored to it by violence. We may mention, however, that the promise said to have been given to the Emperor not to interfere in politics is a mere invention of Austrian offi- cials. He was elected for the county of Abony, and his speech clearly displays his principles : " Thirteen years ago you elected me to be your representative at the Diet, as you do it to-day. It was on the day when our constitutional inde- pendence became a reality—when, by an equal share in rights and burdens, a complete fusion of our national interests took place. Glorious battles, and unheard of sufferings separate us from that happy day, and j',no time is left to the exile to relate or to hear the tale of miseries, because the moment for new struggles is near at hand." After having alluded to the promises mentioned in the diploma of October 26, he goes on asking: " Are the laws of 1848 then to be reinstated—is the integrity of the realm severed? That which is offered to us is a mere illusion, and even during the time of elections, our countrymen are mercilessly torn away from us, as has recently been the case with Asbdth and many others. Not even the press and the administration of police have been left is our hands. The attempts to crush us are of three different kinds: they try to separate us into factions by means of bribes and threats; they excite the different races living in the country against us; and they use slander and calumny to deprive us of the sympathy of civilized nations. Our duties amidst such machinations are clearly defined: we must abide by the the laws of 1848 to the last, not give up a single point of them. To make a bargain at such a price would be worse than to go home to our constituents without having framed a single new article of law. We must extend the great principles laid down in those laws : do away with the last remains of feudal iniquities ; establish firmly the absolute freedom and equality of religion and cults; carry out the emancipation: of the Jews; and show by words and deeds to our brethren of a different tongue that we have a sincere wish to be on the best terms with them. We must prove to the world that we are the friends of freedom, independence, and progress, at home and abroad." For his brethren in exile Teleky claims an unconditional return by right; and in his political creed he declares that the estimates and the levies form the most essential privileges of the Diet.
He dies at the very noon of manhood, not yet fully forty- seven years old ; he disappears from the scene of political activity in a moment when his undaunted courage was most wanted ; he vanishes from amidst his kindred when be became almost a subject of worship with them. And how did it happen ? He was found dead one morning in his room, a pistol being near the spot to show that he had committed suicide. God, in His infinite wisdom and justice, may pass judgment upon the sad event ; human ingenuity will never be able to unravel it. But one circumstance we must recal when speaking of the disastrous occurrence. It is just a year since the great patriot Count Stephen Suichenyi was found dead in his room with a pistol in his hand. It is reported on good evidence that the pistol must have been put into the dead man's hand after the murder was completed; never could a man, after baying shot himself, keep his hand, and with it a pistol, in such a position. Every one who knew the family of Dr. Jorgens, and the unfeigned kindness with which the soul-sick Szechenyi was treated during so many years, was convinced that the murderer must be sought elsewhere. The assassination of Teleky proves that the same hand Is still at work.
Previous page
