'THE PRO-RUSSIAN DEMONSTRATION AT AGRAM.
HE great popular demonstration which met the Archduke Albrecht in the capital of Austrian Croatia, is well cal- culated to open the eyes even of the most obstinate of those politicians who would fain see in the great shock of races in the East nothing but the artificial result of an obscure Pan- slavist agitation. If nothing but a despicable game of Court and official ambition be, indeed, engaged in the conflict between Turks and Christians to-day, then it must be admitted that never did causes so petty produce effects so closely imitating the outbreak of uncontrollable popular passion and enthusiasm. The action of Russia has been denounced as the ignoble out- come of a " conspiracy " of corrupt bureaucrats and military officers hungering for the chance of distinction and decoration. On another side, the ecclesiastical omnipotence of the Tsardom has been-had recourse to, as affording a convenient explanation of the manner in which the Russian masses have appeared to obey the impulse alleged to be given at St. Petersburg. "The Moujik follows his Popes, and -the Popes follow the Tsar- Pontiff." Such is the story. But does it square with facts ? The Russian bureaucracy does not extend to Austrian Croatia. The prelate of Agram is the resolute and professional opponent of the rival "orthodoxy." The rumour that a leading prince of the Hapsburg House, popularly reported to cherish friendly feelings towards Slavdom, was sufficient, however, to throw all Croatia into a state of ungovernable excitement ; and when it became know-n for certain that the Archduke Albrecht was about to visit Agram, though only in the course of an official tour of inspection, it was at once resolved by a spontaneous plebiscite that the occasion should be seized in order both to thank the Prince for his supposed friendly opinions, and to demonstrate in the most unmistakable manner the convictions of the Croatians. On the arrival of the Archduke in Agram, he was met at every halt from the station to the palace of the Governor by deputations, with addresses from every section and interest of the population. The students of the University, keenly alive to the significance of the ovations which had been lavished upon the Softa deputation at Pesth, presented an address full of the moat pronounced repudiation of every kind of sympathy with the Turks, and expressing the warmest fellow-feeling with the oppressed Christians and their Russian deliverers. In spite of the control which the Magyar Government has exercised at all times since the reconstitution of the Hungarian hegemony over the "lands of St. Stephen's Crown," the official classes made no secret of their hearty concurrence in the anti-Ottoman demonstration. The vast multitude of people which thronged all the streets mingled cheers for Russia with the cheering in honour of the brave and popular Hapsburg Prince, and finally gave vent to their enthu- siasm by singing in thundering chorus the Russian popular anthem. Is it to be imagined for an instant that a handful of Panslavist agents, or the agitators of one ef Lord Beaconsfield's famous "secret societies," were competent to carry through a demonstration like this, in the very presence of the most popular member of the reigning House, with the exception of the Emperor himself, and under the very bayonets of the Magyar regiments which have been massed in those Slavic districts by the suspicious care of the Cabinet at Pesth? If so, then in- deed the days of intelligible politics are ended, and popular
enthusiasm is tantamount to popular indifference, or vice vend. It is to be observed that the people who assuredly ought to know—namely, the Magyar caste and their organs—make no
pretence of setting down the Agram demonstration to any- thing but its true cause, the wide-spread enthusiasm of the Slavic races of the monarchy for the cause of their brethren in the Ottoman Empire. They add, indeed, a statement, which is most probably true,—that the Slavic element of the Austro- Hungarian people would gladly see an extension of the area of Slav nationality in Austro-Hungary, and would gladly applaud the annexation of wide regions of the Ottoman Empire t6 this end. "It is well known at Pesth who were at the back of the Agram demonstration," says a pertieularly well-informed German correspondent ; "it was high-placed officials of the Croatian Local Government, if not the highest of all, the Ban himself, who set it all in motion." If the belief of the Pesth
journals is justified by the facts, it certainly in no way detracts from the seriousness of the situation. A movement which had
merely taken hold of the lower classes of the populiation might
be the object of a facile sneer, if a country in which popular rights are still extremely imperfectly developed, bet when the public enthusiasm has found agents- and leaders iN the "-most highly placed officials, if not the higlest of all, the at him. self," then it ia clearly time for the pi...ea-Turkish party in Mag. yarland to look carefully to their conduct' in the cent* dries.. Whatever maybe the impulse of the Hotsrun of the Hungarian. capital, we may rest assured that CountrAvdtassy does Ba cohl-- tiuue unmindful of the dangers which miglit be provoked by an anti-Slavic poliey Olt the Danube. In its anger against the demonstrationisto of Croatia, the Pesther Lloyd succeeds- in completely exposing,- the weakness' of the ultra-Magyar ease :-.--"Agram is to-day-still more than, Prague the capital of the Slavic agitation throughout the' monarchy, whose fined object is the annexation, of the lands' along the Save by Austria,. The Croats are interested in this project in the highest degree, inasmuch as they believe that if Bosnia and Croatia, together with Dalmatia, were este- united under the Hapsburg Crown,. their darling dream of aleingdom of Elyria, or 'Great Croatiairarould be accomplished- Already there is hardly a Croatian sffieial of rank who does not crm-- sider himself the destined adininistrator of Bosnia avid the Herzegovina, and every officialle cousin or nephew counts-for certain on a handsome appoiatemeat when the momext'comes for the Austrian occupation ef the Turkish- provinces- The agitation for the annexation of Bosnia and the Herzegerimis- carried on systematically in Croatfa, and numerous agenties- have been established beyond the Save for the purpose of pre- paring a petition in mass from the inhabitants for the proteution of Austrian occupation." So says-the Feather Lloyd, and if it' fancies that it weakens the case of' its, opponents by this over- whelming mass of admissions, it, ii much mistaken. The' Czechs have been pretty notorious- for their sympathy with' Russia this long time, though merely, we are convinced, as a demonstration against the prepondbranee of Teuton and Magyar in the monarchy, and a national conference at Prague is an- nounced. for the purpose of effeetivebt contributing to the victory of the Slav Christians in Turkey. We are now told, however, that Croatia, that traditioisaP bulwark of the Haps- burg Empire, is still more pronounced in the display of its pro-Slavic enthusiasm, while the admission that the• Croats want the Empire to be enlarged instead of diminished shows that there is no disloyalty in their. demand. Is it possible to make out a stronger case for such a settlement of the exist- ing conflict as will give Bosnia to the Austrian Slays, while handing over the Bulgarians to themselves Probably it has not added to the satisfaction of the anti-Slavic faction at Pesth, to know that it was on a military tour of inspection of the Anstro-Turkish frontier that the Archduke Albrecht came in the way of the .Agram demonstration. What is the Austrian Commander-in-Chief doing on the banks of the Save, if the contingency of crossing it is not entertained at Vienna ?
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