Petrit Latifi
In 1912, the “Tiroler Stimmer” published an article about the serbophile Greater Serbian propaganda encouraged by Count Károly Khuen-Héderváry which was detrimental to Croatian interests. The article is titled “Sad conditions in our South Slavic lands“, originally published in the paper “Luf”. It is rather ironic that a Hungarian count was such a Serbophile, which would later lead to the annexation of the Hungarian part of Vojvodina.
Cited from the article:
“From Zagreb, the “Luf” brings a highly interesting but seemingly sad article about the political development in Croatia. Down there, paths seem to have been taken that must appear disastrous to every patriot.
Count Khuen Hedervary created a new school law, according to which Serbs were exempt from contributing anything to municipal schools, thus facilitating the creation of autonomous Serbian schools, in which Greater Serbian propaganda flourished. He was also the one who made Cyrillic script compulsory wherever the Greek-Oriental population formed the majority in the municipalities.
He defended the Serbian flag in the Croatian Sandtag in 1895 and 1902. He had it guarded by gendarmes. He also decreed the so-called Serbian surcharge to give the Serbs satisfaction and compensation when the Croatian people demonstrated against Serbs because they threatened the Croat people with extermination.
He founded the “Serbian Bank” in Zagreb and, with Kallan’s approval, opened its doors and gates in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where it established branches, something no other Croatian financial institution was permitted to do.
Count Kluen had Serbs economically organized, and equipped and strengthened with such resources, they became a threat to Croatia and the entire monarchy. One had to be a Serb to become a Croatian. These people, who amassed a fortune in this way, donated and bequeathed everything after their deaths to the English-Serbian Academy in Belgrade.
Recently, two pillars of the Hedervary system died in Zagreb: Popovic Valki and Septemvir Milankovic; the former bequeathed his significant inheritance to the Serbian Academy in Belgrade, the latter donated a large portion to the propaganda-oriented Greater Serbian institutions in Croatia! The representatives of the pure Croatian national and monarchical idea he pursued with all unlawful means. The Starcevic and their political friends were declared agitators and dragged into the sterker because they obstructed such a government!
The cities that did not want to submit to his policies he allowed to be economically ruined. Although the loyalty and legitimacy of the right-wing party, which wants to destroy its program in the shadow of the monarchy, is well known, he mustered all his strength to destroy it and declared that they would be excluded from the bejesus. Anyone who did not want to be a Serb had to at least become Serbo-Croat.
He also had the native language officially proclaimed Serbo-Croatian. Indeed, in Naxlovic he ceremoniously had himself elevated to the rank of sixth ban! These are not repetitions of long-gone events. The same policy is being followed today. Suvaj is a faithful student of his teacher, Count Khmen Hebervary.
The most radical Serbs are still the stars of this policy today. Recently, the official organ published a scathing article against the Right Party, alleging that it was persecuting the Serbs. In a public discussion, Herr von Cuvaj himself made this accusation against the Right Party.
The official “Drau” of the 17th of this month announces the most severe persecution against the Right Party; it is to be destroyed, since only then will there be any hope of creating a party that will blindly and unconditionally obey the Magtyavs! It is characteristic of the Hedervary government that it also allowed the secession to proceed, to the detriment of dynastic sentiment.
This policy is now bearing fruit. The Right Party, in the most loyal manner, drew the Crown’s attention to the sad situation in Croatia by means of a memorandum on January 12th of this month. In response, Croatia received a reprimand that would not even have been possible in the surviving satravians of Vienna. What wonder, then, that after such bitter experiences, the Croatians step aside and let events take their course?
No action is possible because the Bresse is completely gagged, the assembly is completely dismantled, and all political life is excluded. At the outbreak of the Balfan War, the main organ of the Red Party, “Orvatsko,” attempted to warn the Gulf against harassment in an editorial.
The young Bajirich understood this article well and responded in “Samouprava” to Dr. Mile Starcevic, attempting to argue that the Croats have more to hope for from Serbia than from Austria. A reply to these statements was impossible due to the preventive measures and their consequences.
And while the official circles in those countries have shown the keenest interest in the Croatian people and are seeking contact with them, the influential Austrian circles are persecuting the Croatian people and maintaining a disastrous system.
Just four days ago, the former deputy and pastor Bagorac was sentenced to 14 days’ arrest and a fine of 500 crowns for having a public letter printed in Vienna in German, in which he defended himself against the slanders and attacks of the official gazette. We repeat in a serious and urgent manner what we have already stated: the legal system is the right wing, and the powerful older generation is the only generation in Croatia that still believes in the salvation of the Croatian people in this monarchy.
If the current situation persists for not years, but only months, then this belief too will cease to exist. Four years ago, legions were organized in Croatia for the monarchy and the two dynasties; today these legionaries are going to Serbia as volunteers. These are the details of the system that Count Khuen maintained with his Tomasic and Cuvaj, the sad result of his unfortunate anti-dynastic policy!”
Reference
Balkan Academia 