A Hajdú-Bihar Megyei Levéltár évkönyve 27. 2000 (Debrecen, 2000)
Tanulmányok - Bényei Miklós: Kossuth Lajos és Debrecen 1848-ban
138 Bényei Miklós: Kossuth Lajos és Debrecen 1848-ban to be rather conservative. For a start, there had been an ever-growing group of adherents of the ideas of nationalism and the achievement of middle-class status present in the town ever since the so-called Reform Era. Second, the chief justice of the settlement also sympathized with the ideas of reform, and third, there was a sizable crowd of people gathered in front of the Town Hall during the session to urge the assembly to embrace changes. On March 22, the magistrate made a decision on sending a letter of gratitude and ordered a picture of Kossuth’s likeness. At the end of March, the Protestant ministers and college professors used Biblical parallels while praising the merits of Kossuth. Several booklets of prose and poetic writings were published in the town, one of the chief characters of which was the noted politician. The ordinances received from the Minister of Finances were regularly discussed by the leading bodies of the town. In the above quality of his, Kossuth was also in touch with the owner of the Debrecen saltpeter factory. The editors of the local Alföldi Hírlap (News of the Alföld Region) devoted quite some attention to Kossuth’s political activity and his initiatives, and they also carried his more important speeches. Several articles were taken over from the Budapest-located newspaper called Kossuth Hírlapja, named after him. Following Kossuth’s election to the position of the head of the OHB, Alföldi Hírlap went on to provide detailed information on his work in organizing the military forces and the leadership of the country, giving an extended coverage on his recruiting route carried out in the fall. The Municipal General Assembly systematically discussed and debated the decrees issued by the head of the OHB and, at the end of November, asked for arms and the assistance of a professional expert on fortification. More than one measures taken by Kossuth had a direct influence on the work of Károly Tar, the Debrecen-located Government Commissioner on Implements of War. Due to the advance movements of the Austrian troops, on the last day of the year, the parliament transferred its and the government’s headquarters to Debrecen on the initiative of Kossuth.
