Arrabona - Múzeumi közlemények 40/1-2. (Győr, 2002)

Kossuth tanulmányok - Tóth László: Kozma Imre Kossuth-hűsége

ARRABONA40.2002. TANULMÁNYOK Tóth László: Imre Kozma's loyalty to Kossuth (A historic memoir about the centuries when the Habsburgs ruled in Hungary) Prior to the revolution of 1848, in 1845-47, Imre Kozma, a liberal minded lawyer in Győr, together with Lajos Kálóczy, travelled in France and England in order to gain experiences. He got acquainted with the conditions of economy, politics and social life of the advanced west, and he also improved his language skills. In I860, he translated Kossuth's constitutional plan of 1851 written in Kütahya, through which he offered an alternative political idea in Kossuth's understanding for the leading circles in Hungary in a constitutional year (1861) when the society became polarised. This year, Imre Kozma was the representative of Győr in the Hungarian Parliament, and he presented a bill about the national minorities. The bill was based on Kossuth's ideas. He had written for years the memoir entitled "The true rights of our country," which he wanted to publish as a private edition in 1866. Probably this work was not published after all, because the discussions about the compromise had already been stared. In addition, his book strongly argued against the Habsburg claim for the Hungarian throne, he sharply condemned the ruling practice conducted since Rudolph I (that is for more than 300 years) and the fact that the Hungarian constitution was pushed aside, and the violation of the law. Finally Kozma concluded that Hungary was set back because of the lack of its constitutional rights, and therefore Hungary could not develop in fact. In part 2, chapter 4, he published the career of Lajos Kossuth up to 1848. This survey -besides his critical comments on Kossuth - Kozma appreciates the achievements of the governing president. Kozma remains loyal to "the hermit of Turin" until the end of his life. Kozma's autograph manuscript can be found in the Lutheran Archives in Győr. Franz Eybl: Kossuth Lajos, a Pesti Hírlap szerkesztője 1841-ben 421