The Eighth Tribe, 1979 (6. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1979-03-01 / 3. szám

Page 6

THE EIGHTH TRIBE

March, 197^

ORGANIZE GROUPS OF MEN OF SAME INTEREST, as he said, “Let us grasp the idea of association, it is a mighty instrument, mighty as nothing else.” Thus in 1844 the Commercial Society was formed, also the Protective Association (production and marketing of goods), Factory Founding Society, Saving Banks, Fiume Railway (1847) to open roads to seaways. He was a great organizer.

Kossuth’s political career, in the strict sense, began when HE WAS ELECTED TO REPRESENT THE KEYSTONE COUNTY, PEST, IN THE 1847 NATIONAL DIET, which was called later the Reform Diet. The liberals adopted a program of their own. The main provision included the following:

1. all peasants should be exempted from special dues and obligations to their landlords,

2. equality before law, noble or non-noble, of any and all religion,

3. all having an income of ten pounds ($50) possess elective power,

4. income tax, in equal proportions, for the government,

5. public revenue decided by the Diet, not the Chancery,

6. revenue and national interest in the hands of a cabinet of native ministers, responsible to the people.

Kossuth urged that these reforms be carried out not only in Hungary but all other sections of the Empire. On March 4, 1848, after receiving the news of the French revolution, Kossuth reiterated his views that these reforms are badly needed in whole Europe since the Congress of Vienna, after the defeat of Napoleon, represented the last word of that reactionary trend which kept the whole continent in shackles. The reverberation of his voice shook the mighty empire and the whole continent. Revolution breaks out in a few days in Vienna, and on March 13 he leads a delegation to the King and Emperor; the people of Vienna received them triumphantly.

They were successful in obtaining a NATIONAL CABINET FOR HUNGARY and returned to Pozsony with the new cabinet, numbering nine ministers, Louis Battyanyi as prime minister and Kossuth as minister of finances. The Cabinet included such well-known patriots as Deák, Széchenyi, Eötvös, Szemere, and Eszterházy.

The news of the revolution in Vienna and of the new national cabinet was received in Pest on March 15, with a tremendous public demonstration, with the

Sándor Petőfi

students leading them. At this demonstration, after having seized the Printing House and having published “the nation s demands” as the first product of the free press, Sándor Petőfi, the greatest Hungarian lyric, standing in front of the National Museum, recited his National Song (“Talpra Magyar”). A crowd of ten thousand people shouted with him the refrain:

“By the God of the Magyars we solemnly swear, The tyrant's yoke we tvill no longer bear!”

The revolution was on. It was bloodless in the beginning, but it did not last long even if it seemed freedom could be obtained by peaceful means. On April 11 King Ferdinand signed the reform laws of the Diet. Yet these very laws and freedom itself had to be defended by blood.

The National Diet was opened on July 2, 1848. Kossuth was not mislead by the pius words of the king about friendship, knowing very well that the throne sent secret subsidies to the subservient political leaders. Kossuth made one of his greatest speeches, calling the nation to arms, on July 11, which was answered with great ovation. On September 11, Jel-