William Penn Life, 2002 (37. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)
2002-12-01 / 11. szám
Branching Out with Endre Csornán ‘Hungarians know the price of freedom’ An address by András Simonyi, Ambassador of Hungary (On Oct. 20, the WPA sponsored a special ceremony commemorating both the 150th anniversary of the visit of Lajos Kossuth to the United States and the Hungarian Revolution of1956. The program featured an address by András Simonyi, Hungary's Ambassador to the U.S. It was the first public appearance by the Ambassador outside ofWashington and New York. To mark this historic occasion, I am devoting my column this month to the textoftheAmbassor's address. - Endre Csornán) Tisztelt Hölgyeim és Uraim! Ladies and Gentlemen, I feel honored to have been invited to Pittsburgh in order to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Kossuth Lajos and the 150th anniversary of his visit in the United States and Pittsburgh. My present journey to your town, which, to tell the truth, is my very first visit outside the Nation's Capital (except for a few trips to New York) as Ambassador of Hungary, affords an excellent opportunity to commemorate our National Day, October 23, and remember the day when the 1956 revolution broke out — clearly the event that stands out in our nation's history of the 20th century. There are no two events that could provide a better occasion to celebrate the devotion of our nation to freedom and independence. It is fitting that this event takes place in this wonderful city, one that has had its share in the history of the independence of the United States. Ladies and Gentlemen, Let me start by paying my special tribute of respect and appreciation to President Bush and Congressman Tom Lantos for their unique commemoration of Lajos Kossuth, Governor-President of Hungary. On September 19, President Bush sent his personal greetings to the Hungarian nation on the occasion of the birthday of the great Hungarian Statesman. This gesture is a clear message to Hungary, and expresses an appreciation of our country, our nation, our achievements, and our sacrifices for freedom, democracy, and human rights. On that very day, Congressman Tom Lantos, a survivor of the Holocaust of Hungarian descent, delivered his Kossuth address in the House of Representatives. He named Kossuth as the George Washington of Hungary and declared him a symbol of democracy who shared the same values and principles that the American people do. Lajos Kossuth, the exiled Governor-President of Hungary, stepped on American soil 150 years ago. Between 1851 and 1852, Kossuth spent only six months here as a "guest of the American nation" and the official guest of the United States Government. Lajos Kossuth, the idol of so many generations of Hungarian leaders of the 19th and 20th century, was exiled by the Emperor of Austria, who suppressed our war on independence in blood and revenge. The fact that Kossuth, as an exiled leader of a country that had lost its independence to a greater oppressive power, and that was legally nonexistent entity, was treated as an official guest in the United States, carried the most important message from the American Government for the 1848-49 revolution. This was clearly the recognition and an expressed support of Kossuth and his fellow Hungarians' efforts for freedom. During his stay in the U.S., he visited more than forty American cities, making as many as five hundred public appearances and speeches, arguing for the cause of his nation that had been deprived of its freedom. Kossuth wished to win the support of both the government, congress and the people of the United States for political, financial and possibly military help for the downtrodden yet not hopelessly lost Hungarian struggle for freedom. Through his federative state model, he advocated the cause of Hungarian independence as the key to the democracy and sovereignty of smaller nations ruled by foreign powers in the Central European region. Kossuth, more than half a century ahead of his time, believed - and stated in several speeches - that the United States, as the young and fervent beacon of political democracy, constitutionalism, and free market economy, has to take an active role in shaping world politics. He proclaimed that the U.S. had to stand up for the oppressed and deprived in order to enforce the universal ideals of freedom and democracy. Kossuth was greeted enthusiastically by enormous crowds everywhere from New York to St. Louis, from Cleveland to New Orleans. Yet he accomplished his greatest political success in the nation's capital. In Washington, D.C., after meeting President Fillmore in a very personal and friendly session, he had the rare privilege of being introduced to both houses of Congress. Prior to Kossuth, only one European — the Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette — had received this honor. That evening Congress also gave a ceremonial dinner in Kossuth's honor. 6 \\jlllam I'enn Li(p, December 2002
