AUSTRIA AND THE SLAVS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 45, 16 November 1917, Page 5

AUSTRIA AND THE SLAVS

An address was recently presented to nil members of Parliament in Britain by the President of the Southern Slav Committee, Dr. Trumbitch, on behalf oi the Committee and the Southern Slav peoples of Austria-Hungary, which it represents, calling attention to the conditions under which tho Austrian Parliament lad met. Tho address says:— "Throughout the whole course of the *ar tho Slav nationalities of Austria have been subjected to terrorism and petBocution. Two hundred thousand Austrian Southern Slavs have been imprisoned, interned, or driven into exile. Thousands of'them have been executed. The most notable and distinguished men among them have, under an iniquitous enactment, been held as hostages by tho army corps commanders anfl roado answerable with their lives for any ects of unknown persons against tho safety of, the military forces. In this way, and on the bare suspicion of desiring, tho union of the Southern Slav Aus- [ trian peoples .with Serbia, members of Parliament and of the Provincial Diets, lawyers, professors, tcaohers, business men, priests, writers, artists, and students Tiave been thrown into prison. Southern Slaw landowners have seen their property confiscated and given forcibly to Germans and Magyars. Under trie state of siege proclaimed on tho outbreak of war, 65 Roman Catholic priests were imprisoned up to April, 1915, and (17 Orthodox priests were hanged in the diocese of Sarajevo. Subsconently 150,000 civilians from Serbia and Montenegro were carried into slavery. , . . Many of the vacant seats on the Slav benches at Vienna Tecall the treatment of Southern Slav and Czech deputies who are serving long terms of imprisonment." The address, in conclusion, expresses n nonvietion Hint, "by the victory of the Allio*. Austria-Hungary will be oalled to iKjcnii"!: for her crimes, and that her oppiT«"d Slav peoples will find, in independence and union with their kindred, fcome solace for the they hart,