THE YEAR WAS 1903
Notes from the history of Croatians in Chicago
Introductory note
Croatians in the homeland and around the world quite often sing:
It was the year nine hundred and three,
When trouble befell our Croatia.
Hedervary raised the Hungarian flags
Trying to forcefully Magyarize Croatia.
Rise, oh ban, Croatia calls you, calls you,
Rise, oh ban Jelačić!
The above lyrics are an expression of a resistance to the oppressive rule of the infamous Ban Khuen in Croatia which culminated in 1903. In response to people’s protests against the on going Magaryzation, Khuen introduced a wave of bloody terror that was heard around the world. Chicago Croatians held a mass-meeting on May 21, 1903 in order to protest the use of terror in their homeland, to express their support for the people in Croatia, and to collect money for the victims. The local Czech paper Denni Hlasatel/Daily Herald published the following report a few days after the meeting
PROTEST BY CROATIAN
Almost four hundred sturdy Croatians met in a hall at Center Avenue and 18th Street in order to protest against the licentious ruling of the Hungarian government and its henchman, the baneful Khuen-Hedervary in Croatia. Conditions there are known to our people from newspaper reports. Martial law exists in many towns today. The soldiers shoot people without mercy and whoever is arrested is tried and hung mercilessly. This is the reward of the Croats for having defended the Emperor and his government in 1848 against these same Hungarians, who today are oppressing them, and this because they are defending the rights given them by law. There are no rights in Austria-Hungary and as a Croatian student predicted: “There will be no rights for the Slavs in Austria until the hoofs of Cossack horses beat upon the market-square of Vienna.”
The meeting of our Croatian brothers was dignified. The chairman was Mr. Juraj Mamek, vice-chairman, Ivan Bozic, treasurer, J. C. Jankovic, secretary, T. Lackovic, auditor, Stivelic. Before the meeting was called to order, voluntary donations were brought to the treasurer’s table. It was impressive, the way those hard, callused hands contributed for the home-land, how willingly and how enthusiastically they contributed money earned by sweat and blood upon the altar of their Home-land. Each of them gave at least a dollar, though we know, that Croatians are mainly workingmen and that they have no wealthy people among them. In the meeting the following was accomplished: The resolutions committee, consisting of Dr. Biankini, Pavel Hajdic and Ivan Bozic, sent two telegrams; one directed to the National Defense Committee in Zagreb, calling on the brothers to continue , the fight for Croatian rights; the other to Franz Josef, present Emperor of Austria, in which he is called upon to put an end to the reign of the Hungarian monster in Croatia. By means of subscription sheets and at the meeting, a total of $355.80 and $51.00 for telegrams was collected since Thursday. Certainly a distinguished showing of the conscientiousness by our brethren.
One more word. It is our duty as Bohemians, to take collections for the benefit of our Croatian brothers and help them in their battle with the savage Hungarian hordes. Croatians live among us, associate with us, and participate in all our national undertakings. At the protest meeting, when martial law was declared in Prague, they took part in our meeting, spoke at the meeting and collected contributions for us. They celebrated Bohemian Day with us in 1893 contributing almost $1,000 for the occasion. However, it is now time that we show, that we sympathize with the unfortunate Croatian nation, which is being set upon, destroyed and murdered, and that as true Slavs stand with them.
***
A finishing thought
As this article indicates, Croatians in America and around the world have been always more than ready to help the people back home in their needs, especially at times of crisis, even when they themselves had very little. However, the ruling casts in the homeland, now and in the past, have too often misused their love for the homeland, have kept them as outsiders, even as enemies, or at least as hindrance to their selfish and misguided policies. Croatians around the world never asked nor do they ask today anything in return from the homeland. However, no one can stop them from loving the land of their ancestors and from being concerned for the fate of Croatia and its people.
Ante Čuvalo
BILO JE TO GODINE 1903.
Crtice iz povijesti Hrvata u Chicagu
Napomena
Svim Hrvatima je poznata popularna domoljubna budnica:
Bilo je to godine, devetsto i treće,
Kad su našu Hrvatsku stigle nesreće.
Mađarske zastave dig'o Hedervary,
Silom hoće Hrvatsku da je pomađari.
Ustani bane, Hrvatska te zove, zove.
Ustani bane Jelačiću!
Ova pjesma je odraz narodnog otpora Khuenovoj mađaronskoj tiraniji i progonima koji su otpočeli u ožujku 1903. Ta krvava događanja u Hrvatskoj odjekula su širom svijeta, u prvom redu među Hrvatima u Americi. Hrvati Chicaga su se okupili 21. svibnja 1903., da bi digli zajednčki glas protiv progona, dali podršku narodu i prikupili pomoć za progonjene. Lokalne češke novine Denni Hlasatel/Dnevni glasnik/ donio je o tom okupljanju slijedeće izvješće.
HRVATI PROTESTIRAJU
Gotovo četiri stotine jedrih Hrvata sastalo se u dvorani na križanju Center Ave. i 18. ulice da bi protestirali protiv razuzdane vladavine mađarske vlade i njezina vjernog sluge, pogubnog Khuena-Hedervarya u Hrvatskoj. Tamošnje prilike su poznate našem narodu iz novinskih izvješća. Prijeki sud je danas uveden u mnogim gradovima. Vojnici pucaju u narod bez milosrđa i uhićeni su nemilosrdno osuđivani na vješanje. Ovo je nagrada Hrvatima za njihovu obranu cara i njegove vladavine 1848. od ovih istih Mađara, koji ih danas tlače, samo zato što brane svoja prava koja su im po zakonu dana. U Austro-Ugarskoj nema prava i, kako neki hrvatski student izreče: „Dokle kozačko kopito ne udari po bečkom glavnom trgu dotle neće biti prava za Slavene u Austriji.“ [Napomena. Primorski pravaš Erasmon Barčić je negdje 1880-tih izjavio u saboru: “Dokle rusko kozačko kopito ne zazveči na bečkim pločnicima, dotle ne bude ni sreće ni slobode za narode naše monarhije!”]
Ovaj skup naše hrvatske braće bio je dostojanstven. Predsjedatelj je bio gospodin Juraj Mamek; dopredsjedatelj Ivan Božić; rizničar J.C. Janković, tajnik T. Lacković, revizor Štivilić [vjerojatno Štivalić]. Prije nego je sastanak otvoren, prisutni su donosili dragovoljne doprinose na stol rizničara. Bilo je dojmljivo vidjeti kako te tvrde i žuljave ruke daruju za domovinu, s kakvim zadovoljstvom i zanosom daruju novac zarađen u znoju i krvi na oltar njihove Domovine. Svatko je od njih dao barem po dolar, a znamo dobro da su Hrvati uglavnom radnici i da nemaju među sobom bogatih ljudi. Na skupu je učinjeno slijedeće: Odbor za rezolucije, u kojem su bili dr. Biankini, Pavel Hajdić i Ivan Božić, sastavili su i poslali dvije telegrafske poruke; jednu Odboru za narodnu obranu u Zagrebu, pozivajući braću da nastave borbu za hrvatska prava; drugu Franji Josipu, sadašnjem caru Austrije, u kojoj ga pozivaju da zaustavi vladavinu mađarske nemani u Hrvatskoj. Putem obveznica ili u novcu od četvrtka do sada prikupljeno je $355.80 i $51.00 što je potrošeno za telegrame. Zasigurno, lijep je to znak velike samosvjesnosti naše braće.
Još jedna riječ. Kao Česima, naša je dužnost prikupiti darove na dobrobit naše hrvatske braće i pomoći im u njihovoj borbi s brutalnim mađarskim hordama. Hrvati žive među nama, s nama se druže, sudjeluju u svim našim pothvatima. Oni su sudjelovali na našem protestnom skupu kad je prijeki sud bio uveden u Pragu, držali su govore na skupu i sakupljali pomoć za nas. Oni su 1893. s nama slavili Češki dan i doprinijeli su gotovo 1000 dolara za tu proslavu. Dakle, sad je vrijeme da mi pokažemo da suosjećamo s ugroženom hrvatskom nacijom, koju se tlači, razara i ubija, te kao pravi Slaveni stanemo uz njih.
***
Završna misao
Kako i gornji članak iz čeških novina ukazuje, Hrvati u Americi i širom svijeta uvijek su bili i više nego spremni pomoći narodu u domovini, posebice u kriznim vremenima. Pomagali su i kad su oni sami imali vrlo malo. Međutim, politički soj ljudi u domovini, danas i u prošlosti, prečesto su zlorabili njihovu ljubav za domovinu, držali ih za „autsajdere“, čak i kao neprijatelje, ili barem kao smetnju njihovoj sebičnoj i prečesto pogrešnoj politici. Hrvati u svijetu nisu nikad ništa tražili niti traže od domovine, ali nitko im ne može zabraniti ljubiti ju i brinuti se za sudbinu svoje rodne grude i svog naroda.
Ane Čuvalo
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