HENRIK TUMA ON MACEDONIA AND THE MACEDONIANS (1398)

HENRIK TUMA ON MACEDONIA AND THE MACEDONIANS (1398)

1912

...Macedonia has 2,360,000 inhabitants, 52.4% of which, i.e. 1,182,000, are Slavs. There are half a million Turks, i.e. 22%. 230,000 Albanians, i.e. 5.7%, 80,000 Tsintsars or Wallachians, i.e. 3.6%, 70,000 Jews or 3%, and 54,000 Gypsies or 2.4%. The Greeks live in South Macedonia. The Turks mostly along the Vardar ravine and the Aegean Sea. The Jews live in Solun... Of decisive significance for the realization of the South-Slav idea are the state and legal circumstances. Almost half of the South Slavs live in Austria-Hungary, i.e. 5, 700,000 Serbo-Croats and 1,200,000 Slovenes, while in the Balkans there live 3.5 million Serbs, 4 million Bulgarians and 1,200,000 Macedonians. (1397) ...Linguistically, all the Slav groups are related. The philologist, Mr Jagic, Ph.D., (1388) considers there are five dialects: Slovenian (kajkavian), Croatian (cakavian), Serbian (stokavian), Macedonian and Bulgarian. Their literary languages have developed from these dialects; Slovenian, Serbian and Bulgarian. The South Macedonians (1388) have preserved the Old Slavonic language for us. The Holy Scripture, a gift by SS. Cyril and Methodius, was not written, as the philologist, Mr Miklosic, Ph.D., (1400) claims, in the language of the Panonian Slavs, but, as is natural and as was proved by the philologist, Mr. Oblak, Ph.D, (1401) in the language of the Slav apostles, i.e. in the Macedonian dialect from the vicinity of Solun.

Dr Henrik Tuma, Jugoslovanski in Balkanski problem. – “Nashi zapiski” (Ljubljana) 8-9 (1912), pp. 233-234, 239.

(1396) Henrik Tuma, Ph. D., a prominent Slovenian socialist, politician and writer, publishing his views on the South-Slav (Yugoslav) question, also stated his views on the question of Macedonia and the Macedonians. He expounded his standpoints most extensively and most objectively in his paper Jugoslovanski in Balkanski problem (The South-Slav and Balkan Problem), “Nashi zapiski”, 1912, of which we here give a few extracts.

(1397) In the original: “...1,200,000 Macedoncev.” (H. Tuma, Jugoslovanski in Balkanski problem. -” Nashi zapiski” 8-9, 1912, p. 239).

(1398) Vatroslav Jagic, Ph.D., (1838-1923), one of the most outstanding scholars in the field of Slavistics.

(1399) In the original: “Juzni Macedonci (Ibid., p. 284).

(1400) Franc Miklosic, Ph.D., (1813-1891), a prominent Slovenian scholar in the field of Slavistics.

(1401) Vatroslav Oblak, Ph.D., (1864-1896), a prominent Slovenian philologist.

(1402) This excerpt comes from the book Slav sorrow by the well known Russian writer Aleksandar Valentinovich Amfitetrov, published in 1913. There is an article printed in this book under the title “Macedonia”, which actually represents a summary of the author’s views about Macedonia and the Macedonians expounded in his previous books.

(Pages 565-566, The University of “Cyril and Methodius”, Documents on the Struggle of the Macedonian People for Independence and a Nation-State, Volume I)

RENE PICARD, “THE AUTONOMY OF MACEDONIA” (1457)

July 20th, 1916

The idea of Macedonian autonomy is familiar to all those who are acquainted with Balkan history and politics. If we asked the Christians of Macedonia they would answer that autonomy was the most desirable solution for them. There is and, in fact, there has always been a Macedonian spirit in Macedonia. Geographically, Macedonia has its own unity. Its borders are the following: to the south Mt Olympus, the mountains on the north bank of the River. Bistritsa, Lake Prespa and Lake Ohrid; to the west -the Drim from Debar; to the north-west and north -the Shar Mountains, the highlands north of Skopje, the defile of Kumanovo, the mountains that mark the Serbo-Bulgarian frontier of before 1912; to the east -the Rhodope Mountains. The borderline with Thrace on this side is not clear. The regions of Drama and Kavala can either be adjoined to Macedonia or separated from it; the plain of Drama is populated mostly by Turks; the town of Kavala, like all the ports, has a strong Greek colony. To the south, the Chalcidice Peninsula is geographically Macedonian, but ethnographically Greek; the line of lakes separates it by a natural border from the rest of Macedonia. Within these borders Macedonia has the natural basins of Skopje, Bitola, Veles, Seres, Drama and Solun with the mountains that separate them and the narrow valleys that unite them. The Christian population in the country side is Slav. It is known to be neither quite Bulgarian, although it is closer to the Bulgarians, nor quite Serbian. The Bulgarians themselves admit that the Macedonians differ from the other Bulgarians: they possess a more lively spirit, are more fond of politics and intrigue, more inclined to eloquence and the arts, also more cunning; in a word, they are a little Hellenized. The Macedonian politicians in Sofia are feared; many Bulgarians of old Bulgaria would be glad to see the Macedonian Bulgarians return to Macedonia. They accuse them of taking everything away from them, their jobs and privileges. Many Balkan people think that there will be no stability in the Balkans until Macedonian autonomy comes into existence. In any case, it is likely that the creation of Macedonian autonomy would quickly develop a Macedonian spirit and patriotism. The autonomy of Macedonia and the constitution of

a Balkan federation would have most ardent advocates among the citizens of Solun, especially among the majority of the Jewish population. The annexation to Greece caused their ruin. Solun was a particularly important port from, which the Austro-German products brought from Triest were distributed all over the peninsula; the new border, having separated Solun from its background, delivered a terrible blow to it. The Greeks, who already have other ports, are not able to support Solun. The geographical position of Solun at the debauchment of the great natural route from the Danube to the Aegean Sea via Nish has always made this port to be of primary economic importance, and this economic importance will ensure it an equivalent degree of political importance. One can be certain that either there will never be a Balkan federation, or Solun will be its port as well a sits intellectual and economic centre. One can very well see Solun in the future as a free city, the capital of autonomous Macedonia and the centre of the Balkan federation. To hold such an important point, although provisionally and awaiting the settlement of all the Balkan questions and the strengthening of the new status of the peninsula, would be of considerable advantage for the allies. They would have a means of pressure upon their friends of all degrees, as well as upon their enemies. We shall have many friends after our victory, and at that moment we shall have to take precautions against them. What will become of Macedonia? This is the whole problem of the Balkans.

Rene Picard

Les Archives du Ministere des affaires etrangeres (Paris). Guerre 1914-1918, Balkans, Dossier generate, pp. 158-165.

(1457) The interest of the Great Powers and the Balkan states was substantially increased during the time of the imperialist First World War. This interest was understandable among other things, because the main battlefield in the Balkans was upon Macedonian territory. The French Second Bureau - in fact the intelligence service of the French Army was interested in all that happened on the front, even among the population of Macedonia. Having spent about ten months on the Macedonian front, Rene Picard, certainly one of the experts on the Macedonian Question, wrote a pamphlet entitled “The Future

of the Balkans” in which he particularly stressed that an autonomous Macedonia was the only solution to the Macedonian problem.

(Pages 632-633, The University of “Cyril and Methodius”, Documents on the Struggle of the Macedonian People for Independence and a Nation-State, Volume I)