forced the prosecutors to withdraw from the case "by arrangement with the defendant."
So much for Justice and Governmental Integrity in the Dual Monarchy.
In 1912 the constitution of Croatia-Slavonia was suspended; nevertheless, it is interesting to see how valuable it was when it did exist. Perhaps its value to the Slav races and their aspirations can be best appreciated if an account be given of the way in which a general election was conducted. But it must not be forgotten that these occurrences, which are about to be recounted, took place only a year or two ago, and are typical of what took place in every electoral division in Croatia-Slavonia.
Imagine the town, and that in about two months' time there will be a general election for the Diet. Of the candidates one is a Government candidate. The first thing the Government does, in order that its own candidate shall be returned, is to confiscate every day all the Slav newspapers which may be published. There would be no particular reason for doing this except to repress any expression of Slav ambitions, so that the Slavist candidate should have little or no chance at all, so far as his chance might depend upon the electorate understanding his views and being permitted the independent exercise of the franchise. The Government then commences a vigorous and wide campaign of illegal corruption, everybody who can be influenced by money or by favours being forthwith so influenced. Having thus prepared the way, the Government proceeds to issue warrants against the leaders of the opposition party and to imprison them without trial and keep them in prison until after the election! The town officials meanwhile receive the Government candidate and accompany him on a visit round the constituency and do all they can to ensure his sympathetic reception and return. To avoid too much opposition from the other candidates, these are prevented from communicating with their party and supporters, and in order that the prevention may be absolutely effective, a candidate would be expelled beyond the boundary of the constituency until after the election. Leading electors who might be supposed to have Pan-Slavist opinions are all then placed under police supervision, and meetings held on behalf of the opposition candidate are forbidden by the police.
At Agram, where the Government wished to win, there were three candidates, one of whom was the Government candidate. A few days before the polling day the Chief of Police of the town summoned before him the important electors of the place and peremptorily ordered them to vote for the Government candidate
