a
contradiction of a pronouncement he made yesterday.

Those who are openly sailing in Radi['c]'s boat are for the most part
the hard-headed peasants. Yet a number of the _intelligentsia_ are
coming on board--some of them, no doubt, with a view to their own
advancement, but others on account of their convictions. And a still
greater number of the Croat _intelligentsia_ look on him with
sympathy--municipal officials, barristers, doctors, merchants,
schoolmasters and military officers. It is most foolish to pretend that
all these people are thinking regretfully of the old Habsburg days--they
are, in the vast majority, sincere and loyal Yugoslavs who have certain
grievances. They do not believe that Croatia has fared very well since
the institution of the new State and it would seem wise to give them as
much autonomy as is consonant with the interests of the whole country,
for then they will only have themselves to blame if there is no
improvement. Maybe they are unduly sensitive, but they were for many
years in political warfare with the Magyars and this should be taken
into consideration. Even if all the grievances are based on
misconceptions, on the difficulties of the moment, on the circumstances
of the fading past--the new generation of Croats, say their teachers,
are growing up to be excellent Yugoslavs--yet an effort should be made
to sweep them away.

When Belgrade makes a statesmanlike gesture then Radi['c] will probably
be able to persuade the peasants to abandon their republican
slogan--both they and the _intelligentsia_ will abandon their reserved
attitude towards the Government which they were far from entertaining
when the State was first established. It seems as if the role of
conciliator may well be filled by that wise old man, Nicholas
Pa[vs]i['c], who is now no longer a mere Balkan Premier. When he was
that he very properly used Balkan methods, despite the stern remarks of
a few Western critics.

THE SERBS AND THE CROATS

We have alluded to the relations between Serbs and Croats. This is a
subject of such importance that it will be well to consider it more
fully. When Yugoslavia sprang into existence at the end of the War--70
per cent. of this State having previously been under the rule of the
House of Habsburg--it was met in various quarters with a grudging
welcome. Soon, we were told, it would dissolve again, and every symptom
of internal discontent was treated as a proof of this. On the other ha