One cannot expect in a place with Rieka's history that such
considerations as these will be debated, calmly or otherwise, but at all
events on their own merits. They will be approached with more than
ordinary passion, since so many of the people of Rieka have been
turncoats. Any man who changes sides in his religion or his nationality
or politics--presuming, and I hope this mostly was so at Rieka, that his
reasons were not base--that man will feel profoundly on these matters,
more profoundly than the average person of his new religion, nationality
or politics. He will observe the ritual, he will give utterance to his
thoughts with such an emphasis that his old comrades will dislike him
and his new associates be made uneasy. Thus a convert may not always be
the most delightful creature in the garden, and he is abundant at Rieka.
As an illustration we may study Dr. Vio. Many persons have repeated that
he has a Croat father, yet they should in fairness add that his father's
father came from Venice. But if he came from Lapland, that ought to be
no reason why the present Dr. Vio should not, if he so desires, be an
Italian. If he had, when he arrived at what is usually called the age of
discretion, inscribed himself among the sons of Italy--_a la bonheur_.
But he took no such step. He came out as a Croat of the Croats, for when
he had finished his legal studies he became a town official, but
discovered that his views--for he was known as an unbending
Croat--hindered his advancement. The party in possession of the town
council, the Autonomist party, would have none of him. At last he, in
disgust, threw up his post and went into his father's office. He was
entitled, after ten years' service, to a pension; the Autonomists
refused to grant it for the reason that he was so dour a Croat. Very
often, talking with his friends, did Dr. Vio mention this. He made a
successful appeal to the Court at Buda-Pest and a certain yearly sum was
conceded to him, which he may or may not be still obtaining. Then, to
the amazement of the Croats, he renounced his nationality and
became--no, not an Italian--a Magyar. He was now one of those who called
Hungary his "Madre Patria," and as a weapon of the ruling Hungarian
party he was employed against the Italianists. In the year 1913 the
deputy for Rieka died and Dr. Vio was a candidate, his opponent being
one of the Italianist party, Professor Zanella. Dr. Vio had the support
of the Government officials, railway officials and so forth, and was
elected. Now he was a Magyar of the Magyars: Hungarian police officials
were introduced, and Magyar, disregarding the town statutes, was
employed by them as sole official language. The citizens still speak of
those police.... The War broke out, and Dr. Vio donned a uniform,
serving chiefly on the railway line between Rieka and Zagreb. Gradually
he seems to have acquired the feeling that it was unnatural for him to
be a Magyar of the Magyars, even though he was compelled, like so many
others, to wear this uniform. But one day in 1916 when his friend and
fellow-officer, Fran [vS]ojat, teacher at the High School at Su[vs]ak,
walked into his room at Meja, when he happened to be putting little
flags upon a map, he prophesied--King Peter and the Tzar would have been
glad to hear him. Presently, he had himself elected as the mayor, which
enabled him to leave an army so distasteful to him. How long would he
wait until he publicly became a Croat once again? He did not doubt that
the Entente would win, and told that same friend [vS]ojat that Rieka on
the next day would be Croat. To another gentleman in June of 1918 he
said he hoped that he would be the first Yugoslav mayor of the town, and
on that day, out hunting, he sang endless Croat songs. In September, to
the mayor of Su[vs]ak, "You will see," he said, "how well we two as
mayors will work together." When the Croat National Council entered into
office at the end of October he again met Mr. [vS]ojat, just as he was
going up to that interview in the Governor's Palace. "Jesam li ja onda
imao pravo, jesi li sada zadovoljan?" he said. ("Was I not right that
time? Are you satisfied now?") Joyfully he pressed Mr. [vS]ojat's hand
and greeted the two other persons who were with him. And Mr. [vS]ojat
was pleased to think that Vio would now be a good Croat, as of old. But
on the following day he was an Italian.