|
2nd - 3rd
August 1903,
Fellow countrymen
and dear neighbors !
We,
your perennial neighbors, friends and acquaintances from beautiful Kruševo and
its pretty villages, regardless of faith, nationality, sex or conviction, not
being able to endure any more the tyranny of bloodthirsty murtats who hunger for
human flesh, who would like to lead both you and us to slaughter, to reduce both
you and us to poverty, and to turn our dear and wealthy land of Macedonia into a
wasteland, we have today raised our heads and decided to defend ourselves with
rifles in our hands from our and your enemies, and obtain freedom. You know very
well that we are not evil and you understand that it is trouble that made us
risk our lives, so that we might begin living like human beings or die like
heroes! And because since the times of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers
we have lived together like brothers of this land, we consider you as our own,
and would like it to remain the same forever. We have not raised our rifles
against you - it would be shameful for us to do so; we have not raised against
the peaceful diligent and honest Turkish people who, like ourselves, earn their
living through sweat full of blood - they are our brothers with whom we have
always lived and would like to live again; we have not risen to slaughter and
plunder, to set fire and steal - we have had enough of countless derebeyis
pillaging and plundering our poor and blood-stained Macedonia; we have not risen
to convert to Christianity and disgrace your mothers and sisters, wives and
daughters; you should know that your property, your lives, your faith and your
honor are as dear to us as our own. Alas, we have taken up arms only to protect
our property, our lives, our faith and our honor. We are not murtats of our own
land that has given birth to us, we are not robbers and plunderers, but
revolutionaries sworn to die for justice and freedom; we rebel against tyranny
and against slavery; we are fighting and will fight against murtats, against
robbers, against oppressors and plunderers, against besmirches of our honor and
our faith and against those who benefit from our sweat and exploit our labor. Do
not be afraid of us and of our villages - we shall not harm anyone. Not only do
we consider you as our brothers, but we also feel sorry for you as our brothers,
since we understand that you are slaves like ourselves, slaves of the Sultan and
of his beys, effendis and pashas, slaves of the rich and powerful, slaves of
tyrants and oppressors, who have set fire to the empire from all four sides and
have made us rise up for justice, for freedom and for human life. We invite you,
too, to join us in our struggle for justice, freedom and human life! Come,
Moslem brothers, let us together go against your and our enemies! Come under the
banner of "Autonomous Macedonia"! Macedonia is the mother of us all
and she calls on us for help. Let us break the chains of slavery, free ourselves
from suffering and pain, and dry the rivers of blood and tears! Join us,
brothers, let us fuse our souls and hearts and save ourselves, so that we and
our children and our children's children might live in peace, work calmly and
make progress!... Dear neighbors! We understand that you as Turks, Arnauts and
Moslems might think that the empire is yours and that you are not slaves since
there is no cross on the imperial flag but a star and a crescent. You will soon
see and understand that this is not so and that you are wrong. Nevertheless, if
you honor does not allow you to join us and declare yourselves against the
Sultan's tyranny, we, your brothers in suffering and of the same homeland, shall
do you no harm and shall not hate you. We will fight alone both for you and us,
and if necessary, we will fight to the last man under the banner for our and
your freedom, for our and your justice. "Freedom or Death" is written
on our foreheads and on our blood-stained banner. We have already raised that
banner and there is no way back. If you consider us as your brothers, too, if
you wish us well, if you intend to live with us again as you have lived up to
now, and if you are faithful and worthy sons of our mother Macedonia, you could
help us in one way at least - and it would be a great help indeed - do not make
partners of the enemy, do not raise guns against us and do not oppress the
Christian villages!
May God bless our
holy struggle for justice and freedom!
Long live the
fighters for freedom and all honest and good Macedonian sons!
Hurrah! For
"Autonomous Macedonia!" |
|
