Andrei Cosma (1843-1918). Schiţă monografică

  • Subiect: Andrei Cosma (1843-1918) The author begins by presenting the arbitrary actions of the Budapest governments following the 1867 Austro-Hungarian Dualistic Agreement which were intended to denationalize the Romanians of Transylvania but which resulted in the intensification of their struggle for national liberation. The progressive minded intellectuals took stand in leading the masses carrying on a wide activity of unmasking and fighting against the hostile purposes of the authorities. Andrei Cosma was one of those outstanding men. The paper is intended to present his contribution to the struggle of Romanians of Transylvania for national liberation in the period between 1867 and 1918. Born on July 29, 1843 in a family of poor peasants from Bîrsăul de Sus, Satu Mare District, Andrei Cosma was the only child of the family having the good fortune to go to school. It was his intelligence and tenacity that enabled him to attend schools. During his school years he supported himself by rendering service to his teachers or helping some of his schoolmates. In the capital of Hungary he attended law classes paying special attention to History of Law and Law of Exchange. In that period he was pecuniary supported by George Pop de Băseşti, who used to help the Romanian students. Coming back in his native Sălaj, Andrei Cosma would engage, with all his strength of mind, in various branches of activity. He successively occupied himself with different jobs: prime-notary of Zalău Court, Secretary at the County School Inspectorate (1868-1873), and Chief of Eriu District having the seat in Tăşnad (1874- 1883). During his stay in Zalău, he concerned himself with archeology, collecting several antiquities from Porolissum and giving them to the National Museum in Blaj. For a short time he had a lawyer's office in Tăşnad. The most extensive activity - more than thirty years - he carried out in the economic banking branch (186-1917) as head manager of the Credit Institute „Silvania". He was active in socio-political affairs and in didactic and cultural branches too. The time spent in Budapest coincides with the beginning of the student's socio-political concerns. In the troubled and oppressive atmosphere of the years preceding the Dualistic Agreement, the young man foresees the cruel fate that had been intended for the Romanians. He thinks it his duty to inform his protector, George Pop de Băseşti, about the agitation caused by the Hungarian newspapers, about the hard intervention of censorship in the Romanian journals, about the Romanian's attitude towards government's maneuvers. When calumnies against George Pop are printed in the journal „Concordia", Andrei Cosma stands up for him. His courageous and firm attitude wasn't to the Hungarian ruling circles liking. Being not successful in attracting him on their side, they began to attack him. Count Tisza, for instance, called him „a Romanian nationalistic instigator" who, although attending all his studies in Hungarian schools, he is nevertheless to be considered their most unflinching opponent". Andrei couldn't tolerate abuses. If the laws limited liberty of the Romanians, they ought at least to be spared of misuses. When, at the beginning of 1872, the County Committee was created, the Government representative, Ludovic Szikszai - supported by the County Prefect - succeeded to form that committee without a single Romanian member. A. Cosma made arrangements to lay bare the procedure advising the lawyer Nichita to write an article about the matter, article that was directly published in an issue of „Federaţiunea". The strained atmosphere preceding the drafting and publication of 1892 „Memorandum" is reflected in the letters sent by A. Cosma to George Pop de Băseşti informing him about the 'District Leader's intention of bribing the Romanian priests in order to allow there in propagators of the Government policy, under the pretext of „peace between nationalities". He also informed the Central Committee of the Romanian National Party about these intentions. In October 1889, Andrei Cosma was elected a member of the Central Committee of the Romanian National Party. In May 1892 he was among those who presented the „Memorandum" to the Emperor in Vienna. As a result of that step, he was to suffer, like the other Romanian political leader Ion Raţiu, chauvinistic repression from the Hungarian hooligans of Şimleul Silvaniei, who broke the windows and damaged his house. Together with other lawyers, he supported the accused in the Memorandum law suit. During their detention, besides material support, he also encouraged them by visiting and by writing to them. He assisted George Pop's family, looking after home hold administration while his elder friend was imprisoned (May 7, 1894- September 19, 1895).
  • Limba de redactare: română
  • Secţiunea: Ştiinţe naturale, carte veche, istoria culturii, personalităţi sălăjene
  • Vezi publicația: Acta Musei Porolissensis: ActaMP
  • Editura: Muzeul Judeţean de Istorie şi Artă din Zalău
  • Loc publicare: Zalău
  • Anul publicaţiei: 1987
  • Referinţă bibliografică pentru nr. revistă: XI; anul 1987; subtitlu: Anuarul Muzeului Judeţean de Istorie şi Artă din Zalău
  • Paginaţia: 615-
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