Petko R. Slaveikov

“ The humanity moves toward such forms of social and political life, but it is still very far from it. The freedom of every citizen, of every commune and every area, the right to rule themselves, that is one of the main goals of the human advancement. The whole humanity moves toward the self-rule, and not toward the oppression, but the point is that the self-rule will be achieved only through union in one body. Today all nations recognize this need and are in a hurry to achieve it ”

“ At the time he was in Salonika clandestinely, making the preparations for the Razlovci Uprising. On March 24, 1875, he wrote the following to Stefan Verković from Salonika: “I am here, but as our imprisoned men are still not set free, I am compelled to enjoy the general justice in a hidden shelter, i.e. not free. We are not losing hope that things will one day be better for us as well, but now the greatest evil is in Maleševo, which is by no means a result of the Exarchate’s heedlessness and is yet to spread elsewhere.” ”

“ You must bear in mind that the first to break up will be the Veles eparchy, from which certain person even now are taking not a small part in the tumult. That eparchy, dissatisfied with its bishop, on the one hand, and, on the other, the inhabitants of Veles driven by their characteristic craving for power and aspirations to control southern Macedonia in religious affairs, are supporting that movement, which will later have clearly very different consequences from those by which they are now enticed, but the important thing is that they, too, now add fuel to the flames. ”

“ Elementary education is fruitful only when it is conducted in the language which the children can understand. But the whole problem here is that it has not been chosen a way that would not lead to the separation of the dialects but to their union and agreement. However wrong it is to teach the little Macedonians in the dialect of the upper Bulgarians, it is just as wrong to split the language in the schools into various dialects, everyone following their own dialect and paying no attention to the others. ”

“ As the Roman Catholic agents worked out a cultural and national program for the Union in 1860 for the liberation of the Bulgarian people from the Patriarchate, they now also appear with a specific program for the spiritual and national liberation of the Macedonian eparchies through the Union. The Macedonian activists already widely use the expression the Macedonian movement in their language of communication, by which one should understand independent national and church liberation. ”

“ It seems to me that the advocates of the agreement have been guided by similar considerations to a certain extent; they wrongly believe that the union will not take large proportions and that only a small number of people will become separated under the union, and that the rest will remain with the Greeks, considering this advantageous to their plan to paralyse the influence of the Exarchate in these places, to discourage them and compel them to accept agreement to their measure. ”

“ The Greeks themselves indirectly help the spreading of the Union in Macedonia, expecting the Exarchate to become weak because of the Union and thus finding allies in the liquidation of the Catholic propaganda in Macedonia. ”

“ The situation in Solun in regards to the Union is not dangerous yet; but Solun is still not a Bulgarian city and it does not lead the movement, nor does it have influence to the other places and towns, so it can strengthen or weaken the movement.
Kukuš comes at the head of the movement, supported quite strongly by the as yet sleeping Dojran, and Strumica with Maleševo and Voden participate there openly. Following them there limp the Salonika villages and those around Seres, Melnik and Drama. For the time being, anyone looking around might think that he sees nothing but smoke ”

“ In this case each dialect should have a literature of its own and never attain the stage it should have as the literature of a whole nation. There are differences in the dialects among all the European peoples, even far greater than among us ”

“ While we are waiting for this, we shall state here some of the consequences that would result for our people and the Macedonists by the separation.
As all of the Bulgarians, our macedonian brothers are so uneducated and weak, that the division can not avoid perturbation of the minds and will create enemies. The bigger part of the population always will think and should think not as some of the vehement representatives of the stated opinions about macedonians. ”

“ The Uniate movement is more dangerous in the places where formerly there was a Union because of similar reasons. Kukush comes in the first place, followed by Dojran with sympathy from Strumica, Maleshevo and Voden. ”

“ The spreading of the idea of restoration of the Archbishopric of Ohrid upon an Uniate basis is also helped by the French and Austrian consuls, who promise full protection before the Turkish authorities and persecution of the Constantinople Patriarchate. ”

“ It is obvious that some of our Macedonian brothers have such aims, which they hide under the veil of the language and its dialects; that is why we are taking the liberty of saying something about the Macedonian question. ”

“ In his second letter he said that, as soon as the new Greek Bishop of Salonika, Joachim, departed for Salonika, he, the Monsignor, would be on the same steamship and arrive here. The last letter which has come with today’s mail is even more encouraging. Everything is ready and prepared, he says, and the letters are written and waiting only to be signed; and, they write, they are also asking for money from here for their return; therefore Dimitri Maleševski [13] has gone this morning to Kukuš to collect the money and send it to them. The leaders of the movement are thrilled. ”

“ The slow and obstructed advancing in the implementation of the tenth article of the firman, and lately even the obvious difficulties to implement it at all, and if you add to that the counterproductive rummors about the agreement [4] that is here widespread and probably presented as it suited some local orthodox people, that have worked even before to like prepare the people to the agreement, have left open space to some other restless spirits to start and give birth to some other kind of scandals. ”

“ Kučeviški, Metropolitan of Ohrid.↑ When it was established the Exarchate was excommunicated by the Patriarchate and it was declared as non-canonic. During the 1872 rummors reached Macedonia that an agreement is in its making so that the Exarchate will leave the Macedonian eparchies to the Patriarchate in exchange for a status of autochephality↑ The priest Hariton (Chariton) Angelov Karpuzov (from the village of Libjahovo, Nevrokop region; Boris Sarafov’s grandfather) emerged as one of the chief leaders of the population from the whole of eastern Macedonia. ”