Page:The Czechoslovak Review, vol3, 1919.djvu/20

 18 branches, their capital amounted to 9,538.067 crowns, their deposits were 48,270,453 crowns. The two most important banks are the Bank of Tatra, founded in 1886, with deposits of 10 million crowns, and the Credit Bank of Ružomberk, with a capital of 2 million crowns and deposits of 5 million.

Like Bohemia Slovakia is rich in mineral waters. The baths of Pišťany already enjoy international fame, although the Magyars claim them, just as the Germans claim the famous watering places of Bohemia, Karlsbad, Franzensbad and Marienbad.

This gives a rough sketch of the economic situation in Slovakia at the present time. It is plain that Slovakia is a rich country with a great future, and its underground wealth of minerals will transform it into one of the most industrial districts af all Europe. But it is necessary to bring capital into the country. Up to now the country was exploited by the Magyars and held down artificially to a low degree of economic and intellectual well-being. But the people are higly gifted and the precious gift of liberty will develop their talent, as it has done in America. The future of Slovakia is assured.

1em

All along the Volga valley, on across the heights of the Ural Mountains, across the broad steppes of Siberia to the Baikal district, across Manchuria and the Amur district as far as the Pacific Ocean at Vladivostok, there has been heard during the summer that is past the cry: ‘The Czecho-Slovaks are coming!’

It has been a cry of relief, like unto the glad some shouts of prisoners released from captivity, for the coming of the Czecho-Slovaks has meant for the milions of people in Siberia and Eastern Russia liberation from the tyrannical rule of the Bolsheviks, the restoration of a government by alall [sic] the people, the downfall of a government by one class for its own selfish interests.

When the Czecho-Slovaks first began their military operations against the Bolsheviks in the latter part of May, there was considerable confusion upon the part of the man in the street as to the meaning of it all. For although the Czecho-Slovaks are Slavs like the Russians, and although this particular army had formed an integral part of the Russian army and had rendered invaluable service to the Russian forces, the people as a whole had no very clear idea as to who they were, what they wanted, where they were going, and why they had declared war upon the Bolsheviks. Acustomed as they were after the turbulent events of the past year to insurrections and civil strife—to conflicts betwen Ukrainians and Bolsheviks, to Dutoff’s and Korniloff’s warfare against the Soviets, they looked upon this new conflict as but a new and rather strange element in the general disorder. Things could not be any worse than they are now, let the Czechs come and have their way, it is all the same to us. Such was the attitude of the average man at the time.

Then there began to be spread abroad more definite news as to who the Czecho-Slovaks were and what they wanted. The people learned that they were mostly former prisoners of war who had enlisted in the ranks of the Russian army to fight against Austria in the hope that they might thereby gain the freedom of their home-land, Bohemia. After the Brest-Litovsk peace they had concluded that Russia was no place for an army that wanted to fight against the Central Powers, and had started do depart for the French front by way of Siberia and Vladivostok. Trotsky and his colleagues, however, under suasion of the German ambassador,,, [sic] decided that it would be better to have them join his Red Army, and when they refused to do so, ordered their complete disarmament. Rather than submit to such ignominious treatment the Czecho-Slovaks decided to beat their way through to Vladivostok by force.

Right on the heels of these reports came the Czecho-Slovaks themselves. They were uniformed like the soldiers of the old Russian army, save for the little red and white ribbon that they wore in their hats. But what a contrast they presented to the “Tovarishi” of the disintegrated Russian army and to the bandits of the Red Army! Clean-cut, straight-forward looking fellows, honest and courteous in their treatment of the civilian population, with such order and discipline in their ranks as the Bolshevik-ridden Russians had not seen in many months, they immediately won the favor and soon the affection of all the people with whom they came in contact.

And before the astounded people could realize what was going on, and before the bewildered Bolsheviks could gather their wits together, the Czechs had gained control of all the main points