Page:The Czechoslovak Review, vol3, 1919.djvu/251

 emphasizes the sufferings of its own country, caused by the war. I am glad to say that upon Czechoslovak initiative we have achieved common action on the part of Jugoslavia, Roumania, Poland and Czechoslovakia, and in formal matters Greece also acts with us. It was due to the united protest of these nations that the submission of peace terms to Austria was held back, until the liberated nations could take common counsel in regard to the terms.

Let me say something about the protection of minorities. We are not afraid of this question, for we are willing to give other races than Czechoslovak such language and racial rights that they will have no ground for complaint. At the same time, together with the other liberated nations, we could not agree that protection of minorities should be turned into interference with the sovereignty of our state. If the League of Nations ever develops such authority that the protection of minorities will be applied to all states and nations without exception, then we shall cheerfully accept it. But until then we expect from our friends sufficient confidence that whatever we promise in agreement with the Allies will be literally carried out. I sincerely hope that the Allies will ask nothing of us that would go counter to our national honor and limit our newly-won independence.

I wish ardently for a quick solution of the Teschen question and the Hungarian boundaries, so that with the frontier definitely established we may devote our strength to the great work of internal and external regeneration. It has been said that since the armistice with Germany twenty three different wars have been going on in Europe. One of these small wars has been the armed conflict between the Czechoslovaks and the Bolshevist government of Budapest which is still going on in spite of the ultimatum sent to Bela Kuhn by premier Clemenceau. The causes of this conflict and its progress down to May 21 are summed up in a speech delivered by Václav Klofáč, Czechoslovak Minister of Defense, before the committee on military affairs of the National Assembly. After describing in detail Magyar attack on Komarno the minister of defense goes on to say:

The attack on Komarno is a good sample of Magyar behavior all along the demarcation line. The whole world knows perfectly well that territory back of the demarcation line belongs to us and will be left to us. We did not get it simply by the right of the victor; our right is based on Slovak possession for a thousand years and on their age long suffering under foreign violence. Now no one could have been more loyal with reference to the demarcation line than we. Other nations may have clamored for expansion of their territory, but our armies stood in perfect discipline on the line designated by the Entente and allowed no provocation to move them into attacking.

Let me describe for you briefly the situation, as it developed along the demarcation line. During Karolyi’s regime in the Magyar republic the Magyars looked on rather passively at the occupation of Slovakia by Czechoslovak armies. Up to the beginning of March their hostile conduct was limited to efforts to stir up rebellion behind our backs and to take advantage of every sign of discontent among the civil population. When early in March we undertook to carry out financial reforms and especially to stamp all money, the Magyars figured that the situation was favorable for more radical measures. Every day Magyar aeroplanes flew over our territory far back of the lines and scattered over the cities and villages quantities of insurrectionary leaflets, calling upon the people to resist our financial reforms. It was their aim to undermine the confidence of the Slovak people for the government of the republic, and to make the stamping of banknotes impossible, so that their unstamped money could continue to circulate in Slovakia and could be used to maintain anti-Czech propaganda. But all their efforts failed to shake the loyalty of the population of Slovakia.

Shortly afterwards the Magyars found another opportunity on which to base their subversive propaganda. Mobilization of a number of classes had been declared in Slovakia, and Magyar agitators tried to make use of this necessary measure as an argument against our government. But again they failed, and many regiments of drafted Slovaks are today defending their country against Magyar violence; they have fully demonstrated their discipline and love of their fatherland.

Now and then open hostilities broke out; the Magyars always endeavored to put the blame for them on Czechs. An incident which occurred on March 7 is typical. On that day Magyars opened rifle and machine gun fire against our side of the Danube in Bratislava (Pressburg.) Fortunately nobody was hit. Afterwards a Magyar officer presented himself in our advanced lines and handed in a protest in which the claim was made that their men fired in retaliation for a cannon shot from our side; this shot was sup-