Page:The Czechoslovak Review, vol3, 1919.djvu/339



The question of greatest public interest during the whole month of September was the disposition of the Teschen district. Ever since the first days of November, when Poles invaded this ancient duchy from Galicia and occupied the greater part of it, the final decision of this touchy question was constantly delayed by the peace conference, in view of the intense feeling displayed by both Czechs and Poles.

The Czechs claimed that Teschen had been part of the Bohemian territory for the last six hundred years and should no more be separated from the Republic, than certain border districts with German-speaking majority. France had actually agreed during the war to give to the Czechoslovak Republic its historical boundaries. Economic considerations exerted an even greater strength on the determination of the entire Czechoslovak nation to insist on the retention of Silesia. This small district contains the most important coal mines of the new state; without Teschen the deposits of coal in the Czechoslovak Republic would be only 9.3 billion tons, with Teschen 25.7 billion. As against that the Poles are getting from Germany the almost inexhaustible coal areas of Upper Silesia which are estimated to contain 2200 billion tons. Polish industry does not need Teschen coal, Czechoslovak industry cannot live without it. The Slovaks, equally with the Czechs, are vitally interested in this quarrel, for their coal came almost exclusively from the Teschen area, and the principal railroad connecting Slovakia with the Czech lands passes through territory claimed by Poles.

When it was rumored at the end of August that the peace conference decided this dispute adversely to the Czechoslovak Republic, the whole nation rose in protest. Mass meetings were held everywhere, public corporations sent resolutions to the government calling upon it to agree under no circumstances to the cession of Teschen; Czech coal miners in the disputed area went on strike as a protest against coming under Polish rule, and finally even the National Assembly called upon the government not to sign any treaty depriving the Republic of this district.

Czechoslovak peace delegates in Paris struggled hard to secure a favorable decision for their country, but in the end they were placed before a dilemma: either divide Teschen on the basis of the last Austrian statistics, or let the peace conference decide on the division of it after a plebiscite had been taken. They chose the latter course, and in the near future a vote will be taken in the entire Teschen district as to the preference of the people for either Czech or Polish citizenship. In 1919 the Austrian census found in the disputed area 224,000 Poles, 115,000 Czechs and 77,000 Germans. The Czechs are convinced that the plebiscite will result more favorably for them than these figures indicate, because transition from Czech to Polish speech, as one goes east, is so gradual that entire villages entered in the census as using Polish speech will prefer to consider themselves Czech, if proper guarantees are taken against intimidation in the larger part of the territory occupied by Polish forces. The Germans, too, will undoubtedly by a large majority favor Czech, rather than Polish rule.

Thus, while the general feeling in the country is very bitter against the Paris decision, neither the government nor the people have any intentions to try Fiume experiments and will abide by the result of the voting.

The German question is becoming a pressing one. Since the revolution public authority has been altogether in Czech hands, but participation of the considerable