Page:The Czechoslovak Review, vol3, 1919.djvu/51

  to listen to a presentation of the case for Czechoslovak independence. One need only mention the Congress of Oppressed and Dependent Nationalities in Washington in January of 1917, one of the annual meetings of the Academy of Political and Social Science, the Long Beach Conference of Foreign Relations, and addresses without number before important clubs and associations.

It was thus that the Czechoslovaks of America helped to lay the foundation for the recognition of their nation’s aspirations by the United States of America, a recognition which came when President Wilson and the United States Government accorded the Czechoslovak National Council the status of a de facto government. And while in Europe these foundations were laid by that great leader Thomas G. Masaryk, in the United States his countrymen were forced to get along without his in comparable and unparalleled judgment, the benefit of which his co-workers in Europe all had at one time or another.

The Czechoslovaks of America have a right to claim that they, too, contributed to the triumph of the cause as a whole. The liberation of a nation is always a resultant of the interplay of various forces. One of these forces in the present struggle was the energy, force, and sound political thinking displayed by the Czechoslovaks of America. In the natural process of Americanization, which we all welcome, and which needs no artificial stimulation, some day there will cease to be such things as separate racial fragments in the United States. But a grateful Czechoslovak nation will always remember, as long as history is written, that before losing their identity in the melting pot of America, those who were forced to leave Bohemia and Slovakia because of Austrian and Magyar oppression, aided in achieving freedom and liberty for their native land.

One of the most urgent duties laid at the present time upon American citizens of Czechoslovak birth and descent is to help in the creation of business ties between the United States and the newly born Czechoslovak Republic, relations that will be beneficial to both parties. There are many difficulties in the way, for the republic with which commercial relations are to be established has been in existence as an independent country for only three months. It is situated in the very center of Europe without an outlet to the sea, and what is more important just at the present time, it is surrounded on three sides by countries that are still enemy countries, namely Germany and German Austria. Access to Czechoslovakia is as yet very difficult, for on the west, north and south are the Germans, and in the east is the seething zone of small nations recently liberated and disturbed by Bolshevistic disorders. Only a few days ago President Masaryk complained in an interview that the Allies have done little to establish communications with their advance post in the east, namely Prague; he suggested that there should be at least one airship a day flying between Strassburg and Prague, as long as regular train communication is lacking.

Of course most of these troubles will be soon remedied and in a few months, if not weeks, it will be possible for mails, passengers and freight to reach the Czechoslovak Republic. But so far even news papers from Prague reach America months after the date of their appearance and no one has as yet crossed to this side of the Atlantic who is competent to act as adviser on the problems of Czechoslovak commerce in America. To begin on the firm ground we must go back as for as 1914 and take our departure from the figures supplied by American consular reports and the publications of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce. Some of the figures available relate to Bohemia directly, but most of them deal only with the defunct Austro-Hungarian empire.

Owing to the backwardness of large elements of its population the former empire was never as important a customer of America as one would expect judging by its population. In the fiscal year ending June 20, 1914 all of Austria-Hungary with its 51,000,000 people bought merchondise [sic] from the United States to the value of $22,718,258. That was a mere drop in the bucket compared to American exports to Germany which totaled $331,794,276. Of course much