PRAGUE PURSUES ITS OLD POLICY UNDER
A NEW CLOAK
BY
ODON TARJAN
n term s of the M unich F o u r P o w er P act, C z e c h o -S lo v a k ia
I
has h an d ed over the d em a rca ted territories to G erm a n y ,
P o la n d and H u n gary. A lth o u g h under that agreem en t the
principle of self-d e te rm in a tio n sh ou ld have been en forced w hen
they w ere being ced ed , it w as not, and for this the C z e c h o ­
s lo v a k G o v ern m en t w as to b la m e . P ragu e p ro tested again st a
plebiscite, even in the disp u ted areas w ith a m ix e d p opulation,
surely becau se in the case of a p lebiscite the autochthonous in ­
habitants of S lovak ia and R uthen ia w o u ld have ex ercised their
right of self-d eterm in a tio n , w hich w o u ld have been s y n o n y m ­
ous w ith breaking a w a y fro m P rague.
T hu s
it h ap p en ed
th at
un der
the
pressu re
of
circu m ­
stances P ragu e w as fo rced to take cogn izan ce of the S lo v a k
resolution pron ou n ced a t Z so ln a , bu t D r. J osep h T is o ’ s a p p o in t­
m en t as S lo v a k P rim e M in ister w as con trary to the w ill o f the
p eo p le, and the organ ization o f th e new S ta te w as begun in
the sam e spixnt that ch aracterized the w ork of B en es and his
C zech collea g u es at the P e a c e C o n feren ce. N e e d le s s to say, the
results cou ld not be e x p e cte d to fu lfil P ra g u e's exp ectation s.
D r. T iso w as a p p oin ted S lo v a k P rim e M in ister b y G e n e ­
ral S irovy, to w h om he took an oath of a lleg ia n ce. M . A n d r e w
B ro d y ,
R uthen ian P rem ier, w as a ls o
ap p o in ted b y
G en era l
Sirovy. If there w as an y rea so n in the first d a y s to doubt
P ra g u e 's intention to su ppress at a n y p rice the m an ifestation
of the real w ill o f the p e o p le , there is none to d a y , for events
have show n that the S lo v a k s and R u then ian s a re fu lly ju sti­
fied in showing
an utter la ck o f
con fiden ce
in the
S irovy
G o v ern m en t.
T h e a u ton om y of S lo v a k ia an d R uthen ia is nothing but
9
D A N U B IA N
R E V IE W
an u n scrup ulous farce. T h e S lo v a k and R uthenian M in isters
w e re a p p o in ted b y the C zech P rem ier, w h o can throw them
o u t o f o ffic e w hen he choses. H e has d o n e so, in fact, whenever
a n y o f the M in isters o f the a lle g e d ly self-g o v ern in g S lovakia
a n d R uthen ia d a red to o p p o se P ragu e. In four short weeks
m o re than h a lf a d o ze n M in isters lo st their p ortfo lio s. B ro d y ,
the R uthen ian P rim e M in ister w as
a ccu sed
of treason, b e ­
cau se he h a d th e tem erity to d em an d a plebiscite. H is assets
w ere co n fiscated b y his successor, P rem ier V o lo sin , without
a n y leg a l p roced u re. T o d a y B ro d y is a prisoner in a P rague
gaol. D r. F en cik , another R u then ian M in ister, p ro cla im ed his
so lid a rity w ith B r o d y and resign ed his office.
A
seriou s cla sh of interests a ro se betw een P ragu e and
P o zso n y , P ragu e an d R uthenia an d R uthen ia a n d Slovakia.
T h e S lo v a k G o v ern m e n t d em a n d ed the right to have a say
in the questions o f foreign a ffa irs affectin g Slovak ia. T his w as
re fu se d
p o in t-b la n k
by
P ragu e.
S lo v a k ia
w ou ld
like
to
estab lish a S lo v a k b an k of issue. P ra g u e refu ses to hear of it,
for on e o f the C zech G o v e rn m e n t’s chief p o litical m an oeuvres
is the intention to k eep the G o v ern m en ts of S lo v a k ia in su b ­
je ctio n b y m aking that p rovin ce's
financial
d ifficulties
p er­
m an en t. T h e public a re fu lly a w a re of this, and, a s a result,
20%
o f the bank d ep osits have a lr e a d y been w ithdraw n.
A n o th e r cause o f serious a n tagon ism b etw een P ragu e and
P o zso n y is the m o v em en t of about 3 0 0 .0 0 0 S lovak s in M o r a ­
via, w h o w a n t to join S lo v a k ia . A
of
those
S lo v a k s
w as
depu tation of about 2 ,0 0 0
p rev en ted b y C zech
gen darm es
from
a tten d in g a m eetin g h eld a t S z a k o lc a an d dem anding a p le ­
b iscite. T h e ju d icia ry an d th e b o d y of atto rn ey s in S lo v a k ia
h a v e announced their co m p lete separation fro m P rague.
G ra v e d ifferen ce s have arisen b etw een the
S lo v a k
and
R u th en ian G o v ern m en ts o n the question of th e dem arcation
o f the w estern frontier of R uth en ia. T h e R u then ian G o v ern ­
m e n t la y s claim to the w h o le of the northern frontier zone,
a s far as P o p ra d an d including the tow n o f E p e rje s , on the
g rou n d s th at th ere a re R uthen ian s living in that area. T h e
o rg a n o f th e S lo v a k
in a n a rticle
en titled
G o v ern m en t,
the
“ S loven sk a
“ R u then ian m eg a lo m a n ia ”
d em a n d s o f the R uthen ian G overn m en t.
10
P r a v d a ",
re je cts the
PRAGUE PURSUES ITS OLD POLICY
The new arrangements are anything but a proof that the
Government feels the support of public opinion behind it. The
activity of the Tiso Government is characterized by indecision
and a system of barefaced "influence” . Notaries public who
did not support Tiso’s regime were transferred to Hungarian
towns a few days before the latter were restored to Hungary;
their appointments were given to others as a reward for
political services, and highly salaried Government commis­
sioners were set over the newspapers, printing offices and
industrial undertakings.
The lot of the minorities shows no signs of improvement.
It is true that the Tiso Government was obliged to appoint
a German Secretary of State, but, on the other hand, it dis­
solved the Hungaro-German National Council of Szepes, just
as the Volosin Government dissolved the political parties and
confiscated their assets.
In vain do we seek to find a spirit of conciliation and
circumspection in the activity hitherto displayed by the Tiso
Government. The provisions of the Munich Pact are being
evaded by means of petty chicaneries, not only in the field
of politics, but also in the sphere of economics. To quote one
instance: by order of the Pozsony Gvernment the equipments
of the famous observatory at Ogyalla, which has now passed
into Hungary's possession, were dismantled and removed to
Eperjes. This observatory had been equipped by a landowner,
M. Julius Konkoly-Thege, who presented it to the Hungarian
State. With this measure the Tiso Government has purloined
property of purely Hungarian origin.
Everything that could possibly be carried away from the
territories restored to Hungary was transported to Bohemia
or at least to Slovakia. The fittings of the hospitals, Roentgen
lamps, and even the beds were carried off as was the parquet
flooring of the public buildings. Vandalism assumed such pro­
portions that materials not worth the cost of transportation
were also taken.
The Czech and Slovak Governments will have themselves
to thank if, by this behaviour, they provide legal grounds for
reparation claims that will not be calculated to promote
neighbourly relations with Hungary.
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