WHERE LIBERTY IS DEAD

Hokitika Guardian, 18 February 1928, Page 4

WHERE LIBERTY IS DEAD

CZECHS IN A FUNK. LONDON, Dec. 20. flu this article describing conditions in Czecho-Slovakia, Sir Robert Donald explains how police secret agents of the Czccho-Slovak GoVci iimeiit suppress freedom of speech). Political meetings in C/.eelio-Slo-vakia are held under police supervision; they are frequently dispersed. To- begin with, permission must he obtained to hold a meeting; twentyfour hours’ notice is required. Iu Slovakia during the local elections the police did their best to prevent the Hungarian Alinority holding meetings. The halls which they asked for were liy a curious coincidence frequently engaged. Alter the Government party preference "as given to the Communists in Bratislava the Hungarian Party was prevented from issuing election posters and leaflets. If the police object to the language t,f speakers at a meeting they disperse the meeting. While' Air Yozarv Aladnr of Alunkacs was addressing a meeting iu Kassa on October 15th. he incident Iv mentioned the name ol Lord Rothcnnere. The police inspector immediately sprang up and said that if that name was mentioned again be world disperse the gathering. When the meeting was closed three cheers were given for Lord Rotlicrincre, to the discomfiture of the police. On the same evening Dr. Szullo called a meeting in Bratislava in connecting with the elections. The hall was filled by plain-clothes police and Fascists an hour before the meeting was due to begin. Everything is done to prevent political opposition of -finding means of expression in the Press or on the platform. Various attempts are made to tonrorise the population since Lord Rothormcre has raised the momentous issue which has sent the Czechs into a hysterical funk. BOGUS dfaiostrations. The system of iierseciiUm and spying is not con»ned to Slovakia. A German member of Parliament belonging to a moderate section would not be seen with me at my hotel at Prague. I bad to motor sixty miles into the country to meet him. father members and oppositionists preferred to meet me in die quiet exclusiveness of Karlsbad, The demoHstations organised against Lord Kotin- •mere- were almost entirely bogus. I have ample proof, including copies of confidential circulars of official ordering them to secure audiences. Officials have been coerced to attending meetings and signing jtnotost.s ;against Lur'd Rothermere’s action. At Kckko tho local Bezirksliauptntunii, Paul Alaliarik (who has acquired a rcsidental estate from the Land ottiec) issued circular directing teachers to compile election lists with an order demanding all teachers to repudiate Lord Rotliermere; all signed except a woman teacher; she was dismissed. -Incidents occurred during my visit which synchronised with the local election campaign—showing • that the Czechs have lost their heads and are carrying their hatred (and fear) of Hungarians to absurd lengths. Lord Rotliermere- wanted a plebiscite, lie shall have it, thought the anti-minor-ity Czechs. So the brilliant idc-a struck the Slovak-Agrarian and other reactionary parties of doing a hit of electioneering in association with a plebiscite. I PETITION BY COERCION. They issued a petition addressed to the Prime Minister signed’ by the* Chin. Government, officials in Bratislava, ft requested all loyal cftzens to “condemn 1 resolutely before the whole world the campaign for the revision of the Treaty of Trianon” and declare themselves “ready to defend the integrity of 1 our Republic in its present unity with all the means at our disposal and again ! st. everyone.” I To invite loyal citizens to declare their loyality is superfluous; to coerce 5 others to sign is a fruad on tho public. ! The flamboyant document was circulat- 1 ed simultaneously by the united react- 1 aries with an anti-Rothermere leaflet * saying: 1 Our delegates will call upon you dur- 1 ing this week to get you to sign a do- f diluent, addressed to the Prime Minis- * ter ,in which Lord Rothermere’s action is condemning iincf your sympathy to- s wards tho Czecho-,Slovakian State is | f expressed. I (At the elections the Hungarian op- * position notably increased their mem- a tiers.) I Coercive measures were employed to « obtain signatures. An emissary called v on a big employer of labour in Bratis- t lava and requested tbe secretary to e sign For the directors and employees. " He declined. e “Very well,” said the emissary, “we s. vill put you down as disloyalists." e MARKED AIEX. 11 The plebiscite was a failure. It was 3 ! ntended for foreign consumption, but F he world will never hear anything of Y t.l was informed that only a minority ir >f citizens signed, many of them to T 'void victimisation. I have copies of gi liatislava Czech newspapers contain- ai ng lists—black lists—of citizens who of lid not sign. They will he marked tinen. la No one who does not live under the er Izeclis knows how far-reaching are the th sntades of centralised bureaucracy or co ow manifold are its methods of penali- nr mg and victimising political “opposi- Ot ionists” A Slovak’ said to me: wr Under the Magyars we know where nn e were, they did filings in a high and I col ighty way, but once their policy was J ta: ?cided we were left in peace: we had ’ AV: eedom. Under the Czechs there is no , an id to the petty tyrannies directed for ;ainst us. Our lives are fettered. AYe the ive less freedom. We never know Ru im day to day what new measures ] i are up against—ail irritating pin- poi ieks nuiklng life uncomfortable am! onl PI’I.V inwewi'*. I dre

The intensity of the methods applied against political opponents varies in, districts according to the parochial officials, who frequently get out of hand. On January 27, 1921, Dr Bones, the Czech Foreign 'Minister, said; History teaches us that we cannot live with the Alagyais in a state of everlasting enmity. Since that date the action of his Government makes friendship under existing conditions impossible.