Šrobar Describes Situation in Slovakia
At a conference of Slovak members of the National Assembly with the district prefects, held at Košice in Eastern Slovakia on November 15, Dr. Vavro Šrobár, minister with full power for Slovakia, addressed the conference as follows:
I desire to speak to you briefly on the general political, cultural and economic situation. Recently three significant events took place in our state. It is first of all the ratification of the treaty of Versailles, next the enthusiastic celebration of October 28, first anniversary of our republic, marred by no untoward happenings anywhere in our territory. And finally there is the important message of our beloved president Masaryk to the National Assembly and to the entire Czechoslovak nation. These three events stirred up the people and inspired it with confidence.
Since our last meeting at Turcianský St. Martin two disturbing elements interfered our labors for the country. One is the plebiscite in Spiš and Orava, the other is the agitation of Hlinka and his colleagues abroad.
As far as the first point is concerned, I can asure you that the people of Orava and Spiš did not for a single moment ask to be attached to Poland; they are faithful to our own country. We are preparing for the plebiscite in a calm and honorable manner, conscious of our right and confident of success. We can affirm today that not a single village in Orava or Spiš asks to be detached from their brothers and from their country. The entire Polish agitation, often carried on almost brutally, had as its only effect to demonstrate to our brothers what their fate would be in a state which suffers from dire want and disordered internal conditions. The Polish government lacked good information about Orava and Spiš, when it asked for plebiscite there, and it will be totally disappointed in its expectations that the people of the two districts would turn unfaithful to their own country. And I believe that this failure of the Poles will have a benefical effect also on our neighbors to the south, the Magyars.
Slovak public opinion was lately disturbed by the agitation of Hlinka and his companions who imagined that they only need to get out of the country, appeal to foreign countries insufficiently informed about us, fill them with bunk about the oppresion of the Slovaks and their hatred for their Czech brothers, and that as a result of their lying Slovakia would be at once separated from its sisters, Bohemia and Moravia. But the work of these traitorous sons of Slovakia ended with complete fiasco. One of them faces the court, where he will have to account for his traitorous activities. The others, realizing their crime, fled to countries hostile to us and there labor for the realization of their fantastic ideas, maintained by foreign money and enjoying protection of our adversaries.
The noisiest of them is Dr. Francis Jehlička. It would seem that this man lost conscience, honor and shame. He began his career with an oath which he violated. As student of divinity he swore love to the Slovak people and instead he betrayed it. As deputy he swore loyalty to the Slovak people, but sold his trust for a professorship at the Budapest University; now for the third time he broke the oath solemnly made in the National Assembly and placed himself in the service of the Friedrich government. Of Hlinka I will say no more, for the actions of this erring and misled man whose ambition exceeds all bounds are now being investigated judicially. As to Jehlička, he is now working openly for the secession of Slovakia from the Czechoslovak Republic and its annexation to the Magyar state. He submitted a memorandum to this effect to the English representative in Pest, to the Friedrich cabinet, and finally in an interview with a Magyar journalist he uncovered his plans, his past activities and future projects and openly proclaimed that he would work for the restoration of monarchy in Slovakia and the union of Slovakia with Magyaria. This interview with Jehlička was published in pamphlet form and we learn from it that in Paris Hlinka and his confederates divided the work in a well-planned manner and that they entered the service of states hostile to us. Hlinka was to work in this sense at home, Jehlička in Budapest and the others in Poland, Switzerland and America. It is the height of cynicism and moral depravity, when a man betrays the plans regardless of the fate of his fellow-traitors of whom one is under arrest.
That enmity between Czechs and Slovaks was artificially excited is evident from this that the Slovak people, after the timely removal of the offending officials, now live in brotherly harmony with Czech officials located in Slovakia, and that the entire Slovak nation celebrated October 28, first anniversary of the Czechoslovak Republic, with great solemnity and enthusiasm and without the slightest disturbance.
The relation of the Magyar population to the Czechoslovak Republic is friendly. Both city workers and country people are working peacefully and enjoy order and security which prevail here since the defeat of the bolshevik invasion. But it seems that the Magyar aristocracy and the former ruling class again indulge in political dreams that Slovakia will once more fall a prey to their irresponsible domination. We are well acquainted with their plans and we know well all those men who scatter rumors of the co-
