The Czechoslovak Review/Volume 3/Visiting across the ocean

VISITING ACROSS THE OCEAN.

Since the armistice quite a number of men from this country have visited the new republic and brought back first hand reports. The delegates of the Slovak League were the first to return. Milan Getting, Joseph Hušek and Edward Kováč made detailed reports to the congress of the Slovak League, held at Scranton on May 29 an 30, and as a result the League made a number of important decisions. Naturally the question of relief came first. The larger part of Slovakia is mountainous and does not raise much food, and the richer districts bordering on Magyar territory have been to a large extent robbed and wasted by Magyar incursions. A plan was worked out by a committee of the League and formally adopted at a later meeting of the executive board which will result in substantial addition to the meagre food supply of Slovakia. Among the Slovak immigrants in America, far more than among the Czechs, there are many comparatively recent arrivals whose families remained abroad. It is natural that these men who have been unable to send anything to their wives and children during the war are anxious now to send them substantial help. The plan worked out by the Slovak League provides for the deposit in certain designated banks of money that men here desire to send to their families. The whole sum will be used to purchase through the American Relief Administration a shipload of food and other necessaries which will be taken over at the European port by the minister for Slovakia, each individual to whom money is sent from America will get the amount in crowns, while the government will sell the American supplies to all at cost price. Thus both money and food will be sent to the suffering Slovak people.

The Czech organizations do not find it necessary to undertake such a complicated business transaction. They will continue to give opportunity to their people here to send boxes of food and clothing material to relatives and to the needy in general ;through the co-operation of the Czechoslovak authorities the cost of sending which caused many complaints during the first shipment has been considerably reduced.

Of many Czech delegates who have gone abroad during the last six months three have already returned: Joseph Holeček, correspondent of the Chicago Daily Hlasatel, who during his stay in Prague sent to his paper a number of interesting stories; Frank J. Hajíček, president of the Lawndale National Bank, who went to the old country as delegate of the National Alliance of Bohemian Catholics, and also as representative of important business interests; and Joseph Tvrzický, delegate of the Bohemian National Alliance, who rendered a great service to the new republic by his inspiring speeches that helped to keep up the morale of the people.

Two delegates of the Catholic organization are still in the old country: Father Oldřich Zlámal and Monsignor E. A . Bouška. It is interesting to read in Prague papers that Father Zlámal and several socialists from among American volunteers in the Czechoslovak legions appear on the same platform and exhort the people to imitate the Czechoslovaks in America in common sense and harmony. By this time these workers have no doubt been re-enforced by Vojta Beneš, secretary of the National Alliance whose great gifts as popular speaker will be employed during the summer to strengthen the determination of the people to make a success of their dearly bought liberty. Among other noted American visitors in the Czechoslovak Republic are John A. Sokol and Frank Skala who are studying commercial and industrial opportunities.

From the old country a number of important persons arrived recently to study American conditions. In addition to the bankers Tille and Horák who came here to negotiate a loan for the purchase of cotton, a commission arrived at the end of June, consisting of Messrs. Špaček and Binovec, members of the National Assembly, and a number of engineers and bankers. The commission is accompanied by Lieut. Mička, former employee of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, who enlisted during the war in the Czechoslovak army figthing in France. The visitors were received on June 27 by the acting secretary of State Polk.