Page:The Czechoslovak Review, vol4, 1920.pdf/284

friends of peace and order in the world are looking forward to the day when the United States will take her place in the League of Nations, and in conjunction with her sister republics, like Czechoslovakia, will champion not the selfish interests of individual classes or countries, but the common good of people everywhere.

In outlining his program for the first “Constitutional” or, as it is called, the “Constructive Government”, Premier Vlastimil Tusar said, “The election showed that the inhabitants of the republic, of all nationalities, desire principally economic and social work. The government will support the cooperative movement and will inaugurate the control of all exports; it will not introduce new taxation except the inheritance tax. The budgetary balance will be obtained through collecting overdue taxes, economies and demobilization of war machinery. In carrying out these reforms the government will have regard for the protection, and will see to it, that the economic system functions uninterruptedly. The state administration will be reformed. We shall not up take arms against the Poles, but we shall not reliquish our rights, we wish to provoke no one we desire to live in peace with all neighbors. Sincere friendship ties us to the western powers and this friendship we desire to retain.” Summarized, Tusar’s utterance amount to this, “absolute order, internal social and democratic development, peace with neighbors.”

A Magyar Social Democratic Deputy, M. Suranyi, declared, in the Czechoslovak Chamber of Deputies, that the Magyar working classes, living in the Czechoslovak Republic, together with the Czech and Slovak workmen, will defend the Republic in case of an external attack. The same deputy demanded that the Czechoslovak Government should intervene against the White Terror in Hungary.

The Polish paper Gwiazdka Cieszynska writes that a pacific solution of the Teschen question, by either plebiscite or arbitration, is not possible. “This question”, the paper declares, “can be solved only by war. Poland desires war with the Czechs, but cannot as yet satisfy this desire because of the situation in the east and Allied opposition.” Other Polish papers Goniec Krakowski and Glos Narodu demands alliance with the Magyars against the Czechoslovaks and publish details about a Polish military terrorist organization in Teschen called Obrana Woiskowa directed by Polish officers. According to latest news reaching Prague this organization received orders to hold itself in readiness for forcible incorporation of the Teschen district with Poland, and Polish agents in Teschen already are in possession of proclamations announcing this annexation.

Dr. Ludvig Singer and Dr. Max. Broda, representing the Jewish Nat. Council, called on President Masaryk to lay before him their grievances. They pointed out to him that their co-religionists, in the recent election, cast 80,000 votes for their candidates to the Chamber of Deputies, and 60,000 votes for candidates to the Senate, without receiving a single mandate. The President pointed out to these gentlemen that because of the constitutional provision for proportional representation they could not elect any representatives, as they had not polled a sufficient number of votes in any one district to entitle them to such representation. He further assured them that he noted the showing as an actual and considerable success of the young Jewish political movement. He therefore assured them of his interest and advised them that they will receive every protection as a minority party of the population.

Dr. Zatkovič was named Governor of Russinia by President Masaryk, in accordance with the provisions of the new constitution, which lately went into effect. To aid him, the Governor will have an advisory council of fourteen—four to be named by the president of the Republic and ten