The Czechoslovak Review/Volume 4/Number 9/Russinia

At the easternmost extremity of Czechoslovakia is the autonomous state of Russinia, added to the new Republic by the Treaty of St. Germain. The political liberation of this people known as the Russinians, is due, in a large measure, to the united efforts of the Russinian emigrants in the United States, whose action was unanimously approved by the Central Russinian National Council at Užhorod (Ungvar) on May 8th, 1919.

Russinia has a population of 600,000 and an area of 12,097 square kilometers. It is bordered on the north by the high peaks of the Carpathians which separate it from eastern Galicia, while its neighbors to the west and east are the Roumanians, the Magyars and the Slovaks.

With the exception of 100,000 Magyars and 50,000 Germans the inhabitants speak Russinian, a language which still employs the Cyrillic characters. It is akin to Russian and is intelligible to Slovaks and Czechs. Ninety-seven percent of the Russinians are Uniates (members of the Greek Church) who use ancient Slavonic as their liturgical language and observe the rites of the Eastern Church.

The northern part of this country is entirely covered with extensive forests, pripcipally pine and oak. The mountain streams afford many opportunities for hydroelectric development, to furnish inexpensive light and power with the resulting saving of fuel and transportation facilities. The southern part is a plain adapted to agriculture. The Russinians are either mountaineers or peasants. The number of industrial establishments is negligible. The country is especially rich in minerals, iron ore in particular; it also abounds in petroleum, salt, mineral waters and a number of black granite quarries. The vineyards, which produce a noteworthy grape, are situated in the outskirts of Serevne, near Užhorod. Their wines rival the famous Tokay wine.

By virtue of the clauses of the St. Germain Treaty, Russinia possesses “the maximum of autonomy compatible with the unity of the Czechoslovak Republic”; it is to have a local Diet vested with jurisdiction over linguistic, ecclesiastical, educational and all other matters referred to it by the Czechoslovak Parliament. The chief executive of the State is a Governor, appointed by the President of the Republic. Until April 20, 1920, the civil administration and all legislative affairs were entrusted to a commission consisting of five members and a controller. Since that date, the Czechoslovak Constitution no longer permitted a continuance of this temporary arrangement, and Gregory J. Žatkovič, former chairman of the Commission, was appointed Governor and Peter Ehrenfeld, Vice-Governor. They are aided in their administrative duties by a number of commissioners each of whom is in charge of a special department. In legislative affairs there is a council of sixteen members—four nominated by the President of the Republic and the others elected by municipal districts.

In Gregory J. Žatkovič we have an excellent illustration of what America does for her imigrants. As a child he arrived, was taken to the coal mining regions of Pennsylvania where he worked and attended school. When he had saved sufficient funds he came to New York, attended DeWitt Clinton High School and worked after school hours. Then at Duquesne University he took his bachelor’s degree and worked after school hours. Finally he went to Law School of the University of Pennsylvania, from which he graduated with honors. He was an American citizen but had an interest in the land of his birth. He, more than any other person, is responsible for the independence of Russinia.

Election to the local Diet will be held shortly. It will be a single chamber of forty members. Once this Diet is organized the constitutional existence of Russinia begins and immediately thereafter deputies and senators to the Czechoslovak Parliament will be elected. The existing political parties, Russinian Social Democrats and the Russinian National Socialists, have already begun pre-election campaigns.

Owing to the large proportion of illiterates (75 percent) among the population, education presents a difficult problem. Fortunately, however, valuable assistance of several thousand Russinians from America will be available. They will return to the country, bringing with them not only ​the learning that is much needed but also a spirit of true democracy. The country is very interesting and vies with Switzerland in its picturesque aspects. With the help and cooperation of the Czechs and Slovaks, Russinia will soon emerge from the stagnation in which it has been steeped for a thousand years by Magyar tyranny.

Užhorod, the capital, with a population of 18,000 inhabitants, is 800 kilometers from Prague, with which it has direct railway communication.