Omaha daily bee., 1917-04-20
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Editor of The Bee: Although the
kingdom of Bohemia Is politically a
part of Austria and, therefore, tech
nically a state belonging to the Cen
trail Powers, II is nevertheless treated
exactly as If 1t were conquered
enemy country. Bohemian or Czech
workmen' have been deported by the
thousands to Germany or Hungary,
where they are compelled to work like
slaves. Many thousands of these men
who are really too old or too disabled
to serve In the army were, at the out
set of the war, put to work in the
famous Skoda munition factories in
Pilsen, Bohemia. The Skoda, gun
factory is second only to the Krupp
works in Essen. The places Of these
munition workers deported out Of
their native land have been taken by
other laborers, such as Belgians de-
ported by Germans, Croatians from
southwestern Austria who refused to
fight against Serbians, Poles who
would not enlist in the German or
Austrian armies after the Central
Powers so maynanimously (?) gave
freedom to the Poland they took from
Russia. reserving their own slices of
the Polish pie for further exploitation.
The Bohemian workmen thus deport-
ed have been forced to go to the Ger
man war front or to serve under Ger
man masters in trench digging or hard
field labor.
Austria gives no protection at all
to its Czech citizens, its only thought
being, apparently. to get rid of as
many mutinous Slavs as possible.
This policy has been pursued espe-
cially with regard to the Czechs ever
since the outbreak of the war. when
the Twenty-eighth, the "crack" regi-
ment Of Prague, Bohemia. deserted to
the Russian army rather than to fight
against their brother. Slavs. The late
Emperor Francis Joseph. In reprisal.
Immediately had regiment mobilized
consisting of the sons of the men in
the famous Twenty -eighth-all of
them mere boys Of II or IS, but the
offspring Of the most prominent men
of Prague in literature, journalism,
music, art, science and business. This
regiment of boys was then sent to the
italian front and placed in the most
exposed positions so that at the first
fusilade from the 1talians-all but five
fell dead After this Emperor Francis
Joseph published his dastardly mani
festo-in which he stated 1.-THE blood
of this regiment of Prague's most
promising youth has washed away the
stain of their fathers desertion." 1t
is no wonder that the vicious Francis
Joseph's proclamation embittered the
Czechs thousandfold against auto
cracy in general and Austria in par
ticular.
When the reply OF the allies to
President Wilson's note was pub
lished, Austria was perfect bedlam.
The first thing the Vienna government
hastened to accomplish was to try to
force the Bohemans to repudiate the
entire program of the allies, which, it
will be remembered, distinctly de-
mands the independence of the
Czechs and Slovaks. At the point of
bayonets they tried to make the
serting their loyalty to Austria and
opposition to all terms of the allies.
Every editor who refused to publish
the governments fabrications was put
in prison and hundreds of persons
were seriously injured in the ensuing
demonstrations.
Prague is today under military rule
and ever since the terms of the allies
became known the deportation of Bo-
hemian workmen has continued on a
constantly growing scale
Bohemian soldiers are Systematically
removed from their regular regiments
and are distributed among Magyar and
German troops. In every way the
NAustrians take care to weaken the
Czechs, who might attempt to imi-
tate the example of the Russian revo-
lutionists.
The confiscation of newspapers and
books and all publications even dis
family limiting at Bohemia's hopes, po-
litical or national, began Immediately
at the outbreak of the war. School
books which contained any reference
to the linguistic connection between
Bohemian and the Russian languages
were at once condemned. Songs or
poems in which occurred the names
of Slavic sister nations-such as the
Serbians or Russians-were burned.
All of the works of Prof. Thomas
Masaryk, the exiled leader of the
Free Bohemian" party, the novels
and articles of Joseph Sv. Machar and
of all other friends of Masaryk were
collected and confiscated. Collections
of songs published years ago, contain
ing "Hej -Slovane" Hail, Slavonians)
and "Sbohem, Stara Praha" (Fare-
we'll, Dear Old Prague) were likewise
removed from sale and the singing of
these familiar tunes prohibited under
pain of Imprisonment. In hundreds
of cases the penalty was suffered. The
force method of Germanization is ex-
emplified in the wholesale distribution
of books of instruction in the German
tongue with commands forbidding the
use Of every other language.
Within the last month Bohemia has
been redistricted in such a way as TO
give the 5 or per cent of the Ger
man minority in each district an alb
solute majority in the Austrian Par
lament. This was'done on the direct
request of Germany, which insists that
all Bohemian national life must be
crushed out. The official language is
to be German and the Czech tongue
absolutely forbidden in all official or
public business. When it is considered
that the Bohemians fairly fought,
bled and died" in years past to win
that much recognition for their Ian
guage by Austria, this summary and
"unchangeable' measure is more than
ever calculated to arouse the intensest