Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-07-06
AUSTRIAN SLAVS AID
NEW RUSSIAN DRIVE
Czecho-Slovak Brigade, Which
Deserted Teutons, Helps
Rout Enemy
DEMAND INDEPENDENCE
Leaders in America Say Subject Ma
tionalities Will Push Resistance
to Vienna
NEW YORK. July 6.

NEW YORK, July 6.
The dispatch from Petrograd dated
! July 3, announcing the first offensive Of the
| Russian army under the new regime, is not
! only significant as showing how futile were
| the hopes Of Berlin and Vienna OF sepa-
| rate peace with revolutionary Russia, but
| II also shows how far the Czech revolt
! against Austria has progressed. The off,
| clal bulletin states that the Choskoslovatsky
! Brigade occupied the strongly fortified
enemy positions on the heights Of the west
| ana southwest Of the village Of Zborow and
| the fortified village Of Eorshiduv; that the
| Cheskoslovatsky Brigade captured sixty
| two officers and 1850 soldiers fifteen guns
| and many machine guns, and that many Of
the captured guns were turned against the
enemy"
This statement was issued here today by
| the Slav Press Bureau. an organization
backed by Czecho- -Slovak societies in this
country, aiding their brethren in Austria
to win independence The statement con-
tinued
This Chcsloslovatskv Brigade is a unit
consisting Of former Austrian soldiers Of
the Czecho-Slovak nationality. who during
the war, surrendered voluntarily to the
Russians, refusing TO fight for Austria and
against their Russian brethren, and inn
mediately offered their service to Russia
The old regime was not very enthusiastic
about this offer but the new revolutionary
government did authorize the formation Of
Czecho-Slovak army This army was acttI-
any formed, and the report shows that il
Is not only in actual service. hut that the
ilrst victory Of the Russian revolutionary
army against Germany and Austria was
gained with the help and assistance Of
'zecho-Slovaks. The great political sig
nihcance Of the active participation Of a
C2echd-Slovak army in the struggle against
Austria and Germany cannot he overlooked
because thereby the Czechs and SlovaIls
best show that they do not desire to live
under Austrian sovereignty II the An1eri-
can principle that no government should be
permitted to exist without the consent Of
. the governed is to he carried out Czecho-
Slovaks must he granted independence
"One Of the effects Of the bohemian revolt
against Austria is well indicated in the re-
port that the Austrian Government has par-
doned the Czech leaders Kramarzh and
klofac. This Is very palpable ruse to
deceive the world and make it believe that
there has been a change Of heart in Vienna
Nothing could be farther from actual truth
Tho fact is that Vienna sees the handwrit-
ing on tho wall and that it is adopting an
apparently Conciiatory attitude, not only
to appoasc the revolt Of the Czcche but also
to mako the world believe that the Czechs
have no cause for complaint But II is foo
late. The thousands of Czechs who have
suffered death on the Austrian Callows and
from Austrian firing squads for loyalty to
their nationality cannot be brought back TO
life The demand for Czech independence
cannot he stiled by opening Austrian iaiIs
in few isolated cases The world also
knows that as long as Austria is permitted
TO exist the war has not been won: that
to use the expression of a member Of the
British Cabinet, whhc Germany could not
conquer her enemies, she did conquer her
friends chiefly Austria that Austria can
never be anything else but n vassaI Of Ger
many and stapding menace to the peace
or the world. We are dealing with case
Of deathbed repentance, which. moreover.
is insnccre because those who know Aus
tria are conscious of the fact that were