The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1918-06-26
AMERICA TO HELP
OPPRESSED SLAvS
ASPIRATIONS OF DoWNTRoDDEN
RACE HAVE EARNEST SYM
PATTY OF UNITED STATES.
Action Of State Department Expected
to Have a Most Heartening Effect
Upon Struggling Southern
SIavs and Czechs.

WashingtOn-The cause of the Op.
pressed subject peoples Of Austria.
Hungary was openly espOused by the
United States government for the first
time on May 20. In Il formal COM
municatiOn the state department de-
clared that 1.-The natiOnalistc aspira-
tons of the -SlOvaks and
ugO-Slavs, for freedom, have the
earnest sympathy of this government"
Copies of the communication were
flashed to all parts Of the world by
cable and wireless.
The action of the state department.
in line with the avOwed friendship of
this nation for all oppressed people, is
expected to have most heartening
effect upon the struggling southern
SlavS and CZechs. In some quarters
it was accepted as indication that
from now on more definite support
off the Austrian yoke.
Interest in Declaration.
The statement was as follows:
1.-The secretary of state desires to-
announce that the proceedings of the
congress of oppressed races of Aus
tria- Hungary, which was held in Rome
in April, have been followed with
great interest by the government of
the United States and that the ma
tionalistic aspirations of the CzechO-
Slovaks and Jugo-Slavs for freedom
have the earnest sympathy Of this gov
eminent.
IA congress organized by commit
tee formed at Rome for the liberation
of the oppressed natiOnalities of Aus
tria- Hungary was held at Rome on
the 9Th, 9th and 10th of April, 1918.
"All the people directly concerned
were Observation-Disclosures, CzechO-
Slovaks, Rumanians, Poles. Jugo-
Slavs and Serbs. The following reso-
lutions We're unanimously adopted:
"'The representatives of the nation
alities wholly or partly subject to the
| domination of Austria-Hungary-It
ians, Poles, Rumanians, CZechs, JugO-
Slavs-are united in affirming as fol-
| lows the principles by which their
| common actions shall be guided:
81. Each of these peoples pro-
claims it's right to es tablish its own
nationality and to attain full political
and economic independence.
Austria German Tool.
| "'2. Each of these peoples recog-
nizes in the Austro-H hungarian mon
archy the instrument of Germanic
domination and the fundamental OBJ
stacle to the realization of its aspira-
tons and it's rights.
$50. The assembly consequently
recognizes the necessity for a common
struggle against common OppressOrs,
in order that each people may attain
it's complete liberation and cOmp'"',
national unity as a single free state.
"'The representatives Of the italian
people and the Jugo-Slav people are
agreed in particular as follows:
al. AS regards the relations be-
tween the Serbs, Croats and SlOvenes
known also under the name of the
JugO-Slav natiOn-the representatives
of the two peoples recognize that the
unity and independence of the Jugo-
Slav nation is a vital interest of Italy,
just as the completion of Italian ma
| Is IL VIAL Interest vi tIe JuSO-
Slav nation. And therefore the repre-
sentatives of the two peoples pledge
themselves to use their utmost effort
to the end that during The war and at
the moment of peace these aims of the
two peoples may be fully attained in
their entirety.
"'2. They affirm that the liberation
of the Adratic sea and its defense
against every actual and eventual
enemy is a vital interest of the two
peoples.
"'3. They pledge themselves to re-
solve amicably, in the interest of fu-
ture good and sincere relations be-
tween two peoples, the various terri
torial controversies on the basis of
nationality and the rights of peoples
to decide their own fate and in such
manner as not to injure the vital
interests of the two nations, to be de-
fined at the moment of peace.
~. The nucleus of one people
which may have to be included within
: the frontiers of the other shall be
guaranteed the right to have their
own language, culture and moral and
economic interests respected"