The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-11-10
CZECH0-SLOVAKS
IN BOHEMIA

@ANB W oNNH NV NNANNolbll "
Bohemia from the AuStro- Hun
a garan rule has been accomplished
Barely month ago. the Czech depu
ties made history when they left tn,
+. Austrian parliament, never to re
turn. Their withdrawal was fol
lowed by the declaration. of Deputy
Zahradnik that all ties of Bohemi;
with Austria-Hungary were severaC
forever, Nine days later came tn,
notable Declaration OF independence
of the Czechoslovaks, in which their
leaders proclaimed to the world that
they had cut themselves off from
the polyglot empire OF the Haps.
burgs and proposed to found a re-
public OF their own.
4 The rapidity with which these
= events have transpired has raiset
the question whether an armed up.
rising OF the Czechs in Bohemia
may be imminent, TO drive out the
+ Austrian officers and army quarter
ed in Prague. But it appears that
such a rebellion may not be looked
for at present. One reason is that
the people have not enough fire
arms. Another reason was succinct-
" explained by the "Naroodni Lis
ty," a leading newspaper OF Prague,
which, after long period OF sup
preston by the authorities suddenly
came out about the middle of Sep
tember without official permission
< and expressed itself freely in sim
gle issue. on the subject OF condi-
tions in Bohemia.
Advise Against Revolution.
"Why indulge in a bloody upris-
ing when we shall get what we want
without it," was the substance OF
: the editorial in the "Narodni Listy.
I. An armed revolt would not be the
most fortunate thing at present il
one should take place now, there
chine guns to put it down. If we have
patience for a while longer, the
march OF events may bring us what
we desire, without a bloody revolu.
ton
And the Czechoslovaks have been
patient. Their spirit of fortitude
during the Reign OF Terror institut.
ed by the Niennese government dur
ing the last four years in Bohemia
! has been one Of the most remarkable
examples OF heroism afforded by
the war Count Ivo Noynovich, a
.Iugoslav playwright and patriot who
was in Prague last spring, said upon
his return to his home in Zagreb
that no subject city of Austria-Hup-
gary had suffered greater privations
than Prague, in spite of which its
peple defied their oppressors with an
invincible will. incidentally, Count
Voynovich was removed from
Prague BY order OF the Austrian au-
thorities, who ordained a wholesale
exodus OF all Jugoslavs from Bo-
hemia after the demonstration for
national unity last May. There was
too much fiery speechmaking and
fraternizing OF the Jugoslays with
the Czechoslovaks to suit Vienna.
Many Civilians Executed.
. Last year a Polish deputy. Dac-
zynski, rose in the Austrian Parlia-
ment and declared that considerably
more than 10000 civilians had been
executed in the Slavic provinces OF
Austria-IIungary for political reas-
ons. This he was able to prove. But
he did not tell the whole story. The
cities of Bohemia, Moravia and Slo-
vakia were deliberately underfed be-
cause of improper food distribution.
When the populace asked for bread, |
they were silenced in the most ruth
less manner.
N An event which took place i'll Pill
sen on June 2l, 1917, illustrates the
methods used by the Austrian au-
thorities. On that day, a large |
crowd OF hungry women and chill
dren assembled in front of bake
shope demanding bread. OF its own
accord, company OF the Goth Reg
iment, undertook to quell this dem
onstration, although no request for
military intervention had been made
either by the police or by the ad-
government Without
a word OF warning, the commanding
whose name was Wirffl,
marched his men up behind the
crowd and gave order to fire. Among
those instantly killed were five
school children. A number OF peo-
pie who stood at some distance from
the crowd and took no part in the
demonstration were killed. These
included four women and a thirteen
year-old boy. One woman was
killed inside her own house, and
many dwellings NOR than 800 yards
Instant were damaged.
! The brutality OF the Austrian gov
.rnment has been no greater than its
Some OF the means taken
% choke expressions OF national
ceiling were highly absurd. School
'ooks were taken away from the
chools and rewritten. all references
o Bohemia being replaced by refer
noes to the Austrian fatherland.'
Any illusion to patriotism was ta-
'ooed. Even patriotic musical COM
,ositions were blacklisted. A ma
ional orchestral composition by the
Bohemia composer Smetana, enti-
led MY Country was strictly for
hidden. The newspapers were in
tructed not to publish Czechoslovak
laterial. but to print ONLY stlch mat