The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1918-11-26

NEW york, Nov. 26.-Sliced out Of
northern Austria and Hungary by the
sword Of war, tue Czecho-Slovak re-
public, youngest recognized member
of the allied family of nations, is in
reality a mergex. under democratic
government of the ancient Bohemian,
Silesian and Slavic kingdoms. SUBJ
jected for almost 800 years to Teuton
and Magyar domination.
The re.birth of Czech and Slav in
dependencies forms one of the most
striking romances of the war. For
centuries Bohemia stood in the Fore
front of European culture, giving to
the world the Christian martyrs and
educators, Huss and Jerome of
Prague, the poet Kollar, the linguist
and teacher, Comenius, and in the
field of art, Brozik, the painter and
the musician Bvonak, with many 9TH
ers whose deeds have found places
in history. Hardly less advanced was
the civilization of her sister states.
With such inspiration, the Czecho-Slo-
walks retained, despite Austrian op-
preston, national organization, and
were prepared even before the start
of the war now terminated by arms
given them freedom.
They opposed the mobilization OF
the Austrian army, resisted induction
of their manhood, despite courtmartial
and wholesale executions. and through
out the war INSTRUCTED and undermin-
ed the Austrian administration. From
their ranks, through desertion or cap
ture, thousands of fighting men found
their way into the Russian and Italian
armies, where they turned and fought
the power that had conscripted them.
BY their spirit and efficiency as SOL
diers, they gained recognition by the
allies Of Czecho-Slovak units, and be-
fore the war ended, more than 100000
Czecho-Slovak troops, under their own
commanders, were embattled for the
allied cause in France, Italy, European
Russia and Siberia.
In Russia the Czecho-Slovaks have
$4,000 men under arms, some recruit
ed from the demobilized Russian army
and others deserters from the Aus
trian forces or former Austrian pris-
oners of Russia released by the Ker-
ensky or Bols;aevik governments. The
Czecho-Slovak force in Italy is 10000
strong, composed wholly of individ-
uals or units from the Austrian army
taken prisoners by the Italians. in
France the organization numbers
1000, including 5000 men from the
Czech army in Russia and 5000 vol
unteers from the United States.
Czecho-Slovaks are ruling their lib
Grated countrymen from their capital
in Pra que today because they foster
ed through generations the Pickering
flame of freedom which Austria and
Hungary attempted to snuff out in
1921. They maintained a succession
of secret political organizations, cul-
minating in that which set afoot act
i've opposition to Austria in the early
days of the war, and, through propa-
ganda conducted among emigrants in
Russia, laid the foundation for the in
dependent Czecho-Slovak force which
has held for more than year the
Volga front, preventing the Germans
and Bolsheviki from drawing on the
food supplies of Siberia.
OF new nations formed or in process
of formation through the upheaval of
war, the Czecho-Slovak was the first
to win Allied recognition, and the only
one SO far fully recognized by America.
Existing only on paper as long as the
Hapsburg dyna sly remained in power.
the republic became an actually with