Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-05-05
Mr.. Piskac Rises to Explain.

Omaha. Neb.. May 3.-To the
Editor of The Bee: Your news ar
ticle in the issue Of May 2, relative
to the May day celebration held at
the Bohemian Tel. Jed. Sokol hall, is
nothing short Of injustice to both
the audience and the speaker. Your
reporter either did not understand
what the Chicago speaker told him
and told the audience, or wilfully
garbled the truth. Your first SEN
tence Of the article, stating that No
Votny denounced any movement to
suppress bolshevism, is not true, and
lot of other statements are not
true. Probably not / per cent of
the audience knows Of Kate Rich
ards O'Hare and her mission or in
structions, of which you speak, be-
cause red carnations have been worn
at the May day celebration (Bohe-
mlan labor day. each year, for a
number of years.
The writer hereof is not men,
Der of the socialist party at all, and
has no direct interest in this mat
ter, except that your article insinu-
~SSS sAieSs SAAO OI SZeCIO-
SloVaks, for whom the United States
fought, and who fought on the bat
tlefields in Russia, Siberia, France
and Italy, against Germany and
against bolsheviks. have in Omaha
turned traitors. In fact, your arti-
Gle has already prompted Senator
Sorenson to directly charge the
speaker to be a bolshevikst and an
imported traitor. Mr.. Novotny is
socialist, member of a recog-
nized political party. He has been
an editor of socialist paper in Chi
cago, but recently resigned, because,
as we understood from him, he did.
not agree with some bolshevik ideas
OF his colleagues. And he has now
been selected as one of the repre-
sentatives of American Czecho-Slo-
walks to go to Czecho- Slovakia on a
mission. part of which Is to fight
bolshevism which is being spread by
Germans and Russians. Mr.. No
votny did not say that he 'reviles
the American people who have in
stigated the move which Is now on
foot to suppress bolshevism" He
never stated that he is against. any
movement to suppress bolshevism,
but he did say that he does not agree
with the forcible suppression of all
socialist meetings and other dras-
tic steps taken in some places to
prosecute the Industrial Workers of
the World. American bolsheviks,
etc. Mr.. Notovny knows what boil
shevism is and believes in other
ways of fighting it. because perse-
cution sometimes leads to strength
ening of an idea. Further, Mr. No
votny did not say a word about the
imprisonment of Debs ct al, or about
democratic" United States, etc.
Your reporter quoted printed res
olution which some individual
brought to the hall and left there,
containing protest against the i'm
prisonment of Debs. These printed
requests, intended to be sent to. con-
gressmen, etc, were not circulated
during the meeting and very few
were taken notice of after the meet
ing and during the dance.
The Omaha Bohemian socialists
certainly behaved we'll during the
war, and better than some demo-
Gratis and republicans They voted
against the majority resolution Of the
American socialist party, and de-
clared themselves strongly for Amer
ia anu ioI' o. olIcuuouo prosecutor
Of war. A number of their local"
were in the American army and still
a larger number in the Czecho-Slo-.
wax army. Their celebration, which
they have been holding at the Tel.
Jed. Sokol hall, is an annual affair
of some Is years or more duration,
and there was not single Indus
trial Worker Of the World man
among them. The mere presence OF
women and children would give
evidence of their peaceful celebra-
ton.
l wish to emphasize, in the face
Of your untrue report, that the
Czecho- Slovaks (Bohemians) of
Omaha, including the socialists. are
the same as they have always been,
peaceful, law abiding and law up
holding citizens. 1t is this differ