Evening star., 1920-02-29
BY GORDON GORDON SMITH.


TINE most striking feature Of the
postwar conditions Is the
number and tho eonnlexity
Of the problems tho world con-
fiict has created One Of these is the
status of those taking part in the
struggle or those directly affected
by it
In previous wars these wers divided
into two classes. the belligerents and
the neutrals. Tho belligeren;s occupied
the opposing camps. the neutrals look
ed on at tho struggle and treated the
warning factions with a greater or
less degree Of impartiality. accord
Ing to political or racial sympathies.
But the world war just concluded
(as far at least as active hostilities
are concerned) has developed a third
category Of participants. tho friendly
enemy"-that is to say a participant
who is politically or geographically
treated as an enemy. but whose SYM
pathies are with the enemies OF the
country he inhabits. The existence Of
this class has given rise to a Curl
ously anomalous situation and one
calling urgently for redress.
Trading With Enemy Act Drastic
This state of affairs exists in all
the enemy countries with. perhaps, the
exception Of Bulgaria. But the classic
example is the Austrian empire. When.
the war the government. rightly
enough, caused a drastic act to be
passed and rigidly enforced to pre-
vent trading with the enemy. No COM
munications or relations of any Kind
were permitted with the countries
war. All property belonging to sub
jects Of the German or Austrian en-
pires was seQuestrated and handed
over to the alien property custodian.
In the case Of German subjects this
measure was in every way justified.
but the same does not hold good Of
stro-Hungarfan subjects. 1t is no
torious that more than SO per cent
Of the subjects of Franz Josef-Poles.
Rumanians. Czechoslovaks. Jugoslavs
and Italians-were opposed to the ex-
listing regime and were only kept un-
der its Jurisdiction by brute force.
They ardently desired the victory of
the entente. and. within the limits OF
their power. did what they could to
assure it. Thus tens of thousands of
Czechoslovalxs surrendered to the Rus
slams. thousands of Croats and Slo-
venes Joined the Serbs and whoel regi-
ments Of Rumanians from Transyl-
vania. the Bukovina and the Banat re-
fused to fight against the troops of
King Ferdinand.
Not Possible to Discriminate.
But. unfortunately, it was impossi-
BILE for the law officers of, the United
States government to discriminate be-
tween the various categories of Aus
trians, so long, at least, as active hos
tilfties continued. In the eyes Of the
officials intrusted with the enforce
ment Of the trading with the enemy
act. no discrimination could be made
between an Italian from Trieste, a
Croat from Agram. a Slovene from
Laibach. a Rumanian from Czernovitz
or Temesvar. Gernan-Austrian
from Vienna or a Magyar from Buda-
pest. Technically. they were.all enc
my aliens, against whom the trading
with the enemy act had to be en-
forced.
When one considers that there are
in the United States over two million
Csechsslovalxs. 758. 200 Jugoslavs, 200.-
900 Austrfan-Rumania mans, $4,000 Aus
Czechoslovaks, 100000 Jugosiavs. 200.-
Austrian-Poles it is clear that the num-
ber of Austrian subjects in the United
States, who were only technically
enemy aliens. outnumbered the pure
Austrians and Magyar residents by
three to one. But, as l have said, dur
ing the duration of actual hostilities il