Charlevoix county herald., 1920-01-02
HAS MANY men"
WITHOUT COUNTRY
Switzerland 0verrun With Bits
of Political ShipWreck.
MANY CASES ARE PATHETIC
individuals There From Every Over
turned Government of Europe, Each
of Whom Has Legal and Moral
Claims Against Some Government
That Has Either Disappeared or Is
Being Reformed - Only Authority
Too Busy.


In the efforts of the peace confer
ence TO reweave the torn political and
social fabric of Europe only nations
have been considered to date, says
Henry Wood, staff correspondent of
the United Press.
The rights of individuals have not
even been mentioned.
And yet, Switzerland, for example,
today Is filed with individuals from
every overturned government of Eu-
rope, each one of whom has legal and
moral claims against some government
that has either disappeared or is being
reformed.
Until these claims can be re-estab-
lished these individuals are tiny bits
of shipwreck on the turbulent sea of
European political and social life.
Some are without means of existence;
some are without country or national
ity; some are without legal OF civil
rights.
In many cases ,,1efr respective rights
ceased to exist when some government
disappeared CT -vaa succeeded by an
other. More often the new government
refused to accept the obligations of the
old one and thousands of individuals
were thus left stranded.
Only Authority Too Busy.
No authority short of the peace
conference itself could possibly hear,
adjust and enforce the rights of each
one of these individuals as 1t is now
trying to hear, adjust and enforce the
rights of each nation. That it will
never be able to take up the cases Of
individuals is certain. That they will
never succeed in re-establishing their
rights themselves seems equally GER
tain. Apparently only one fate awaits
them, and that is to live out their al
lotted existence without ever again be-
coming worked back into the new So
cial and political fabric of Europe that
is becoming woven, leaving it to the
coming generation to adjust itself into
the new order of things.
These individual cases in Switzer-
those who still remain in the countries
where their legal, civil and financial
rights formerly existed unquestionably
number millions. The recital here of
q few typical examples of individual
cases now in Switzerland will give
some idea of how varied, how pathetic
and how helpless they are, and of how
finely and delicately the social and po-
litical fabric of Europe was woven be-
fore il was torn asunder and how long
il may take before ii can again be re-
woven into a smooth, serviceable piece
of cloth.
Living in the most modest quarters
of Berne and yet still surrounding her
self with a little of the dignity that
pertained to her former station is the
wife of one Of the highest admirals in
the former Austrian navy. In the neat
ly woven social and political fabric Of
before the war, she was entitled to a
pension as the widow of high naval
officer. 1t amounted to about 5000
crowns year, which was sufficient 10
enable her to live, With the heavy
depreciation of Austrian currency, her
pension now nets her Is cents day,
Professor Is Stranded.
There is also at Berne the former
professor of economics at the Univer-
sity Of CzernovitZ. Before the war,
because of his international reputation
he had been designated as exchange
professor at Yale.
The professor is left with nothing
on which to live unless, indeed, his
| life-ti study of economics has devel-
oped some theory, IL not practice, of
how to live without an income.
without doubt the greatest number
Of social and political shipwrecks now
I'm Switzerland are those left by the
peace conference without either coun-
try or nationality. AS q consequence
these individuals who formerly had
Russian, Austrian or Hungarian pass
ports, find themselves men without a
country for the time being. They APP
ply at once to the legation, embassy
or consulate of the new state to which
the territory in which they reside has
been assigned by the peace conference
and ASK for passport or other official
recognition that they are citizens of
the new state. For various reasons,
but usually because the applicant was
unusually loyal to the old government,
the request is refused. The individual,
therefore, rests without country
The Swiss government, like every
other European nation at the present,
demands a passport of every foreigner
within it's boundaries.