Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-07
BY FRANK II. SIMONDS.

n YEW YORK.-In the series of
articles written from Europe
NJ describing the situation in va
4 rious countries which I visited
I made no reference to Hun
gary, which I saw last. The Hungarian
problem is, however. of primary i'm
portance in it's relation to the general
question of European peace. 1t has
contemporary news value, too. both be-
cause Count Bethlen, the Hungarian
prime minister, has recently made the
sensational announcement that Hun
gary was prepared to join in the Aus
o-German tariff union, and because
Senator Bcrah in a recent radio speech
has correctly emphasized the truth that
the main obstacles to any success
full disarmament conference are the
treaties of Versailles and the Trianon,
the former imposing upon the German
people frontiers which they will not
accept. the latter to far more intole"-
able degree mutilating the old Magyar
state.
Between the German and Hungarian
cases there Is enc essential difference.
In making the Polish corridor, which is
for every German. without regard 10
political party or personal standing,
crime, the peace conference chose be-
| tween two perfectly plain alternatives.
It had either to separate East Prussia
from the Reich or deprive nation OF
upward of 10000, 900 inhabitants OF
| access to the sea over its own territory.
| The decisive influence in the discussion
was that of Wilson, who had included
| this detail in his Fourteen Points.
Very properly. the Poles are now dedi-
eating a monument to him in Posen'
Hungary Mutilation Unjustifed.
What was dcne to Hungary, on the
| contrary. was sheer and wanton mutt
lation without one single Justification,
ethnic, economic or moral. North, east
and south there were taken from TINS
state relatively large areas in which the
population was purely Hungarian, Sepa-
rated from what was to be left to th2
| Mapyars by no natural frontier. an
nexed solely to satisfy the appetltes OF
| the beneficiaries. who were allies CT
friends of the victorious coalition.
In these border areas there are some
| thing like 100000 Magyars. almost a
| sixth of the total Hungarian popula-
| ton in Europe. And of this number
more than half are today within the
| frontiers of Czechoslovakia. the bal
ance equally divided between Rumanla
and Jugoslavia. In addition, another
! .OOO, 900 dwell within Rumanian from
tiers. separated from the Magyar ethnic
| bloc by wide areas of Rumantans.
The explanation of this map, which
was the crowning blunder of the Peace
| Conference, is twofold. AS defeated
enemies, the Hungarians were neces-
sarily condemned to pay the price OF
defeat Moreover. in the old Hun
garian kingdom the Magyars had been
| barely a majority. 1t was inevitable
| then, that in accordance with the prin-
1 1t. ~ oil dato iTla fiO1 they should
be required to surrender the territories
| in which they constituted a minority
But In the midst of the Peace Con-
| ference the rumors of total trans
| formation of the Magyar state reached
| Budapest and, together with the other
psychological consequences Of defeat
| produced a state of despair out OF
which came the Bella Kun revolution
Hungary for the moment went over 10
Bolshevism and the allied statesmen In
, Paris washed their hands Of the mat
ter and accepted the boundaries as
Hungary's ambitious neighbours drew
them.
Reds Overthrown.
No blunder could have been more
complete, for briefly the Hungarian
people came to their senses. The red
regime was swept out Of existence:
there reappeared an orderly. organized
government, which has carried on ever
since peacefully and efficiently. But
once there was again united Magyar
state 1t was certain on the one hand
that the basis of its policy would be the
search for a means to rescue the lost
brethren of the borders, while on the
other the states which had taken these
territories and peoples. fearful of los
ing both. were bound to join hands in
a military coalition.
Thus two forces, Magyar irredentism
and little entente concern for security,
have steadily played havoc with peace
and reconstruction in the Danubian
, area. The Magyar populations have
cried out to the world against the in
| justice of their plight the little entente
governments have replied by systematic
! and oppressive measures designed for
chilly to assimilate the minorities
Hatred, suspicion. a just and deep
seated sense of wrong. all these emo
tons have played their role and con-
tinue to dominate mems minds and
hearts.
In my visit to Hungary I crossed
Czech and Rumanian frontiers. visited
city and country districts. I saw with
my own eyes the great regions in which
even the Slav and Latin possessors
concede that the ma jority is Magyar.
I heard from the lips of men and
women belonging to the minority the
story Of their existence, the report of
life made intolerable not so much
| by brutal atrocity as by unceasing petty
persecution and minor oppression, the
denial of the use of language. the de-
struction of the old national moriu-
ments, system of eternal espionage
eliminating in arbitrary arrest and
| forcible restraint.
Cooperation Not Possible.
In this situation all possibility of
economic cooperation between the
states. which are natural markets one
| for the other, all regulation of rivers
flowing through the several countries
regulation on the one hand to pre-
vent floods and on the other to pro-
mote navigation, is out of the question
Railways are cut at new frontiers, and
while the peace treaties condemn Hun
gary to practical defenselessness. great
armies guard these frontiers on the
other side. Not only is Budapest, the
Hungarian capital. barely a two-days
| said Yesterday "This mans letters