Evening star., 1937-03-14

-.
German newspapers describe the little
republic as the red spearhead in Gen.
trail Europe" the sally port of boil
shevism" and 1.-The aircraft carrier of
the Soviet Union"
These epithetS are far from justified;
there is no more communism in
CzechoSlovakia than there is in the
United States. But the hard-working
Central European country has the mis-
fortune to find itself geographically in
the path of the forthcoming hurricane,
and the Czechoslovaks realize that
If the German explosion" occurs their
country will have to stand the full
brunt of it.
Surrounded on all sides by hostile
neighbors, the government reluctantly
accepted Frances advice and signed
a defensive alliance with the Soviet
government. Although Russia is not
adjacent, its boundaries are less than
400 miles from Czechoslovakia.
Germany's preparations for the
"Drang mach Osten" push toward the
EaSt) were outlined in last weeks arti-
Gle published in this newspaper. Poland
and Rumania will become Germany's
aflliates in the course of this year,
when they adopt authoritarian re-
gimes. The movement in Poland, led
by Adam Koc, is already apparent. The
movement in Rumania is somewhat
slower.
Ring Needs Completion.
To complete the ring around the
Sovlets, to establish the sanitary cor
don" against the menace of bolshe-
viSm, which Berlin claims as an OBJ
Jective, Czechoslovakia must be brought
in line-by force if necessary.
And while an overt attack against
Czechoslovakia is not expected by
those who follow the European situa-
ton closely, it is believed that in the
course of this Summer there will be
an uprising of the German minorities
In that country which may make of
the Central European republic another
Spain. The difference, however, is that
while Spain was more or less isolated
from its active supporters by its geo.
graphical position, the Czechoslovak
republic is in the middle of the Euro
pean storm center.
During the last few weeks there
have been number of provocations,
not only from the German press, but
also from the German government,
directed against the regime in the
little republic. These antagonistic
manifestations of the Reich, while not
of a nature to cause an immediate
eruption, are indicative of how the
wind blows in Eastern Europe.
Air Charges Countered.
Some weeks ago the German Minis
ter at Prague accused the Czechoslo-
wax government of having a large
number of Soviet military experts and
agents in the Czech aviation force; in
addition the Hodza administration
was charged with having its airdromes
under Soviet control. Prime Minister
Hodza Immediately suggested an in
Vestigation by military alta ches and
indicated that the government was
willing to have the American, the Brit
ish and the French military attaches
make tour OF inspection of the
C2echslovak air establishments For
diplomatic reasons Maj. John Wins
low, the American military attache,
was busy; the British officer said
bluntly that he would not waste his
time because these investigations
could never yield anything positive
Thus the proposal of the premier was
Intellectual, but the matter is still open
and the Germans may, at any time
renew their accusations.
But 1t Is not on incidents of such
nature that the German diplomats
reckon in their calculations for bring
ing Czechoslovakia Into line" The
real trouble is much more serious.
There are in the Czechoslovak re-
public 100000 Germans who have
been ill-treated ever since Czechoslo-
vakia became an independent state
Like most new nations, the CZechoslo-
vaks got drunk with power after they
separated from the Austro- Hungarian
empire. For centuries they had been
oppressed by the Vienna government.
When the power was theirs, after the
collapse of the Hapsburgs, they ac-
corded their former oppressors, the
Germans, the same treatment they
had received.
Industries Anne Removed.
Czechs make up only 49 per cent
OF the population; the balance in
cludes Slovaks, Germans, Ruthenians
and Hungarians. In order to estab-
lish the domination of minority over
. number of other minorities. the
Prague government adopted strong
arm methods. And the Germans
who are settled in the northern part
Of the country close to Saxony and
Bavaria were selected for the some
what ruthless treatment which the
government believed necessary in order
to keep the minorities in order.
Industries were removed, for strate-
gic reasons, from Bohemia to the inte-
rior. In areas With 80 per cent
German population, Czech was i'm
posed as the official language. Gov
eminent jobs were filled with Czechs
who could or would speak no German
and dispensed justice and enforced
rules and regulations over popula-
tion which could speak no Czech. For
military reasons German railroad
workers and even street-car conduc-
tors were replaced by Czechs. Ger
man-owned hotels and other luxury
businesses in world-renowned watering
places like Carlsbad and Marienbad
were brought into bankruptcy and sold
later to individuals Of the Czech race.
Unemployment among the Germans
grew by leaps and bounds. Accord
ing to official statistics Of 1885, of the
total number of unemployed, amount
Ing to something like $4,000 people,
more than 70 per cent were Germans.
This, the Czechoslovak government
explained, was inevitable, since the
textile and glass industries, which
were almost entirely in the hands of
the Germans, suffered from the gen.
eral world depression.