The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1938-12-02
Foreign

Foreign
After Czechoslovakia made peace
with Germany by ceding Sudeten
border areas to the Reich, Poland
and Hungary jumped in with SINH
lar claims. Poland was pacified
when war-lost Teschen was re-
turned. To Hungary went the south
ern portion of Slovakia and a small
corner of Ruthenia (see striped por.
ton Of map, settlement arranged
jointly by Germany and Italy. But
the bulk of little Ruthenia was re-
tanned by Czechoslovakia on Ger
many's insistence, much to the sor-
row of Poland and Hungary who
wanted common border.
Smart Adolf Hitler has two rea-
sons for demanding Ruthenia's au-
tonony. First, his economic policy
has made Czechoslovakia a vassal
state and at some future date Ger
many intends to march through that
country into the Russian Ukraine
and other parts of southeastern Eu-
rope. Should Hungary get Ruthenia
and turn hostile to Germany, the
march to the east would be blocked.
Second, Ruthenia has immense
value as nucleus for Nazi propa-
gandizing in the Ukraine and neigh
boring Rumania.
Meanwhile Czechoslovakia is in no
position to defend herself from the
band Of wolves barking around her
entire frontier. Not only is she I'M
der Germany's thumb, but Slovakia
and Ruthenia have now been grant
ed autonomy, which makes them
largely independent of the central
Prague government.
The result has been two unpubli-
cized wars in which covetous Po-
land and Hungary have been inter-
esting themselves under the exp1a-
nation of ''police action" The first
centers in Ruthenia's Carpathian
mountains, where Hungary has won
a substantial portion of the natives
to her cause. In the ensuing civil
war between pro-Czech. and pro-
Hungarian Ruthenians, Polish and
Hungarian border troops have in
tervened.
The other war is centered along
Slovakia's Polish frontier, where
Czech and Polish border troops have
been fighting Though none of the
three concerned governments has
spoken officially, it is quite obvious
that Poland has agreed to help Hun
gary capture Ruthenia if Hungary
will help Poland grab the rest Of
Slovakia. This would leave Czecho-
slovakia with nothing but western
Bohemia and Moravia, located en-
tirely within Germany's mouth"
1t is doubtful that Germany would
tolerate this threat to her proposed
eastward expansion, but her oppo-
sition might aid the cause of anti
Nazi forces by arousing the ire Of
both Hungary and Poland.
Domestic
Under Secretary Of State Cordell
Hull, the. U. S. has consunmated 20
reciprocal trade agreements Tin,
Guiding two with Canada) as au-
thorized by the trade agreements
ect of 1884, Carried on aggressive
ly, Mr.. Hulrs program now covers
three-fftf1s of all American exports
and imports. Behind the treaties
is the Observation-Disclosures prin-
ciple, under which contracting ma
tions agree to nondiscriminatory
treatment in the fixing of quotas. In
each treaty, both signatory nations
pledge not to impose internal taxes
on imported articles higher than
those imposed on similar articles of
domestic or other origin.
Keystone and climax to this pro-
gram is the reciprocal trade treaty
just signed with Great Britain, in
Guiding the dovetailing second
treaty with Canada. Since uni
lateral principle applies to Mr..
Hull's treaties, the benefits of this
U. S.-British agreement are now
open to all other nations with which
the U. S. has commercial treaties.
Principal non-participants are Eu-
ropes dictator nations. The even
tual aim of idealistic Mr.. Hull is
abandonment of international trade
barriers and the idea of artificial
self-sufficiency, and more stabi-
Lied world currency.
~ Chief arguments against the
( sAnglo-American pact come from
business interests who claim their
domestic sales are injured by Brit
4ish competition. Arguments in fa-
vor of the treaty will maintain that
i while, British competition lis in
creased on some domestically-
manufactured items, great many
more items can now be exported to
the United Kingdom, since most