The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-06-13
CZECH BALLOT
issue
UNDETERMINED
Three Factions Count Re-
suits Differently, All
Claim Victory
By REYNOLDS PACKARD
United Press Staff Correspondent

Onuco ITesS SkaiI correspondent
PRAGUE, June 10. (UP)-
Czechoslovakia's series of munich
pal elections, inflaming minority
unrest and spiked with fears of
war, ended last night in such a
confusion of "victory" claims that
solution of the nations crisis APP
peared even more remote.
The militant Sudeten German
party under Konrad Henlein, the
Czech government coalition and
the autonomy-demanding Slovak
Peoples party headed by Mon
signor Hndrei Hlinka all claimed
overwhelming victories at the
polls.
Had the government dealt a
crushing blow to Henlein or to
Hlinka-or vice versatile inter-
nal situatio nwould have been
clarified but the three-corner
claims to victory were expected
to lead to a stiffening in demands
on all sides.
Henlein last night proclaimed
himself the sole spokesman for
the country's restless German mi
nority on the basis of Sundays
municipal elections in $40 COM
munities.
The elections, last in series of
three, occurred without any ma
jor disorders to the relief of gov
eminent and foreign observers
who feared that violent outbreaks
might mark the wind-up of the
voting and plunge Czech German
relations back into a grave state.
The Sudeten German party,
claiming more than 80 per cent
Of the votes cast Sunday by more
than 100000 Sudeten Germans,
exploited the results as a plebis-
cite for Henlein's eight-point au-
tonomy demands.
The victory" the party's
spokesman said, makes it clear
that Henlein's demands made re-
Gently at Carlsbad must serve as
the basis for negotiations with
Premier Milan Hodza on peace
full settlement of the Sudeten au-
tonomy question.
Certainly Henlein's authority
can not be disputed now" the
spokesman said.
Hodza meanwhile interpreted
the election outcome, VIII C h
brought increased strength to the
government in Czech areas just
as it rolled up more strength for
the Sudetens in German areas, as
popular approval for his program
of national unity" based on his
proposed minority reform statute.
In the Slovakian regions the
party of Father Hlinka claimed
"victory" for it's demands for
cultural autonomy" Monsignor
Hlinka was expected, like Hen
lein, to exploit the election as his
selection to speak for the nations
100000 members Of the Slovak
minority.
The returns from Bradshaw,
the multi-language capital of Slo-
vakia where Czechs, Slovaks, Ger
mans and Hungarians reside,
showed that the Sudeten party
and the Slovak autonomists won
considerably more than they did
in the 1885 parliamentary cleo
tons. The Czechoslovak coalition
parties also gained while the Hun.
garians, German socialists and
communists lost.
Yesterday the Sudetens there
polled 1928 votes compared
with 4,9O7 in 1885; the Czecho-
slovak coalition ballots totaled
25,1O5 compared with 23,0S0;
Hlinka's Slovaks 8,133 compared
with 5,64O, while the Hungarians
got 1888 compared with IL, 1888,
the German socialists 504 compar-
ed with 2,27O, and the commun-
lists 1856 compared with 1885.
The contradiction in interpret
ing the election outcome are due
to various methods Of counting
the votes. Henlein bases his vic
torv on his defeat, in the Sude- /
ten areas, of the only other Ger
man party, the non-Nazi German
social democrats. The Czech par /
ties base their claims on an in
crease in Czech votes in the Sude-
ten regions.
Father Hlinka won and lost in
different regions of Slovakia, but |
made a showing greater than had
been anticipated.
international observers said the
tri-cornered show of strength
probably will result in prolong-
Inc negotiations on minority re-
form and postponement OF def
mite settlement for some time TO
come.
rrr TTfnAIC