Montana labor news., 1939-03-30
clio. and A. |. OF |. STAGE CONFERENCE
ANOTHER DEMOCRACY
PREY TO FA5(I5M

WASHINGTON.-(FP) - Another
democratic nation in the world has
fallen prey to the fascist nations.
Once a nation, proud of its connec-
tions with the democracies of Europe,
Czechoslovakia is now a vassal of
Nazi Germany faced with the pros
pect of depending upon the UNI
certain whim of Adolph Hitler for
its existence.
This misfortune has descended
upon the Czech people through no
fault of their own. They were will
ing to fight for what was theirs,
they asked no more than that they
be left alone to pursue their peaceful
path of providing work for all the
people within their boundaries when
there was work, of providing schools,
theaters and libraries for all the
people, of allowing each within the
nation to follow his own ends to his
own best interests.
A man in a neighboring state said,
II want part of Czechoslovakia. 1
want that part that has its factories,
its coal mines, its mineral resources,
its industrial resources" Though the
man vas not big he had a loud voice
and other nations of Europe, one
boastful of its craftsmanship on the
playing fields of Elton and Harrow,
the other proud of its slogan, "Liber-
ty, Equality, Fraternity" said to the
man with the big voice, eff you'll
not hurt us well help you"
Upon whose shoulders the respon-
sibility for the dismemberment of
Czechoslovakia rests is not clear.
Does it rest upon the makers of the
Versailles treaty who carved up
Europe with a fine disregard for
everything but imperialist politics?
Does the responsibility rest upon
the leaders of Great Britain and
France, fearful of their W posi-
tons lest Hitler and Mussolini fall
and fearful of the profits of their
own industrialists should revolt
break out in Italy and Germany?
Perhaps a share of the response
bility rests upon the shoulders of
American statesmen who, with a fine
impartiality between wrong and
right, urged aggressor and victim to
make peace and ignored a last des-
perate plea from the victim for aid.
Certainly it was no moral comfort
for President Benes of Czechoslo-
vakia, confronted by Hitler, Cham
berlain, Mussolini and Daladier, to
receive numerous kilograms from
heads Of states, sent at the instance
of the President of the United States,
asking him to make peace.
That the Czech felt American
statesmen sided by Britain and
France rather than with her is in
Dictated in the statement issued by
that government in London. In part,
it reads:
'The Czechoslovak government is
eager to expedite the settlement of
questions under dispute and in no
circumstance desires to delay the
definitive solution that she adopted
under the urgent advice of the Brit
ish and French governments and
which was advised by so many heads
Of states, led by President Roosevelt.
'In this decisive moment Czecho-
slovakia submits to sacrifices
never before in history required of
an unvanquished state.
"That is why Czechoslovakia has
the right to insist that the other
party in the dispute display the same
consideration for the peace of Eur
ope and the world"
Lunch table talk among expert
observers of foreign affairs ~revolved
on the following points 'the day
after Munich"
Great Britain never, even at the
last moment, intended to fight. Re-
fusal to hold military staff talks with
France and Russia, revealed by the
Russian foreign minister, Maxim
Litvinoff, so indicate. The war scare
in Britain was accentuated by Cham
berlain to pave the way for the
capitulation at Munich.
The crucial question now revolves
around future events in Spain and
the position of 100, 600, 900 Russians
in a territory covering one-sixth Of
the earth's surface, The exclusion
of the Russians from the affairs of
Europe and the breakdown of the
collective security system she sup