CZECHO-SLOVAKIA.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19202, 7 January 1928, Page 16

CZECHO-SLOVAKIA.

PRESENT CONDITIONS

DESCRIBED.

LIKE DAYS OF TSAKDOM.

(TROiC OdS OWK COBEESPOMDi-S'l.)

LONDON, November 30,

Sir llobert Donald, the well-known journalist, has been studying conditions in Czecho-Slovakia, In an article in the "Daily Mail" lie explains how he declined official guidiince. Had lie accepted it he would have saved himself a lot of trouble and seen a smiling country and met a contented people. , . "i did not visit Hungary before entering Czecho-Slovakia," Sir Robert writes, "and avoided Hungarian officials just as I held aloof from Czech officials until the first part of my enquiry was finished. I had numerous introductions to business men, foreign residents, and non-political people, so that I did not rely on one source for information. "I was one of the early siippoiters of the Czechs when they fought '.or nationhood; I ;-d:.i>iied the superb confidence they had in their destiny and their passionate devotion to democratic ideals. For the last nine years I have followed their heroic efforts to build up & democriiric State on the foundations of an effete empire. I was prepared to fined some reaction at this juncture, but no going back on the fundamental prmu"- - ; lined m the Ueace Treaties and confirmed by the most democratic Constitution in Europe.

Bitterly Disillusioned. "I have been bitterly disillusioned. Tlvi Czechs fiave lost thoir confidence; they are apprehensive, suspicious, scared. Following historic precedent, and in defiance of their most solemn pledges, they .ire retorting to the worst methods of the bud old fiuys of Kaiserdom. Something like a wave of terror has swept over SlovakiaPeople are arrested fir unknown crimes ana detained in prison for indefinite periods. "Freedom of the Press does not exist, newspapers are censored —sometimes out of existence; freedom of speech is conditional. Public meetings are held under police supervision; police spies dos: public men w!io .tre opposed to the Government and shadow visitors. Travellers are liable to personal search »n the Hungarian bore!--! Men meet in nut-itf-tho-way places to discuss their affairs. Tlv cabinet, Noir is a department of State reminding one of the days of Louis XVI. Ageiit" piovocatetirs s»:ek to entrap the unwary. Telephone conversations arc tapped and various other methods cm ployed for intimidating, penalisirp. and victimising political opponents of -,he Government .ml nil vnown Hun giii'ians.

Shadowed Everywhere,

' These are sweeping ■taieir-ents: I proceed to substantiate thnu from /ny personal from incidenis which came under civ observation, acil from evidence which I tested ana found trustworthy. The st.ite of things which I found in Slovakia is reminiscent of the days of Tsajdoro: it reproduces th« atmosphere of wartirw- '•[ had not been iong in p;- e sslvjr£ (Bratislava) beforo the police became interested. An agent, was posted in the lounge of the C-irlto.i Hotel : another sat- in ~v.r ■•■>-" -.,.- o, ;i r!'.ued

everywhere: my visitors were watched. My secretary. who was followed, turned on a dete-cive and said • "'My good man. why don't yon walk with rat? instead of follojvirt": von ma y ] o se ineF' T!ie detective lioltjd h.-x-k t< the hot-?!. Onp characteristic of the Czech secret police is th.it ti;r;_v are notsecret; they are obvioiu nafjjitrV