CZECH PROBLEM!?

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2984, 23 January 1917, Page 9

CZECH PROBLEM!?

BOHEMIA: 'AND THE WAR; ■ Professor Masaryk, late Deputy in the Bohemian Parliament, recently lectured in Londonon "Czech Problems." Bohemia, ho said, was not. a battlefield, but a. very important 4 struggle Lad been going on there since the beginning of tlic war. In. this war. Bohemia was against Germany and Austria. All the deputies, Jiko the .Allies, had been surprised by-the begurnimg of the war and! wero not prepared: The first news of the mobilisation was seen on the trains, labelled with such' sentences as "Export of fresh Bohenmin meat to Serbia" or "Russia." IHieni came the, news that Bohemian regiments declined to fight, and surrenidei:edi The. Bohemian regiments had freem punished for this. By ami hy the excitement of the whole nation grow to such an extent that it looked like rebellion or resolution. Many of Ms ceh, leagues, deputies, had been; in prison.. Ho escaped to Italy, Somo of his. friends had been' sentenced' to deaih.< tat. not executed. ; '& peculiar kind .of j passive revolution was still going oi.\ because the Bohemians wero really prnAlly. A committco had been fprmo.tr here and in Franco to declare what Bohemian political aims wero. The]f wished to bo independent, and_ not t<> be any nipro in or with Austria-HunV • eary Their attitudo in this war was the logical outcome- of their whole his-, tory. Bismarck's policv. was to leavoi Austria-Hungary formally mdepondent, but reallv to ralo them. Tlie.plan of. a.. German Central Europe was created bv Bismarck. Pan-Germanism, which ■ meant also the absorption of the Bal- ; leans -and Asia Minor, was really the poliev of Bismarck. -This war was onlyone link in a long, long, historical [ chain. Germans knew tlio "Drang nacli Osten" policv must bring them into conflict with Russia, the greatest European Power in Asia, and England, tlio second greatest European _ Power in . Asia. As Germany was trying to absorb 'Austria-Hungary. Bulgaria, and Turkey to got Asia, and Africa, the first task of tho Allies must ho the dis- . niembermcntof Austria-Hmigaiy. As soon a that was dono the German dreams wero shattered. Without such dismemberment n. lasting peace could not bo made. The real question at issue in tho war was tho future relations of England, Russia, and Germany. All othor questions woro solved iv hen that was settled. If 15n S ljml. and Russia made an alliance after tlio war -it also meant an alliance of all tlio smaller nations with them.