MAGYAR AND CZECH

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 4, 6 January 1930, Page 10

MAGYAR AND CZECH

TROUBLES IN HUNGARY RIGHTS OF MINORITIES UNITED STATES OF EUROPE (By Sir Robert Stout.) In tlic 'Evening Tost' of the 17th of August last an article appeared headed "Magyar ana Czech. Plight in Hun<*arv." It: was an article written by myself, reviewing a publication issued by Longmans Grec:: and Co., Ltd., headed "Justice for Hungary. Review and Criticism of the effect of the Treaty of Trianon." * This review was forwarded to the leading Hungarians in Budapest, and one of them, Emil Nagy, has acknowledged the receipt of the review, and states that tho. Hungarians are deeply grateful for the review, and for the attention that it has received from New Zealand. They have forwarded iive publications in English which are publications of the Hungarian Frontier Readjustment League. The first thing to be noted is that they arc in English. That shows first what might be termed the growth of the English language; second, the belief that the British people love justice., and desire to see no persecution of Hungarian or other nationalities. The pamphlet dealing with the Hungarian minorities in the Succession States is very interesting, and it shows that the Hungarian minority has been very badly treated. Indeed, it is said that tho Yugo-Slav State prevented the Hungarians having public meetings dealing with their treatment, and that they withheld from them the right of citizenship. 'That appears clear from what was issued by the Minister ef the Yugo-Slav State, in which he said:— "All persons who according to the Voters Registration Act ars entitled to vote must be entered on the electoral registers except persons belonging to the racial minorities, who owing to their right of option will not be entitled to vote." CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS. The result of this was that only a small fraction of Hungarians were allowed to vote. In 1025 there was a new election, but even then only about 60,000 were registered, whilst there were at least 14.0,000 entitled to vote. Tho Government of the Yugo-Slav State was charged with having carried out the elections with terror and corruption with the result of course, that the Hungarian minorities li;icl little, if any, representation at the polls. One cannot read tho various pamphlets that have been published without seeing that the Hungarian people have been ruthlessly treated. They have been denied representation, and land that hart been Hungarian for years hud ceased to bo called Hungarian, and belonged now to other nationalities of central Europe. The charge made against the YugoSlav State is that at tho 1925 election there were Serb organisations that interrupted speakers, physically maltreated the candidates and their agents, and that the returning officers were forced to resign, and wore replaced by Government officials, and even gendarmes; the keepers of ballot boxes were driven, from the polling station, and the contents of the ballot-boxes were meddled with, and no person was allowed to approach' a polling station without a certificate from the authorities, and in this way only Government voters were allowed to vote; that the sale and circulation, even the printing of opposition .papers, were prohibited; that the bills and placards of opposition candidates were torn, and that threatening posters decorated with skull and erossbones were put on the houses of the minority voters: that in many constituencies the election agents and even the candidates were imprisoned by the authorities. The names of people who were injured and whose lives wore threatened are given. "VILELY TREATED." One. has only to read the various pamphlets referred to to see that the Hungarians have been vilely treated. Their land has been taken from them; they have been denied all citizen rights of an}' value; and the way in which separation has been made between the land of the Hungarians and the land, say, of the Rumanians, or the Yugoslavs, is enough to drive a liberty-lov-ing race insane. The fact is that Central Europe is in many respects in a state of unarmed rebellion. Even Prance is having great difficulties in Alsace. They have not given the Alsatians the full liberty it was expected they would have had, and even there has been trouble in Belgium; trouble in Poland, trouble in Italy, in tho South Tyrol; that in Istria, in, .fact, the Italians, it is said, have prevented schools in the South Tyrol from teaching any of the population German. EUROPEAN MINORITIES. There is a very interesting article in the Hibbert journal of October, iv which the problem of the European minorities is dealt with by Don Luigi Sturzo. In this article he states that there is no racial and religious minority in Europe to-day which does not possess its share of disorders, and which does not nurse grievances created by the war and by post-war policy. Even the administrative problems in Belgiuin--I'landers have not been solved. What, then, is to happen to the oppressed nationalities in Europe? Does it mean fresh war? The difficulty that the Loaffuc of Nations has to deal with is immense, and reading these various publications it will be seen that it is not likely that peace will be maintained unless there is a great change in the management of Central Europe, and a recognition by the various Governments of the rights of nationalities like the Hungarians that have been attacked. In fact, if the League of Nations can maintain peace in AustriaHungary, Jugo-Slavia, and Rumania it will accomplish something that seems at present impossible. APPEAL TO BRITISH PEOPLE. The fact that the Hungarians are appealing by literature to the British people should not be overlooked. It is not only tho growth of the power of the English language, which is now becoming really a world language, but it is the feeling that the English people, whatever may be said by its enemies, is a people that love justice and like to see good feeling maintained. The only part of Central Europe that seems free from troubles at present is Switzerland, and Switzerland' has a system of government that allows for Stato rights; and several of the States differ in their religious opinions, but Ftill there has been no trouble in managing tho Swiss people. They have got equal liberty; and tho question arises whether some form of United States government or Swiss form of government should not bo introduced into Central Europe, so that the minorities, even in Alsace, Poland, Jugo-Slavia, Hungary, etc., should have rights oil liberty and rights to live which they do not seem to possess. A WONDERFUL CHANGE. Why would have thought, say in 1840, that a New Zealand newspaper would be discussing a European question, and that its .comments and re-

marks should be considered by tho Hungarian people! Does this not show what tho effect of English civilisation and the English language have obtained? May we not hope to see that, at all events, all the representatives of the British people who have seats in the League of Nations will be found supporting the minorities, and insisting upon justico being douo to tho oppressed? Amongst the documents forwarded, there have been coloured maps showing what the races and the religions arc, and what is termed the Hungarian territory that was seized and taken from Hungary;. and, looking at this map, it cannot be doubted but that the Hungarians have been disgracefully treated; and one cannot look forward witli any hope to peaco and order within Central Europe unless the wrongs that have been done to Hungary are redressed. We have in New Zealand a representative on the League of Nations, and we hope that he will be found upholding the rights of minorities and preventing an able, a cultured people, being denied real existence. It would take up too much space to sot out all the evils that were inflicted on Hungary. How Ruthcnia was severed from Hungary, and how a large part of a country that is now called Rumania was really Hungarian; and how even in their religion they are not allowed freedom. It is well known that in Hungary there are what may be termed throe religions—the Greek-Catholic, the Roman Catholic, and Protestants, and it is perfectly plain that so far as religion is concerned there is a grievance which requires instant vedrcss. The schools and churches have not freedom, and true liberty is unknown. There was what was called a Dalmation Commission, and the Commissioner dealing with the Hungarian, Czccho-Slov-iikian territory, said that tho frontiers laid down by the Treaty of Peace correspond nowhore with the ethnic or economic exigencies. The pamphlets to which we have referred are dated 1929, and we presume they will be read and considered by tho British representatives on the League of Nations.