EVENTS IN RUTHENIA

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 150, 22 December 1938, Page 4

EVENTS IN RUTHENIA

PLEBISCITE CRISIS

PRIME MINISTER DISMISSED

The conflict over a plebiscite in Carpathian Russia, or Ruthenia, has led to the sudden resignation of two Ministers in the new Ruthenian Cabinet, M. Baczynski, the Minister of the Interior, and M. Ravay, Minister without Portfolio, says the Ruthenian correspondent, of the "Manchester Unexpected as their step appears, it was known for some time in Ruthenia that there were grave difficulties within the Cabinet over two main problems^-which parts in the ] south of Sub-Carpathian . Russia should be immediately occupied by Hungary and whether the plebiscite Hungary demands should be allowed to take place in other parts of the country. M. Baczynski thought a plebiscite dangerous to the newly created Ruthenian State for he feared that the, population might vote for a return to Hungary. A few days' obseryaion in the country leads one to believe that his fears might be justified. Even in the capital of Ruthenia some minorities hold the view that it may be better to be under the certain although not too pleasant minority laws of Hungary than to live in uncertain conditions and under the still unknown laws in Ruthenia. This view is shared by a number of Jews. PRESSURE FROM PRAGUE. The resignation of the two Ministers is also stated to be due to pressure from Prague, which is now. anxious to meet Hungarian demands, ana also to pressure from other capitals, including Rome and Berlin. .; Whilst Hungarian troops stand waiting on the frontier and the fate of Ruthenia is still uncertain, a. strong Fascist movement is already spreading in the country. Its originator and leader is Dr. Fencik, the Minister for Public Works and Health. A demonstration he- arid his Black, Shirts held in Munkacevo, the second largest city in Ruthenia, some 50 miles frpm Uzßorod, threw the whole Jewish population into a state of great apprehension. : Describing himself as a "faithful disciple of Hitler," Dr. Fencik in a public speech declared his aims to be to organise Ruthenia "on a Fascist proletarian system." Asked by your correspondent whether his Fascism also implies anti-Semitism, he declared that in his opinion Fascism need not necessarily be anti-Semitic and that he wants his Fascism to be adapted to local conditions and made a Fascism "without terror." The Jews in Ruthenia, he stated, need not fear so long as they behaved loyally to the new Ruthenian State. He added, however, as if to imply that they did not do so before, that the Jews were an element working hand in hand with the Czechs. A HIGH PROPORTION. The Jews in Carpatho-Russia num-J ber about 100,000, making a total of! 18 per cent, of the population. Until now they have enjoyed complete equality, but their future here, as in the other parts of dismembered Czechoslovakia, is getting more un-. certain and is worsening rapidly. Many Jews in Ruthenia are anxious to emigrate and are trying to sell their pi-operty for very little' in order to depart from towns where an antiJewish atmosphere is being created, m many places rather artificially, as till now the Jews have lived in great friendship and harmony with the local population. i PREMIER'S "DISMISSAL." The curt official announcement that Dr. Brody, Premier of Ruthenia, has j been "dismissed from office" and succeeded by Mgr. Voloshin, an under, secretary in the Ruthenian Government, is all that'has been allowed to| appear in the Czechoslovak Press on the crisis in the Ruthenian Government, said a . Reuter message from Prague published on the same day. The reasons for the line taken by the Prague Government are, however, sufficiently obvious. Dr. Brody was the only member of the Czechoslovak Cabinet who favoured the Hungarian demand for a plebiscite in1 Sub-Car-pathian* Russia. His attitude was not only opposed to that of his colleagues ■from Sub-Carpathian Russia in the Cabinet, but was in direct antagonism to the expressed will of a general meeting of parties supporting the Ruthenian Government which was held only the previous day. It was' also in contradiction to Dr. Brody's own declarations on taking office only a fortnight previously. ' Mgr. Voloshin, his successor, is a member of the Catholic Party. He took the oath of office over; the telephone in the presence of witnesses. There were some attempts at anti-'j Semitic demonstrations in the princi-I pal square of Prague, but they were I quickly _ and severely suppressed by the police. The demonstrators, were chiefly young people who pasted notices on shop-windows with the words "We dohn't want Jews" and shouted "Down with the Jews." The police acted very energetically against the demonstrators.