I am submitting the immigration records showing the Slovak immigration to this country from the year 1906 to 1915, during which years their immigration was larger than that of any time.

It must be explained here that many Slovaks who came into this country were put down on the immigration books as Hungarians or Austrians or Poles and undoubtedly were catalogued as such by our immigration officials. There is sufficient evidence that this is a fact, so that if we would say that from the year 1906 to 1915 the number of Slovaks coming here were about 350,000, we would not be amiss from the truth. The Czecho-Slovak population in the United States to-day is approximately about 1,600.000, or five times that of the Magyar population in this country. Of the CzechoSlovak population, about 75 per cent of these people are American citizens. They live principally in the States of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Ohio, Illinois, lowa, West Virginia, Texas, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

Many of the Slovak immigrants as a result of the oppressive educational system operating against them under the Magyar Government naturally suffered from lack of education. It can therefore be readily understood that they would migrate to such States as are well known for mines and factories which were employing unskilled laborers. Many of these immigrants, however, are educated men, having either attended or graduated from Magyar universities, there being no Slovak universities, and therefore possess various professions, such as medicine, law, the ministry, etc., while many of these have come here with exceptional business training as well as with a variety of trades. Many of these business men have engaged in various enterprises, such as banking, manufacturing, and along other commercial lines. They have been exceedingly successful in these business ventures, and a result a number of them have accumulated a great deal of wealth, while others are in fairly good financial circumstances. They command the utmost respect and confidence in the business world. A vast number of Slovaks coming to this country possess exceptional knowledge and experience in agricultural work. The compensation for this character of work in the United States previous to the present war has been exceedingly inadequate for the labor involved, and considering the number of hours expended in this kind of work and the little opportunity afforded for advancement in this character of occupation they have refrained from hiring themselves out to the farmers of this country, and instead have turned to the mines and factories, where the wages were better and the hours much shorter. The mechanics who have acquired their trades, not only a branch of it but in its entirety in the former kingdom of Hungary, are now employed in large numbers in many of our factories and have been extremely successful. They have become assets to their employers as a result of their thorough knowledge and training in their particular trades. Many of the Czecho-Slovaks have established reputations as business and professional men and further as artists and musicians.

The Czecho-Slovaks have developed a keen interest in our political life. Two Members of the present Congress are of Czecho-Slovak birth, others occupy elective and appointive political positions, while still others hold civil-service places in nearly every arm of our service in Federal, State, and municipal governments.

The Czecho-Slovaks have invested large sums of money in real estate, business, and personal property. Thousands of them own their own homes which is a fair indication that they have no expectation of returning to their native country, but will remain here. A great deal of this money has been expended for the building of churches so that, for instance, to-day there are 170 Roman Catholic churches, about 50 evangelical ones, some Greek Catholic, and a few churches of other denominations. There are about 500 clergymen connected with these churches. Nearly every church supports a school in which an elementary course is prescribed and instructions given both in the English and Slovak languages. Many of these churches and schools occupy city blocks and have been erected at a great expense. They are a credit to the Slovak people of this country. The Slovaks have a number of charitable institutions and a national Slovak home for the immigrants, all supported by donations

of the various fraternal benefit societies as well as by the people themselves. There is also a Catholic seminary for the instruction of priesthood and brotherhood; also a number of convents which prepare the Slovak young women for the sisterhood. Upon graduation these sisters are assigned to the Slovak parishes and act as teachers in the schools connected with these churches. There are many fraternal, sick, and death benefit organizations which the Slovaks have formed. Some of the principal ones, together with their names, membership, addresses, and assets, are as follows:

There are about 20 other scattered societies with a membership of over 20,000. It can be safely asserted that the membership of all these societies numbers upward of 250,000 with a capital of about $5,000,000. All these societies have branches doing business in nearly every State. To illustrate the vast territory in which they are carrying on business let us take one of these larger societies, the National Slovak Society, and we find that they have branches in the following States:

The Slovaks also have a number of libraries containing many volumes of Slovak authors as well as works of other authors which have been translated into the English and Slovak languages. Many Czechs and Slovak newspapers are published in this country and are as follows:

SLOVAK NEWSPAPERS.

Daily papers: The Slovak Daily In America; The National Daily; The New York Daily; The Daily Voice.

Semiweekly: The Slovak In America; Weekly: The American Slovak News; Union; Brotherhood; The Slovak Voice; The Slovak Progress; National News; Catholic Sokol; Youngstown Slovak News; Obrana; The Farmer; The Miner Slovak Journal.

Semimonthly: Slovak Sokol; Woman's Union; Monthly: Witness; Life; Junior News; Critic; Slovak Youth; Ave Maria; Advice; Children's Friend.

Some of the Czech newspapers are as follows: Pokrok Zapadu; Czechoslovak, Svornost; Slavia; Zajmy Lidu; Spravedlnost; Denni Hlasatel; American Sve. Hlas Lidu; Hospodar.

Besides the above-mentioned newspapers there are many newspapers and periodi cals published under various names and issued during different periods of the year. Some of the daily, weekly and monthly issues have a very large circulation and reach nearly every section in the United States. These newspapers are principally the only source of enlightenment to the Czechoslovaks in this country. An organization has been formed in this country called the Slovenska-Liga (Slovak League) and is backed by all the Slovak newspapers with the exception of two or three, these latter ones having sold their body and soul to the Magyar representatives. This organization has allied itself with the Czechs (Bohemians) of this country and it has been popularly known as the Czechoslovak National Council. The purpose of this organization has been to assist this Government in the past world conflict and to secure freedom and justice for their very much oppressed brethren in Europe in securing the independence of Czechoslovakia which, thank God, they now have. The Bohemian National Council and the Slovak League are supported by popular subscription from their people who have freely contributed to the worthy cause which these organizations represent.

PROPAGANDA IN THE UNITED STATES.

The vast number of Slovaks immigrating each year from the former government of Hungary to this country developed a serious problem for the Austria-Hungarian Government to solve. The labor situation became very seriously affected. In fact, it was so serious that the former Hungarian government was forced to adopt some means to stem the tide of immigration. It was decided by the Magyars to spread propaganda among the Slovaks in this country and they began to spend money lavishly here to Magyarize the Slovaks right in our own country. They began to conduct this propaganda by means of a subsidized press. Articles were written in these unscrupulous papers endeavoring to induce the Slovaks to return to their native country. Misleading statements were printed tending to show that the living conditions affecting the Slovaks in Hungary had entirely changed; that these alleged conditions would matenally benefit them. Pamphlets were printed and generously distributed among the Slovaks in this country. Even a poem was dedicated to the Slovaks of this country by a celebrated Magyar poet which in substance reminded the Slovaks of the glorious place of their birth and the loyalty that they owed the country in which they were born. In fact, the Magyar Government went to such extremes in this respect that they were able through their influence to send ordained priests and have them assigned to the Slovak parishes in this country. These instructed priests who carried out the mandates of their masters and arch conspirators, upon their return to their native soil were assigned to the most lucrative and prosperous Slovak churches. The Magyar Government was very considerate and careful that these priests were well taken care of for the balance of their lives. But fortunately the majority of the Slovak priests who came to this country were courageous enough to discard and disobey the instructions given them. They resolved to expose the true existing conditions in Hungary and showed how the Slovaks were misled by the instructed priests and gave the reasons for it. It was practically suicide for this kind of a priest to return to Hungary for he would be given the poorest kind of a parish and as a result he would be barely able to exist under the living conditions that would be forced upon him. Such was the punishment that the Magyar Government meted out to these patriotic Slovak preacher of the Gospel.

Within recent years an American citizen of Magyar origin was appointed by a former President of the United States as a special investigator to study the immigration situation of Hungary. When he arrived in that country he was wined and dined and welcomed with open arms and shown every consideration by the officials of the Magyar Government. This was done purposely to influence and induce this investigator to file a favorable report about the immigration conditions to this country. It was not long before this investigator ascertained the abnormal obstacles that were placed in the path of the then Hungarian immigrant. The situation was of an astounding character. This investigator, ignoring the desires of the Magyar officials made an exact and true report of the conditions as he had observed them and forwarded the same to his Government. The moment that it was ascertained that he was reporting the truth, all sorts of obstacles were immediately placed in the way of his performing his duties connected with his mission. Letters were written to our Government by the Magyar officials endeavoring to discredit this investigator. He was accused of being an exconvict and upon some flimsy concocted complaint filed against him, he was arrested, convicted and fined. This merely is an indication as to what extent the Magyar Government is able to stoop in order to prevent the truth from being known

and how they would deal with a person even if he represented a great and powerful country like the United States. It is a well known fact that the Magyar Government representatives in this country prior to the declaration of war by the United States against the Central Powers carried on a newspaper and personal propaganda campaign publishing various articles in their newspapers the contents of which were based upon false theories with an intention to operate against the best interests of our country The articles published in these newspapers as well as the personal solicitation of the Magyar representatives advised the Slovaks and the Magyars of this country to give up their positions or go out on strikes in factories and in other employments where war implements were manufactured, basing their argument upon the pretense that these war instruments would be used to destroy the lives of their Slovak brethern in Hungary. Articles in these newspapers and the influence of the Magyar agents were materially responsible in causing disorder in our commercial life and instilled an ill feeling in the hearts of some of the people, that they had reached through this means, against our country. Their activities became so prominent along these lines that an investigation was ordered by our authorities and the information that was gathered was sufficiently convincing to show us that these Magyar agents and their like were creating a great deal of disorder in this country and that they were just as bad as their brothers in crime, the German agents. These agents were plotters and schemers. They had no conscience nor any decency in their body. It was their object in view to undermine our Government. They stooped ever so low and stopped at nothing, no matter how cruel or base it was. Murder was in their hearts. They concocted schemes to blow up steamships sailing from our ports, to blow up into splinters our factories that were manufacturing munitions. The destroying of lite and property was of no consequence to them as long as they could serve their clowniEmperor Charles and their Fatherland. These men were a disgrace to this glorious country of ours. When our representatives had made their investigation and led their report, Dr. Dumba, ambassador of the Austria-Hungarian Government to the United States, was asked by our Government to leave this country. So we Americans bid this gentleman a fond farewell, this representative of a supposedly highly cultured, refined and humane peoples. An article published in the New Europe of December 19, 1918, contains a newspaper article carried by the Pesti Hirlap, a Magyar newspaper. which advises the carrying on abroad of a violent propaganda in the interest of the Magyars and the expenditure of any amount of money necessary to that end. This article is very significant as it is interesting for the following reason: On August 10, 1919, a whole page paid advertisement appeared in four New York newspapers entitled, "To the American Nation; Real Facts About Hungary," making an appeal to the President of the United States, to the United States Senate, to the House of Repres sentatives and to the American Nation for justice to Hungary and signed "The Andrican Committee for the Relief of Hungary; Bertalan Barna, chairman; Arnold Somlvo. corresponding secretary; 665 Fifth Avenue, New York City." This newspaper advertisement contains absolute misleading statements affecting the Slovak situation in which we are principally interested. The other nationalities therein mentionel can well take care of themselves which, no doubt, they will.

An estimate was secured by me from the manager of the advertising department of the New York World in which one of these ads appeared and the amount paid for this ad was exactly $1,344. In other words, it cost approximately $8,500 ↑ carry the above advertisement in the four New York newspapers. Can it be that this sum of money was part of the money that was intended to be expended as que’ed in the Pesti Hirlap for foreign propaganda work or have the purse strings of the govertment of Bela Kun been loosened or perhaps the pocket books of the Magyar landed aristocracy been opened to confuse and poison the minds of the American people as to the true facts concerning the dismemberment of the former Kingdom of Hungary Now, we behold the extraordinary scene of witnessing the presence of representatives of these Magyar people in this room of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee pleading for justice for their kinsmen. These representatives do not represent the Hungarians They are Magyars and only represent the Magyar people. It seems that they have mislead this committee as to whom they represent and it is evident that they have done this in order to get their case before your committee. It has been a wonder to me that they have not walked into this room arm in arm with the agents t t. Kaiser and his war lords, the representatives of the Sultan of Turkey, and the agents of Lenine and Trotsky and endeavored to palm these culprits on your committes and have them heard as to the unjustifiable manner in which their Asiatic and Eurpean possessions have been taken away from their Governments. The Magyarplaint against the dismemberment of former Hungary has no more merit than th claim of the above-mentioned Governments. They are and have been our enen.i.=

A statement made before the committee by Mr. Eugene Pivány, who spoke in behalf of the Magyar Government, was as follows: "If occupation for a thousand years is not acknowledged to be a valid title to a country, then we may be called upon some day to relinquish our title to Texas and California and other parts of the United States in fact, to Mexico or to Spain or to the Indians and the whole map of Europe may have to be made over, too." This statement clearly shows the operation of Mr. Pivány's mind: that if your committee decides against the claims of the Magyar Government, our Government must, to be consistent, turn back Texas, California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin to Mexico, Spain, Germany, or the Indians. It further shows conclusively by the illustration of this proposition that there is an intention of embroiling the citizens of our country into a foreign proposition by referring to the weik titles that according to their contention we possess to the States above mentioned. The principal claim advanced for the former Government of Hungary not to be dismembered is because the constitution of the Hungarian Government is a thousand years old, and the picture of this country is so beautiful that it would be a shame to spoil it. Hungary has been justly dismembered and the territory allotted has been fairly distributed to the people to whom it rightfully belongs and there is no doubt in my mind that this committee will not disturb the present boundary lines as marked out and agreed upon by the representatives of our country, as well as our associated powers. The Magyars have been convicted by the civilized world for the cruel and inhuman part they played in the past world war. They are now at the bar of justice awaiting sentence. There is no good reason why sentence should not be passed upon them, and may the Lord have mercy upon their souls.

All

But. let us see. What did the Czecho-Slovaks do to help us win the war? A Czecho-Slovak army was recruited in this country, numbering about 3,500 men. the members of this army were not American citizens. Some of them were beyond the draft age. They were under no particular obligation to serve our country by the taking up of arms. But they willingly and gladly volunteered their services in this army and with bullet and cold steel were cheerfully anxious to defend it, for a cause which they knew was just and right. This Czecho-Slovak army received its preliminary training at Stamford, Conn. This army was maintained and supported by the Czecho-Slovak people of this country. These courageous and brave men left their wives, sweethearts, parents, and dependents behind them, and with the greatest spirit and enthusiasm sailed for the battlefields of Europe, happy and contented to serve our country and to help defeat the barbaristic Huns and help thereby to secure ireedom and independence for their centuries oppressed kinsmen in Czecho-Slovakia. The Czecho-Slovaks in this country contributed largely to the Red Cross, bought millions of dollars worth of Liberty bonds. Information of the greatest importance relating to the enemy spy operations in this country, as well as abroad, was furnished to our different departments. In fact, their activities to help us win this war became so prominent that the United States Government recognized the services rendered by these people to us and took the Czecho-Slovak people out of the column of alien enemies and classified them as loyal Americans and staunch supporters of the Allies. Before the United States declared war against the Central Powers, hundreds of Czecho-Slovaks enlisted in the Canadian Army. Surely their anxiety to fight the Huns shows absolutely that they do not want to be a part of the Magyar Government as the Magyar representatives would have this committee to believe, but that they want to join hands, which they have, with their brother Czechs and maintain the Czecho-Slovak Republic and the territory which has been justly allotted to them. It is now an historical fact as to what service was rendered by the Czecho-Slovak army in Siberia. There is no question but that they were directly responsible in saving Russia for the Allies and thereby keeping German influence out of Russia. The civilized world recognizes the great service rendered by this courageous army to mankind.

But what did the Magyars do during the war? Not one single instance has been referred to by the Magyar representatives either in their oral testimony or in their briefs as to the particular services rendered by the Magyars in this country to help us What consideration as American citizens do they really deserve at the hands of this committee?

win the war.

In conclusion, I might state that there were thousands of Czecho-Slovaks who volunteered or were drafted into the service of the United States Army or Navy, many of them holding ranks as officers. They fought bravely and with distinction shoulder to shoulder with our boys. Many of them have sacrificed their lives and are now buried in graves upon the battle fields of Europe never again to come back to the land of their adoption. Many of them have been crippled and wounded. They are now nearly all back home again. Whatever changes may have taken place during their absence they will find that the United States has its heart in the right place and with open arms will welcome them back again into the folds of safety which 135546-19

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