Papers and Documents relating to the Foreign Relations of Hungary, Volume 1, 1919–1920 (Budapest, 1939)

Appendix III. Parliamentary debates

g6i partly owing to the late date and partly to those fetters the Peace Conference imposed on itself), it proposes the postponement of such changes until the frontier delimitation commissions commence their work, provided they find that some of the decisions of the Peace Treaty create so unjust a situation that they ought to correct it in the general European interest. In such cases it will be their privilege to report this matter to the Council of the League of Nations and the Council may offer its good offices, if one of the interested parties requests it, to make certain changes in the new boundaries in accordance with the suggestion of the delimitation commission. (Commotion.) I declare here that the Hungarian nation acknowledges this as a concession, but only if the frontier delimitation commissions use their privilege and power whenever and wherever Europe's interests demand it; if they will consider it their moral responsibility to exercise their rights whether it is in the material interests of Eastern Europe — which material interest depends so much on tranquillity and orderly conditions (Approval) or in the moral interests of Europe, which means that there should be no illegality or injustice committed or maintained. If this is their conception of Europe's interest, if the Peace Conference itself interprets it thus, if the frontier delimitation commissions will interpret and act accordingly, and if the League will interpret and execute it in the same spirit, then this paragraph of the Accompanying Letter is significant indeed . . . We can regard it as a step forward only if this paragraph has a moral connotation as well and is not addressed solely to us. The same applies to the following passage; (Reads) „The Allied and Associated Powers are confident that this proceeding will furnish a convenient method for correcting in the delineation of the frontiers all injustice against which objections not unfounded can be raised. Now I proceed to the next paragraph which deals with a more concrete question, namely the Ruthenian question. (Hear! Hear!) This paragraph reads: „The Treaty with the Czechoslovak State signed by them [the Allies] provides the population of the autonomous province of Ruthenia with the means of making their desires publicly know." In other words, they may express whether they wish to secede from Czecho-Slovakia and join another State, for instance, or whether they wish to rejoin Hungary. Miklós Kutkafalvy : They have so announced on several occasions. Count Paul Teleki: The Ruthenes have so declared and we do not doubt their intentions and we are convinced of their (il