The Czechoslovak Review/Volume 2/The Cleveland Conference

THE CLEVELAND CONFERENCE.

 

A conference of the Bohemian National Alliance, as well as a joint meeting of the Alliance and the Slovak League, were held in Cleveland on October 16th and 17th. Delegates of the district committees of the Alliance held a meeting on the first day and elected Mr. Thomas Čapek, chairman of their convention. Several changes in the constitution of the organization were approved, all looking toward greater democratization of the movement. Of these changes the most important one provides that the president and the secretary of the Alliance shall in the future be elected by the vote of the district committees. Action was taken to have every Czech in the United States make a gift to the cause on Thanksgiving Day in gratitude for the practical accomplishment of the aim which the Bohemian National Alliance has pursued for the last four years, namely the erection of an independent Czechoslovak Republic.

At a joint meeting of the two Czechoslovak organizations Albert Mamatej acted as chairman. Reports were rendered by various bureaus and discussion centered on means to make the central body representing all the Czechoslovaks in America perform its important work more efficient. As a result of the discussion it was decided that the central Czechoslovak body should be composed of twenty members, ten for the Czechs and ten for the Slovaks. The Slovak members are: Albert Mamatej, Jan Janček, Andrew Shustek, Miss Ethel Cablk, Rev. J. Murgaš, Michael Bosak, Rev. L. Karlovský, Jan Pankuch, Milan Getting and Rev. L. Kubášek. The Czech members are: President of the Bohemian National Alliance, ex-officio, Vojta Beneš, Prof. B. Šimek, Thomas Čapek, J. J. Zmrhal, Joseph Martinek, Rev. Innocent Kestl, Rev. Oldřich Zlámal, John Straka and Hynek Dostál. This body afterwards organized itself by electing Prof. Šimek for president, Mr. Mamatej and the Rev. Father Kestl for vice-presidents, Mr. Shustek for treasurer, Mr. Straka for financial secretary and Mr. Beneš for recording secretary. The full body will meet regularly once a year and oftener as emergency may require, while the executive consisting of the six officers will meet once a month in the city of Chicago.

Among other actions taken by the joint convention was the adoption of the Bohemian Review as their official organ under the name of the Czechoslovak Review, and the creation of a committee to gather statistics of Czechoslovaks in America and collect material for a history of the great movement for independence, as far as it has been carried on in this country.