Bohemia’s national enfranchisement, if carried out on a linguistic basis, will rescue the old lands of the Bohemian crown, namely Bohemia, Moravia and the Slovak districts of northwestern Hungary, from Teutonic rule. The historical validity of Bohemia’s claims to independence and the failure of centuries of Germanization to deprive the Bohemian of his individuality establish the country’s right to a distinct place in a Europe of free and harmonious nations. The Bohemian has his own objects in self-development and the achievement of his independence should be no disparagement of the aims and pursuits of other nations. FOOTNOTES: [144] Official Austrian figures estimate the number of Slovaks at slightly over 2,000,000. Slavic authorities generally give higher figures. [145] J. Zemmich: Deutschen und Slawen in den österreichischen Südetenländern, _Deutsche Erde_, Vol. 2, 1903, pp. 1-4. [146] L. Bourlier: Les Tchèques et la Bohême contemporaine, Paris, 1897, pp. 143-220. [147] Census returns for 1910. New Inter. Encyc., New York, 1914. [148] Quoted from the _Geogr. Journ._, Vol. 16, 1900, p. 553. [149] According to data gathered by Niederle “the Bohemian boundary in the fourteenth century started at Kynwart and passed through Zdar, Kralipy and Komotan, the latter being German. Thence it attained Most and spread to Duchcov and Dieczin. Bilin and Teplitz were still Bohemian. The frontier then reached the German settlement of Benesov and extended to Jablonna and beyond the Iestred mountains until it struck the sources of the Iser river. Reichenberg was a German city in the fourteenth century. The Germans also occupied the mountainous land beyond Hohenelbe. This town was then peopled by Bohemians mainly, but Pilnikov, Trutnov, Zaclev and Stare Buky were already German. Starkov was Bohemian, but the Brunov region and the Kladsko country was Germanized. Olesnica and Rokytince were Bohemian. Beyond Policzka and Litomysl the situation was similar to that of our day. Nemecky Brod contained a German enclave. Jindrichuv Hradec as well as Budweiss, Krumlov and Prachatice were inhabited by both peoples. The Kasperk mountains were mainly German. The boundary in the Domazlice country was on Bohemian soil. Klatovy was a mixed zone, while Tachov was German.” [150] Lützow: Bohemia, New York, 1910, pp. 71, 92. [151] L. Niederle: La race slave, Paris, 1916, p. 109. [152] Lützow: op. cit., p. 294. [153] V. Gayda: Modern Austria, New York, 1915. [154] L. Niederle: La race slave, Paris, 1911, p. 127. [155] L. Niederle: La race slave, Paris, 1916, p. 106. [156] The March acquires this name in its last stretch. CHAPTER VIII THE LANDS OF HUNGARIAN AND RUMANIAN LANGUAGES