OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS TREATY OF PEACE BETWEEN THE PRINCIPAL ALLIED AND ASSOCIATED POWERS AND CZECHO-SLOVAKIA.1 Signed at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, September 10, 1919. The United States of America, the British Empire, France, Italy and Japan, the Principal Allied and Associated Powers, on the one hand, And Czecho-Slovakia, on the other hand; Whereas the union which formerly existed between the old Kingdom of Bohemia, the Markgraviate of Moravia and the Duchy of Silesia on the one hand and the other territories of the former AustroHungarian Monarchy on the other has definitely ceased to exist, and Whereas the peoples of Bohemia, of Moravia and of part of Silesia, as well as the peoples of Slovakia, have decided of their own free will to unite, and have in fact united, in a permanent union for the purpose of forming a single sovereign independent State under the title of the Czecho-Slovak Republic, and Whereas the Ruthene peoples to the south of the Carpathians have adhered to this union, and Whereas the Czecho-Slovak Republic in fact exercises sovereignty over the aforesaid territories and has already been recognised as a sovereign independent State by the other High Contracting Parties, The United States of America, the British Empire, France, Italy and Japan on the one hand, confirming their recognition of the Czecho-Slovak State as a sovereign and independent member of the Family of Nations within the boundaries which have been or may be determined in accordance with the terms of the Treaty of Peace with Austria of even date; Czecho-Slovakia on the other hand, desiring to conform her institutions to the principles of liberty and justice, and to give a sure 1 British Treaty Series, 1919, No. 20. guarantee to all inhabitants of the territories over which she has assumed sovereignty; The High Contracting Parties, anxious to assure the execution of Article 57 of the said Treaty of Peace with Austria, Have for this purpose named as their Plenipotentiaries, that is to say: The President of the United States of America: The Honourable Frank Lyon Polk, Under-Secretary of State; General Tasker H. Bliss, Military Representative of the United His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions Beyond the Seas, Emperor of India: The Right Honourable Arthur James Balfour, O. M., M. P., The Right Honourable Andrew Bonar Law, M. P., His Lord The Right Honourable Viscount Milner, G. C. B., G. C. M. G., The Right Honourable George Nicoll Barnes, M. P., Minister And for the Dominion of Canada: The Honourable Sir Albert Edward Kemp, K. C. M. G., Minister of the Overseas Forces; for the Commonwealth of Australia: The Honourable George Foster Pearce, Minister of Defence; for the Union of South Africa: The Right Honourable Viscount Milner, G. C. B., G. C. M. G.; for the Dominion of New Zealand: The Honourable Sir Thomas Mackenzie, K. C. M. G., High for India: The Right Honourable Baron Sinha, K. C., Under-Secretary of State for India; 'The President of the French Republic: Mr. Georges Clemenceau, President of the Council, Minister of War; Mr. Stephen Pichon, Minister for Foreign Affairs; Mr. Louis-Lucien Klotz, Minister of Finance; Mr. André Tardieu, Commissary General for Franco-American Mr. Jules Cambon, Ambassador of France; His Majesty the King of Italy: The Honourable Tommaso Tittoni, Senator of the Kingdom The Honourable Vittorio Scialoja, Senator of the Kingdom; His Majesty the Emperor of Japan: Viscount Chinda, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of H. M. the Emperor of Japan at London; Mr. K. Matsui, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of H. M. the Emperor of Japan at Paris; Mr. H. Ijuin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of H. M. the Emperor of Japan at Rome; The President of the Czecho-Slovak Republic by: Mr. Karel Kramàř, President of the Council of Ministers; Mr. Edward Benes, Minister for Foreign Affairs; Who, after having exchanged their full powers, found in good and due form, have agreed as follows: CHAPTER I. ARTICLE 1. Czecho-Slovakia undertakes that the stipulations contained in Articles 2 to 8 of this Chapter shall be recognised as fundamental laws and that no law, regulation or official action shall conflict or interfere with these stipulations, nor shall any law, regulation or official action prevail over them. ARTICLE 2. Czecho-Slovakia undertakes to assure full and complete protection of life and liberty to all inhabitants of Czecho-Slovakia without distinction of birth, nationality, language, race or religion. All inhabitants of Czecho-Slovakia shall be entitled to the free exercise, whether public or private, of any creed, religion or belief, whose practices are not inconsistent with public order or public morals. ARTICLE 3. Subject to the special provisions of the Treaties mentioned below Czecho-Slovakia admits and declares to be Czecho-Slovak nationals ipso facto and without the requirement of any formality German, Austrian or Hungarian nationals habitually resident or possessing rights of citizenship (pertinenza-Heimatsrecht) as the case may be at the date of the coming into force of the present Treaty in territory which is or may be recognised as forming part of Czecho-Slovakia under the Treaties with Germany, Austria or Hungary respectively, or under any Treaties which may be concluded for the purpose of completing the present settlement. Nevertheless, the persons referred to above who are over eighteen years of age will be entitled under the conditions contained in the said Treaties to opt for any other nationality which may be open to them. Option by a husband will cover his wife, and option by parents will cover their children under eighteen years of age. Persons who have exercised the above right to opt must within the succeeding twelve months transfer their place of residence to the State for which they have opted. They will be entitled to retain their immovable property in Czecho-Slovak territory. They may carry with them their movable property of every description. No export duties may be imposed upon them in connection with the removal of such property. ARTICLE 4. Czecho-Slovakia admits and declares to be Czecho-Slovak nationals ipso facto and without the requirement of any formality persons of German, Austrian or Hungarian nationality who were born in the territory referred to above of parents habitually resident or possessing rights of citizenship (pertinenza-Heimatsrecht) as the case may be there, even if at the date of the coming into force of the present Treaty they are not themselves habitually resident or did not possess rights of citizenship there. Nevertheless, within two years after the coming into force of the present Treaty, these persons may make a declaration before the competent Czecho-Slovak authorities in the country in which they are resident, stating that they abandon Czecho-Slovak nationality, and they will then cease to be considered as Czecho-Slovak nationals. In this connection a declaration by a husband will cover his wife, and a declaration by parents will cover their children under eighteen years of age. ARTICLE 5. Czecho-Slovakia undertakes to put no hindrance in the way of the exercise of the right which the persons concerned have under the Treaties concluded or to be concluded by the Allied and Associated Powers with Germany, Austria or Hungary to choose whether or not they will acquire Czecho-Slovak nationality. ARTICLE 6. All persons born in Czecho-Slovak territory who are not born nationals of another State shall ipso facto become Czecho-Slovak nationals. ARTICLE 7. All Czecho-Slovak nationals shall be equal before the law and shall enjoy the same civil and political rights without distinction as to race, language or religion. Differences of religion, creed or confession shall not prejudice any Czecho-Slovak national in matters relating to the enjoyment of civil or political rights, as for instance admission to public employments, functions and honours, or the exercise of professions and industries. No restriction shall be imposed on the free use by any CzechoSlovak national of any language in private intercourse, in commerce, in religion, in the press or publications of any kind, or at public meetings. Notwithstanding any establishment by the Czecho-Slovak Government of an official language, adequate facilities shall be given to Czecho-Slovak nationals of non-Czech speech for the use of their language, either orally or in writing, before the courts. |