The Fate of Western Hungary 1918-1921 - Corvinus Library ...

The post of overall commander of the insurrection forces was also assumed by
Lt.Col. Prónay (ret.), who named Maj. Count Tamás Erdődy (ret.) as head of
the Western Hungary gendarmerie, as Police Commissioner.
Legally, the leaders of Lajta-Banate primarily referred to the fact that,
although the Trianon peace pact awarded Western Hungary – which was
evacuated by the Hungarian army – to Austria but that territory the Austrian
authorities did not immediately take into their possession. The reason was that
the Viennese government could not curb the political chaos in its country and
the emerging Leftist movements. As a result, the power vacuum in Western
Hungary was filled by Hungarian patriots, the armed units of the national
rebels. The Cabinet of Lajta-Banate also referred to the basic principle of the
Paris Peace Conference, the right of self-determination of people – a principle
which the decision makers in Paris decided not to apply to a significant portion
of Hungarians living in Hungary! As a result, under the terms of the Trianon
Treaty, one-third of Hungarians living in the Carpathian Basin, approx. 3.5
million ethnic Hungarians, were transferred under a foreign government –
Czechoslovak, Romanian and South Slav – while at least half the territory this
population inhabited was linked intrinsically to the core Hungarian ethnic area.
On the same day, the Szombathely publication, Vas County, ran a special
edition that reported the event. 420 On the same date as the proclamation in
Felsőőr, similar events took place in the Hungarian-speaking settlements of
Felsőpulya, Kismarton, Nezsider, Lakompak and Nagyszentmihály. Posters
appeared on the streets of Felsőőr later the same day, on the following day in
the other Borderland settlements.
”People of Western Hungary!
The proclamation of the independence, sovereignty and neutrality of the
territory evacuated under the terms of the Trianon peace has taken place at
noon on October 4, 1921 in Felsőőr and the supreme command of the rebel
forces in the evacuated territory has been set up. The population of Nezsider,
Kismarton, Felsőpulya and Németújvár districts endorse the independence
declaration and the memorandum of the same, signed by the councils of the
villages and each village’s seals affixed thereto, has been sent to the supreme
council in Felsőőr.” 421
The constitution of Lajta-Banate was written by Dr. Ferenc Lévay, based on
420 Vasvármegye, 1921, October 4 issue. The owner and publisher of theSzombathely
newspaper, National Assembly representative Albin Lingauer, under the laws in effect
at the time, was responsible for presenting the pre-publication text of the special edition
to the Royal Public Prosecutor’s Office for clearance. As he did not do so, he ran afoul
of article § 27 of law XIV of 1914. The prosecutor wanted to open proceedings against
him and petitioned the National Assembly to lift his parliamentary immunity privilege.
In: Nemzetgyűlés Irományai, XIII. kötet. Budapest, 1922, p. 360.
421 Missuray-Krúg, 1935, op. cit., p. 163.
163