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

odies and contact with foreign entities, all the while having to try and
neutralize the threatened occupying attempts from all sides by Austrian, Czech,
Romanian and Serb forces. He also had to address the calling to account the
local henchmen of the Communist terror and the neutralization of the extremist,
anti-Semitic elements appearing in the county. 171 Two days later, on August 14,
German autonomy in Western Hungary was suspended, along with the
activities of every local governing body.
The Western Hungary Government Committee, headed by commissioner
Antal Sigray, cooperated closely with the II. Division headquarters, also in
Szombathely, under Col. Antal Lehár, whose sphere also extended over the
previously named four counties. The already mentioned March 22, 1920
parliamentary question of National Assembly representative Albin Lingauer 172
also posed that the government commission initiate contact not with the
government in Vienna but the Styrian provincial government
(Landesregierung) operating in Graz and co-operate closely with it. The reason
for it was that “the Landesregierung of Graz was the one that gave sanctuary to
the Hungarian counter-revolutionaries of the time, benevolently closing its eyes
to us, permitting to bring in our weapons, men and equipment. The
Landesregierung only asked that, if we should have a surplus of animals and
food, we should let them have some of the surplus. In return, it assumed the
responsibility that, for the to-be organized Lehár battalion of the National
Army, and indeed the entire division, will permit us to ship equipment, boots,
overcoats, etc. through their territory. This has, in fact, happened.” 173
With the active work of the Government Committee 174 and the aid of the
units of Col. Lehár, the control of the government slowly solidified in Western
171 Békés, 2006, op. cit., p. 758.
172 Albin Lingauer (Lékay-Lingauer), born in 1877 in the village of Gönyű. He studied
law in the University of Sciences in Budapest. He was editor, editor-in-chief and owner
of the publication, Vasvármegye, of Szombathely. In WWI, he fought in the front lines
and was wounded three times. During the era of the Hungarian Soviet Republic, he was
ordered arrested for anti-revolutionary actions but managed to escape to Serb territory,
where he was briefly jailed under suspicion of spying. In 1921, he took an active part in
both attempts by Charles IV to regain the throne, while being one of the main
organizers of the Western Hungary revolt. He was the city of Kőszeg national (1920-
1926) then parliamentary (1926-1935) representative. He died in Linz in 1962. See
Békés, Márton: Egy vidéki „újságkirály sorsa. I. rész [The fate of a provincial
“newspaper baron.” Part I]. In: Vasi Szemle, 2006, issue 1, pp 15–34; part II, issue 2,
pp. 171–185.
173 Nemzetgyűlési Napló [Parliamentary Minutes], Vol. I, 1920, p. 150.
174 The reinstatement of public administration could only be done by citing pre-October
31, 1918 statutes. Basing its actions on special Law LXIII of 1912 that the government
passed in the event of a war, it created government committees on the territory of what
remained to Hungary, first of all in Western Hungary. The statute – among other things
– authorizes the government to take extraordinary actions even under the (mere-ed.)
threat of war, gave instructions on the use of the police and gendarmerie, the suspension
of trials by jury.
75