The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-07-29
RUSSIA AND POLAND.
New York worlI.J


,,,arits of Russian and Turk ish civilization, |
the great progress achieved By the Russian |
nation during the last twenty years 10 |
pointed out, then the spectre OF tortured, |
bleeding Poland is habituaily brought for |
ward to silence all pleas in favor of it's tor |
turers and tie question arises, how can |
country which has thus mercilesBly treated
its own subjects play the part of liberator
abroad How awful the atrocities cup
poeed to have been committed in Poland
arc we have lately learned from lecture |
delivered in this city, in which the number
of Polish patriots hanged and otherwise
disposed of during the last insurrection OF
1868 was estimated at 100 000-nne fifth OF
the whole Polish population throughout
the Russian Empire.
Letting these dreadful fgures speak for |
themselves as to their statistical pro babil- |
ity. We think that pain, dispssslonete |
account of what the Polish question in |
Russia actually is may be of interest to our
readers. As we have previously shown the
national struggle between Ruesia and
Poland is of a very early origin. From the
beginning of the sixteenth century fighting
q between Russians aud Poles was almost
q. constantly carried on In some part of the
country-in the field between the armies
Of both countries, or within the limits of
the Kingdom of Poland itself between its
Russian peasants and it's Polish nobility.
For in order to comprehend rightly the
erue nature of tue strife 1t must be clearly
E, understood that the portion Poland which
wac subsequently annexed to Russia CON
, s,ated of two unequal parts. The smaller
>rf these, including the capital, Warsaw,
contained q homogeneous Polish popula
&ion; but the larger part, forming what is
now the west and southwest of Russia,
with the provinces of Wilma, Kovno, Grod-
kho, yolhy mia, Podolia and kief, had been
gradually torn off by Poland from Russia
during the time of the Tartar dominion.
~Ec these provinces the mejority of the pep
ulat;on, In fact the whole peasantry, is and
alyays has been Russian, and belongs to
che Greek Russian Church, the Polish ele-
ment being only represented by the nobil-
itY and the Cathoiic clergy. Ihis latter
,eiement, however, though forming but an
Inconsidera rable minority of the population,
Glas always been politically predominant.
In accordance with the oligarchiai social
order which has always been characteristic
of the kingdom of Poland, the people, with
-tts faitn aad its nationality, was treated
with the greatest cruelty and contempt by
rxIle conousrors. Hard labor, seItdom and
actual slavery were developed to an even
greater extent than in Russia at the came
& u,o, Bgolo (cattle) was the name by
- which Polish MOBILES generally designated |,
'TJj1tSr Russian serfs. It was but natural
Ihat among the latter deadly hatred
ahonld spripg Mp agaiust their masters and
rsi,s nationality of the latter, TINS 1eeing
sNainr Costered by all the most powerful
instincts which can arouse popu'ai 'hu'S
action reli gion, nationality and personal
In that part of the kingdom in which
-,,ua.unntry and mobiles both belonged to the
Polish nationality and the Catholic Church
tha condition of the working ciaes was
hardly preferable to thas OF !ne NusSG Srt
b,toLo The proud Polish noo'hty, ABSORB
cS in its constant internal quarrels, never
dreamed of giving to the people any share
in the political life of the country, or III
deed of seeing anything else in them o9S
machine for cultivatlnE their neius' III
rsreleasuess and supercilious contemp
Eor the people bore IN Time lbs run
when undermined by the petty diesen
sinna of i:s upper classes the countr,
was crushed by its allied enemies
found it's people ignorant, Indifferent de
void of national feeling and unable to de
Tepd their national Independence.
This same feature in the character OF til
ESoI;ah n alton which mainly brought on IL
rain has remained unchanged to the pros
emf day, giving peculiar character to tn
insurrectons which periodically ShaHe snI
unaappy country and lending to the hu'
alan Government a welcome support ior u
asAimilatiug policy. Now, as IN the daS
of the Z ices PoSpolitd or the Polish olga
.cby, all lnsuTTectional ideas, all Keen ht m
tional ideas, live or in the hearts OF u
nobility aud clergy alone. The people
1be Western Russian provinces Tegal
Ihem with hatred and are the natural ain
of the Russian Government in all its II
pressive measures against the Polish
hnity: and the peasantry IN the klngoomR I'm
Poland itself do not care to quit the
homes aud shed their blood for a eau
tbev cannot understand. Even the towr
which are numerous, have not t;HS dsVelGe I,;n
an Intelligent middle class Whlch mi
ennport and popularizo the national asI
rations of the nobility, all tho CONNER
and industry being in the hands OF I
Jews, the number of whom in oil the ron
proyinces is nearly equal TO that CT I
Poles themselves. IL we bear in mind th
of the whole population of Russian Pola
at least two-thirds (4.5OO, ,0oo) belong
the peasant Class and one million are Je .,
We ave naturally brought to the conciusi
xhet somewhat less that 500 600 mon a
All the Polish national party can possit
dispose of. AL the rest of the populatl
is either hostile or indiherene, maxi
covnnon cause with the party which ne
repa 20 be the strOngeat and the most to
feareds