The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-08-04
RUSSIAN PERSECUTION.
HOW THE POLES ARE TREATED
TmEaR LANGUAGE AND RELIGION
BEING CRUSHED QUIT OFF EXIST
ENCE, '"
New York Sun.l

The author Of "The Russians Of To-day
thinks that sentimental admirers of Russian
policy would be assisted in forming eonclu-
sion as to the happiness that awaits any
European provinces which the so-called Holy
Empire might wrest from Turkey II they
would first visit Russian Poland. But he re-
minds us that q preliminary journey to Posen
and Gallicia, belonging respectively to Ger
many and Austria, would be desirable lest
the sentimentaiist should fancy the things to
be witnessed In and around Warsaw are but
hardshlps inseparable from foreign donina-
tlon.. The writer points out that II .persecu-
tula it might be justifable to grind down The
districts about it's mouth, and by parity of
reasoning Germany could scarcely do other
wise than brutality Cypress the lately
annexed populations OF Alsace-Lorraine.
Alsace-L orrainers had been made to en-
dure thousandth part OF what the
Russian Poles are now suffering, there il
not q man Of heart In any country who could
find q word Of excuse for the infquty. The
fact Is that Russian cruelty has only been
seen dimly through haze, because Poland Is
tar off from us, and the means Of dltfusing
the truth thence few and precarious. There
Is no independent Polish press, and Pole
who should write letters to Western news
papers would soon be- detected and sent to
Siberia. Nevertheless, books full Of shocking
records have been published by Polish gem
tlemen of unimpeachable good faith, from
which the willing student might learn much
and he could also CLEAN some startling verb
ties from Polish refugees who are by no
means scarce in France or England. There Is
no doubt that since the crushing Of the Polish
rebellions of 1864 the policy inaugurated by
the conquerors has been that Of totally eradi-
who could not prove himself to have taken
an active part against the insurgents had
his property confiscated, and was exiled all
who had personally joined In the rebellion and
could be caught were Transported to Siberia,
and are still there, II alive. Women and girls
shared the fate Of men; 80 did boys, and In
dlsaffected districts villages were transferred
en- masse beyond the Urals. The country
once cleared OF Its rebel population German
and Russian emigrants were put, into the
tates were given to court favorites, for the
most part absentees The next thing was to
prohibit the teaching Of the Polish language
In schools and it's use in commercial transac-
churches. The publication Of books or news
papers in Polish Is penal offense, and the
Polish works accumulated in private libra
RIGS have long ago been seized. Polish boys
are educated out Of Russian histories which
treat Of their country with contempt, and at
the university they must sit still while pro-
fessors demonstrate to them that their patriot
fathers were brigands. It appears that almost
all the Catholic churches have been closed,
and such few as remain have priests in the
pay VI HDltCt, WIZ hsab bilG W
extract information as to alleged conspiracies.
Moreover, all the professions, including the
medical, have been shut against Poles who
refuse to take an oath which would make them
renegades to their country's cause and to
their religion for the first pledge exacted Of
him who "submitg,' as the term goes,
is that he shall embrace the Rus
sian orthodox faith. Failing this, in
deed, he cannot open q shop in his own
name, or buy land, or become school teach
er. OF course public spirit has been stamped
out by this implacable tyranny, yet resgna-
tion seems to offer no defense against the Ill
treatment Of officials, for it is part of the
eoercng system to make the Poles feel the
yoke weigh on their necks. A Pole who is
molested by q Russian brings his case before
Russian judges and can In no case get redress
Finally, the principle of surveillance is car
lied to such length that Polish women are
forbidden to wear mourning, because they
used to attire themselves in black on the ma
tional anniversaries. This Is the way in which
the apostles Of the Pan-Savic propaganda
and the self-styled champions Of Christendom
have dealt and are now dealing with one an
nexed population of Slavonic race and Chris
tian faith