The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-05-23
NEW ERA FOR THE POLES.
Int resting Review of the Policy Of Cancellation
Pursued by the Car Nicholas.

the former gl0r-eS OF the palace OF the Old
Polish kings on the Mount Wavel at
Krakow. which is to be presented TO Francis
Joseph on the forthcoming fftieth anniversary
of his ascension to the throne. The Galcian
peasantry make magnificent cavalry soldiers
and the Polish nobility the most dashing ana
brilliant cavalry officers. Moreover, the Polish
aristocracy possess SO much intuitive shrewd-
ness and innate diplomacy that from their
ranks have been recruited many of the most
responsible and valuable servants of the Aus
tro-Hungaran crown. Thus the Prime Minis
ter Of Austria at the present moment is a
Polish noble of the name of Count Badeni,
while Emperor Francis Joseph, on the occa-
sion of his recent state visit to the court of ST.
Petersburg, was accompanied by another great
dignitary of Polish nationality, Count Golou-
chowski, popularity known as 'Golou," and
who fills the Office of Minister of Foreign
Affairs for the dual empire, and performs like
wise the duties of Minister and Chacncellor
of what is known as the Imperial House of
Austria.
Without recommending the Car to intrust
the destines of Russia to Polish MOBILES as
has been done in the case OF Austria by the
Emperor Francis Joseph, who has never made
the mis- take of attempting to Austrianize his
Polish subjects, there is no reason whatsoever
why Nicholas should not If he continues in
his present enlightened course of policy con-
vert the Poles in his dominions into Just as
loyal and as devoted vassals and supporters OF
his throne as are the Galicians in connection
with the crown of Austria-Hungary And
may add that no happier time could have been
chosen for the Inauguration OF a new policy of
this kind in Russian Poland, for it. comedies
with renewal of Emperor Williams singu-
larly ill-advised endeavors to Prussianize
Posen-that is to say, that portion OF the
former kingdom of Poland, which at the time
of the partition of the latter in the last CEN
tury was awarded TO Prussia. People in the
past have been so much accustomed to look
for despotism and tyranny on the part of
Russia that nobody has paid much attention
10 Prussia's persecu lion OF her Polish su bjects
True there have been times when the perse-
cution has abated for period. But the rea-
sons for this have been of q nature to reflect
no credit on the authorities at Berlin, for 1t
has been invariably due not TO any sense of
justice nor to any considerations of statecraft
but merely in consequence of the influence
exercised at court by some Polish nobiewoman
possess of the beauty and captivating charms
OF her race. AS long as Bismarck remained at
the head OF affairs this served TO intensity his
hatred of the Poles, and the latter, looking
upon him as one of the bit,erest foes
OF their race, naturally took conspicuous part
in every court cabal against him, for which
1t Is true he lost no opportunity of revenging
himself When the old Emperor died and the
influence which the prineelv house of Radz-
will had exercised upon HIM came to an end
Bismarck had free hand and oppressed the
Poles mobiles as we'll as peasants. 10 his hearts
content This continued until his disgrace
Shortly afterward the young Emperor became
subjugated by the grace and beauty
of Baroness Kosciol Koscielski, wife of
one OF the leaders of the Polish
party in the Prussian House of Lords, and
perhaps the most populsr among his country
men of all their national poets and play
wrights. The mastery which the Baroness OBJ
tanned over the young En- peror was so great
that it led to his Majesty's reversal of the
Bismarckian policy toward the Poles, where
upon the ex-Chancelor, in the course OF d
public speech declared that "the Polish infu-
ence augments to the detriment of Prussia al
ways in the measure that some Polish family
obtains more less influence at court.
need not mention that of the Radziwills and
to-day We have exactly the same state of af
fairs" Bismarck's allusion to the Radziwills
was reference to the old Emperor's "grande
passion" for that lovely Princess Elizabeth
Radzwiil, whom he was at one moment on
The point OF marrying. and to whom he re-
manned devoted throughout her lifetime.
This, however, did not stay young Emperor
William. On the contrary, it Sc rived merely
to cause him to show more and more favor to
the Kosciols and he not only re-establishe ed in
Difference to their entreaties the Polish Ian
guage in the schools and churches of Posen
and nominated Pol ish ecclesiastic to the
arch bishopric OF that province, but Likewise
appolnte ted a number of Polish mobiles TO i'm
portant offices at court and in the army.
All things come to an end, even the reign OF
a beautiful and clever woman. If court Cos
sip at Berlin is to be believed 10th the En-
press Victoria Augusta and her mother-in-law
Empress Frederick, showed themselves
aggrieved by the amount of talk created both
at home and abroad through the attentions
OF the Kaiser to the fair Pole. Moreover dur
| ing the grand army maneuvers that took pl ace
| in the province of Poser some of the Polls h
| mobiles in whose castles Bavarian, Saxon and
other princes of the Con federation known as
the German empire had been quartered were
embroidered by what they looked upon as
the Empercr's favor toward their race to
adopt spirit OF indepe ndence which took the
form in several cases OF refusal to hoist the
flag of their royal guests on the ground that
| no colors could be permitted to fly except
those of Poland. The climax, however, came
when Baron Koscio- Koscio lski, on meeting
the Austrian Emperor at the opening of the
exhibition at Lemberg in Austrian Poland
hailed not Emperor William but his Austrian
Majesty as the real and only king of Poland
willing to accord allegiance. This speech was
i'm mediately communicated to Emperor Will
liam, and as 1t happened 10 reach his ears
| sim ultaneously with angry protests from the
King of Saxony, who complained of the sights
to which his brother. Prince George, had be en-
su jected as above described by the Polish no.
biemen in whose castles he mad been quar-
tered during the army maneuvers, he deter
mined in his usual impulsive fashion to cut
aurift from influences tina: had become mat
ter of public gossip and popular i'll will. So he
intimated to the Blron and Baroness that
their absence from court was preferred to
their presence, and when the Baron travelled
to Potsdam TO try to explain matters the
Emperor sternly refused to receive him and
suggested in manner that allowed no misun-
Outstanding that the Baron should leave The
city at once and remain on his es sates
That ended Polish influence at the court of
Berlin, and as If to atohe for his infatuation,
| which while it lasted served TO estrange many
OF his Prussian mobiles and his South German
| allies, William is now manifesiing as much
| bitterness and i'll Will toward the Poles as he
formerly showed favor. He has as far as pos
sible removed all the Polish mobiles from the
positions of dignity aud trust to which ne had
appointed them while subject to the thralldom
of the Baroness and loses no opportunity OF
saying harsh things about the Pores in general,
denouncing them as ungrateful and disloyal
threatening them with the fullest measure OF
his wrath in the event of his discovering them
engaged in any practices that can possibly be
construed as reasonable. Naturally his SUBJ
ordinates take their cue from him. and the re-