The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-02-02
GERMANY, POLISH DANGER.
THE OLD SPIRIT or NATIONA III
I TY.
Reawnkening Among the People OF
the Partitioned Kingdom.

danger" Their eyes are directed to tn
east, where they see compact Slavi
population of over three million
wedged between them and their power
full Russian neighbor. This Polish pop
ulation is almost altogether Catholic il
religion, and bitterly opposed to thu
rule of Germany. For over twenty
years, ever since the Poles of German.
became conscious Of their power ant
the Importance of their geographical
position, a movement of a nationa
character has been on foot with the OBJ
feet of unifying the Poles under the re
speotive governments of Russia, Aus
tria and Grmany. The leaders or this
movement are not so foolish as to ex-
pect any immediate results but they
have succeeded in awakening anlbi-
tious hops among their followers. and
1t is the general belief Of the people that
sooner or later Polish kingdom will
be established, stretching from the Bal
tic to the Black sea, and resume it's old
place in the councils of the nations. 1t
is a foolish dream, which can never be
realized, but it is dreamt by millions,
and it must be reckoned with.
During the ascendency of Prince Bis
marck, attempts were made to repress
the national aspirations of the Poles,
but they have been unsuccessful. The
great chancellor induced the Reichstag
to assign a sum of twenty million dol
lars for the purchase of land held by
impoverished Polish land owners, and
the parceling out of this land among
German peasants. The Poles met this
scheme by one of their own. They
established a f1ourishing land bank
with funds for the purchase of land
held by Germans, with the object of di-
viding out land so acquired among Po-
| fish peasants. These rival schemes
have had about equal success. The
Bismarck funds have enabled twenty
thousand German families to settle in
Polish districts; the Polish land bank
has provided funds for twenty thou
sand Polish families to settle in Ger
man districts.
Another idea of Bismarck's was the
forcible expulsion of Prussian and Ca
lician Poles from German territory.
Some thousands of Poles In this way
were banished, but their place has been
more than filled by the annual immi
grafton of harvesters and other Poles
in search of work. Added to this is the
we'll ascertained fact that the poles in
crease at far greater rate than the
German population Their families are
larger, and their needs not so numer-
Gus.
That the Germans are being driven
westward is no longer a matter of
doubt, and here on a somewhat small
scale, but still significant, we have an
other example of the irresistible expan-
sion of the Slavic races. Toward the
east their arms and colonies are press
ing in on the Chinese; toward the south
they are seeking outlets on the Medi-
terranean and Persian gulf toward the
west they are encroaching on the Teu-
tonic population. Where will it end?
In the onward march of the Slavs what
changes will the future make on our
maps?
Half generation ago the trade of the
important Prussian provinces of Posen
and West Prussia was almost entirely
in German hands. This was especially
the case in the towns. This condition
of affairs is rapidly changing, and at
the present time we have the bulk of
the trade transferred to Polish hands
In country districts no German in
trade can hope for SUGGESTIVE Poles
simply boycott him. Nor are the Poles
any longer to be despised as an igno
rant body of illiterate peasants. TWEEN
ty years and compulsory education
have changed all that and their stand
ard Of education at the present time is
nearly as high as that of their German
neighbors. They recognize the power
of the press in their agitation work,
and large sums are annually sub
scrIbed by rich and poor to subsidize
in all PoIish-spealing dis
tricts No Pole will read a German
if he can obtain one in his
own language. No Pole will speak the
German language is his own home, and .
if his children in certain cases are
obliged to attend German school, he
axes care that they do not lose syl-
able Of their own treasured language,
and that the Teutonic sentiments &C
luired among Prussians are carefully
re dicated
In addition to the press as means of
political egitation, the Polish leaders,
Ilu l1llS IL especially tluc vi tliSll SlCi-
~ are keenly alive to the value of as
both of political and char
table nature, in keeping alive and kind ,
ing national sentiment. Over fifty ,
registered members of such
associations are known to the Prusslan !
The police would dissolve !
hese bodies If they dared, for they ,
now that they are hotbeds Of sedition,
nut they refrain from doing so on the :
round that the Poles deprived of !
aces of meeting would be driven to
he formation of secret associations ,
the German government is :
4 a difficult position. 1t is face to face +
18th q united people conscious of their =,
trength, inspired with a liked idea, toll !
rant of no compromise, believing firm 6
= in the justice of their cause The :
resent government, moreover is hand ,
'apped by the mistakes of their prede- .
essors in office. Hitherto numberless r
exatious regulations have been made 6
18th the object apparently of driving \
re Poles to become lawbrea kers Pet
7 police measures have been put in !
,rce with the object Of hindering the
regulation of Polish newspapers; to
revent the use VI the Polish language +
public meetings; to insist on the S
resence of a police officer at all such G