The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-06-28
WHY POLAND IS NOT VA TON
Partition Of the Ancienf Kingdom, Which Is Now the
Scene Of Reyolt and Cossack Massacre.

The ancient kingdom Of Poland, par
itioned hundred years ago by Austria,
Prussia and Russia, Is. today the center
OF the revolt against Russian bureau
cracy. Long a strictly agricultural coun-
try Poland has only recently become the
manufacturing center of Russia, and it's
Workmen have come under the influence
OF a socialism dangerous to the ruling
classes. LODI, for example, where riot
ing IS now IN progress, is a city of about
100000 people, whose principal industry
IS cotton manufacture. The people are
poor and have no arms worth mentioning,
While the military administration is
strong and ruthless. Insurrection in Po-
land Is only possible of success under ex-
tremely difficult conditions in Russia, but
those conditions seem to ripen fast with
the losses Of Russia in the Japanese war
and the incapacity Of the bureaucracy in
all directions.
In Its Greatness.
Poland at the time of its greatest ter
r1tor1al expansion in the third quarter Of
the sixteenth century, included a large
part OF the great central plain of central
Europe. Its extent was nearly 400, 900
square miles and it's population about
35,O0O,OOO. Poland, like Ireland, has lost
It's nationality and its population has
dWindled considerably, tho the greater
portion Of the people still occupying the
territory of the former kingdom are
Poles. Next in numbers come Lithuan-
lans and Jews AS the result of three
successive partitions in the latter half
OF the eighteenth century Poland disap-
peared from the map and the boundaries
OF Russia, Austria and Prussia were cor
| respondingly enlarged. Prussia took
what Is now Posen, East Prussia and
| part Of West Prussia. Austria's grab
| was the kingdom of Galicia, while the
| slice that fell to Russia, about three
fourths of the whole, included the former
Polish territories of Courland, Livonia
Lithuania part Of Little Russia and the
| so-called governments, ten in number
headed by Warsaw, the ancient capital.
Early History. 4
The early history of Poland is the leg
end of fierce and relentless wars between
| people largely nomadic. Sienkewicz
| with Fire and Sword Is a graphic pic
| ture Of the battles sieges victories and
| defeats which characterized the periot
down to the beginning of the seventeenth
century, when Polish nationality hat
reached its flood tide by the consolida
| ton Of Poland with Lithuania. The
kingdom then extended from the Baltic
nearly to the Black sea, and from thu
Oder river in the west to the Dnieper If
| the east. It was the most powerful
kingdom in central Europe. But thu
| seeds Of destruction were already sow1
in the clashing factions Of the nobilit!
and the fact that Poland about this time
became an elective kingdom. The throne
soon became the prey Of bribery and thu
factions alternately ruled and attempted
to ruin. r. -,3s. j. ~ y gis
Curious Political Defects. ..
National weakness was further accentu
ated by the singular provision of the con
stitution which required a unanimous vot
to make the proceedings Of the diet bind
ing. The kingdom was going to the ba
steadily until Catharine came to tn
throne of Russia and then it suddenl
turned for the worse. She, in 1853, force