El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-05-11
By
Frederic
J. Haskf

subject TO the control OF the NOBLE
families of the country. The official
title of the government was Respubli-
cae Potomac" the Republic of Poland.
1t was in fact an aristocratic republic,
based in theory upon the principle that
government must derive its powers from
the consent of all the people Under the
''Iberum veto" one member of the Pol
ish diet could negative any proposition.
The rights of the minority were thus
held most sacred. Nevertheless the COM
mon people were largely excluded from
participation in the affairs of govern
ment.
When, by reason of widespread Off
ciaI corruption and the essential weak
ness of the Polish throne, the stronger
nei ghboring powers partitiOned Poland
among themselves, there was a great
effort on the part of the rank and file
of the Polish people to restore their gov
eminent and drive off the spoliatins
powers. OF this movement Kosciuszko
was the leader
kosciuszkO a Farmers Son.
The real Thaddeus of Warsaw was
born Lithuanian in 1746. He was the
son of a comparatively wealthy farm
or and he was educated as cadet OF
artillery at Warsaw anG Paris The first
partition of Poland in 1142 made nm
an intense republican, and In lI'o ne
came to Philadelphia and volunteered
to serve in the Continental army. Gen
eral Washington accepted his ala anc
gave him a place on his staff HIS
knowledge of artillery and fertilization
made him invaluable TO the Americans
He was distinguished by his bravery at
the battles of Saratoga and AeIio"
Springs and was made a brigadier gen.
eral, and governor of West Point
Led Ill Fnted War.
When thewar in America ended in
1888 he went back to Poland, where he
lived in retirement until 1882 He then
led an i'll starred attempt TO resore the
Polish Kingdom TO its original bounda
les This attempt failed after only two
battles, and KosciusZkO was exiled TO
France. There the revolution was at
high tide and the national assembly re-
ceived Kosciuszko with high honors and
conferred upon him the title of French
citizen He returned to Poland in 1894
for the final effort to stave off the.
political death of his native land Fight
ing against terrific odds he led his pa
triotic followers into a battle where
they had but forlorn hope KosciusZko
himself was wounded and captured. and
the patriotic army was hOplessly de-
feated.
HonOred by Poets.
It was Of this battle that the poet
Campbell wrote the oft-quoted line
Freedom shrieked W1en KoSciuszko
fell" But it is not tue hat .<osSius-
zko when wounded That day cried out
''Finis Potomac" KosciusE!1o i@as re-
leased from prison by the Ear Paul
and paid a visit to the United States
He was received in This country with
great honors and was voted grant OF
land by congress He returned TO Eu-
rope and died in Switzerland in 1917.
His body was buried by the side of that
OF SObieski at Cracow- After his death
Thomas jefferson, then an old man,
qualified as executor of his will, by
which he left his property in America
as fund to encourage education among
negroes This property, amounting 20
81 1000 was used to found the Kosciu-
szkO school for negroes in Newark,
New Jersey.
Pulaski Organized Cavalry.
Count Casimir Pulaski was a Polish
noble who came to America almost at
the beginning of the revolutionary war
and cast his lot with the American col
onists who were fighting for freedom
He possessed a great store of military
knowledge and was of inestimable value
in organizing the American cavalry
On October 9, 1879, Count d'EsJaing
and General Lincoln made assault
a gainst the British lines around the city
of Savannah. Count Pulaski, with two
hundred cavalrymen, attempted 20 force
a passage through the British works,
to attack from the rear At
the head of his charging troopers he
fell wounded in the thigh by canister
shot His condition was recognized as
serious and he was placed on the u >
brig Wasp" bound for Charleston.
where il was hoped he would receive
better care and attention than could
be given him with the army at the
front. He died very soon after the
ship sailed According TO one account
he was buried at sea, or rather in the
river Just as il flows into the sea Ac-
cording to another account the body
was tsken ashore and buried on the
Greenwich bluff The latter story was
accepted and the body was exhumed
and taken TO Savannah. where it was
buried as that of Count Pulaski
America Supported Big Patriots
Today the people of Washington viii
hear the Polish patriots sing that same
noble ode, which, no doubt, George
heard from the lips of Pu-
Iaski and KosciuszkO, that inspiring
HYMN beginning 'Boze. COS Polske,'' 20, !
God who hast protected Poland" And1
Americans will remember that they al f!
ways have had the support OF all true |
Polish patriots
TomorrOw-Spiritualis and Magic; |
I. Mediums and Their Methods.