Evening journal., 1912-01-25
POLISH WAR
ANNIVERSARY
Next Week Commentaries
Last War With Russia for
independence
Many HEROES
FELL IN The STRIFE

| <ahriiNd, Al tofumemOTatlOn OF the
last war with Russia for Poland
Independence. Forty-eight years ago
January ~. 1868, an armed insrrrec.
tion was proclaimed by the secret
national government IN Warsaw. ant
what looked in the beginning to be !
small fire developed into a conflaera.
ton that ragged for over two years
and swept all Poland and Lithuania
When in 1856 Russia. beaten and
humiliated by France and England ii
the Crimean war, was making In
Paris her peace with the western
powers, Car Alexander made two
! promises, which were not included in
the treaty itself. but were added ID
u IN secret clause. He promised tc
4 grant Poland a moderate amount OF
liberal reforms and to abolish in his
empire the state OF servitude in which
the peasants had lived in his domains
for many centuries. But as soon as
foreign troops left Russia the Gear
seemed to forget his promises. The
reforms failed TO materialize and the
liberation Of serfs, it was found,
would be premature and injurious to
the economic interests of Russia.
The first signs ofsunrest made their
appearance in Poland in the begin
ming of 1861. People began TO gather
/ in churches and to sing patriotic
hymns with the sublime refrain at
the end of each strope: ITO thy al
tar, 0 Lord, VIC raise our prayers
that Thou mightst give us back our
fatherland and our Freedom" From
the churches the people emerged into
/ the streets iii all cities and towns and
continued their prayers to God for
/ freedom. The Russian authorities
knew by those signs what was com
/ ing. All instructions in Poland usec
4 to begin in the same way. Troops
were sent against the peaceful gath
erings Of the people, blood began to
How and as the people did not desist
from praying for freedom. stronger
measures had to be taken.
In the beginning OF 1865 the Rus
sian government conceived the plan
to prevent Poland from arming her
self for the impending struggle. An
order came from Petersburg to arrest
in one night fifty thousand or more
ardent young men in Warsaw and
other Polish cities and 10 take them
away as recruits 10 various distant
places in Russia. The secret Polish
agents learned OF this plan and even
managed to secure partially the lists
Of intended victims. The boys, warn
ed in time. fled from their homes 20
the nearest woods, armed themselves
as we'll as they could and began to
offer resistance to- the detachments Of
Russian troops which were dispatch
ed after them. So the actual struggle
began, and the Polish national gov
ernment. maintained secretly in War
saw, seeing that the general outbreak
could not be detained amy more, de-
clared war on Russia. January %,
1868.
This passage occurs in the mani
festo 81 the Polish national govern
ment. I'm this FIRST day of our holy
struggle for Polands independence
We declare all inha bitants. without
differences Of creed and race Of
classes and occupations. free citizens
and equal before the law. The land
which the peasants have been tilling
as serfs or otherwise becomes by This
decree absolute property of the till
ers; the landowners will be paid for
their losses from the treasury Of the
republic"
So the question Of serfdom, which
the Car refused to solve, was solved
by the Polish insurgents. To the
Russian government nothing was left
but to comply with this declaration
in order to deprive the insurgents Of
the help bf numerous millions of
peasants. not only in Poland, but also
in Russia.
1t is true that the Car two years
before. at the first signs of the move
ment in Poland, gave to the serfs
partial freedom, but he did not ac-
cord them the right Of property in
their lands. They were left with their
old obligations toward the landowners
and had to serve them with their
labor. against their will and without
any remuneration. Now the face Of
things underwent quick change.
The peasants in all the empire re-
ceived their economic independence
and the state undertook to remuner-
ate the landowners.
The success Of the Polish insurrec-
tion depended much on the interven-
ton Of western European powers.
Napoleon III contemplated such in
tervention and opened negotiations
for that purpose with the govern
ments of England and Austria. But
Prussia stepped in and Bismarck
made haste to form an open alliance
With Russia against the Poles and
everybody who might try to help
them. Austria was the first to hesi-
tate. and against the combined forces
Of Russia and Prussia, France and
England did not care TO commit
themselves. So the heroic Poles were
left alone to fight it out with Russia.
And how they fought There were
IN all Scr 500 batt'Ss and skirmishes
in the period of two pears. Some
good arms were smuggled through
Austria from Belgium. but most OF
the Polish warriors. especially in
Lithuania. had only their hunting
guns and scythes Some cannon was
taken from the Russians. but through
lack of ammunition had to be aban-
doned. Over 100000 Poles and Lith-
uanians served their country in this
insurrection About $4,000 of them
died on the field of glory or succumb-
ed TO their wounds. The loss of Rus
sian regular troops was about 40 600
according 70 Russian statistics.
Among Polish officers who most dis
tinguished themselves were: Generals /
ansiewicz. AIieroslawski. Hauke. /
sierra kowski. Jezioran-
ski and Susin. There were many
others of distinction.
The struggle was directed in its
second and more difficult part bv
General r. Tausutt as dictator ana
a cabinet of five ministers that con-
: fifnfnd Tho lnct pnIich r,ntinLr,nl 80. |