Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1912-01-05
SOME PARALLELS BETWEEN
THE RACE PROBLEM IN 20
LAND AND IN THE UNITED
STATES.
INTERESTING DISCUSSION BE.
FORE THE TWENTIETH CEN.
TURY CLUB OF TUSkE-
GEE INSTITUTE.

FORE THE TWENTIETH CEN.
TURY CLUB OF TuSkE-
GEE INSTITUTE.
The Twentieth Century club, con.
nected with the Tuskegee Normal and
Industrial institute, held its regular
monthly meeting in Dorothy hall. DR..
r. e. Park was host and also fur.
nished the discussion Of the evening.
Els subject was: Some Parallels Be.
tween the Race Problem In Poland
and In the United States"
The Poles, the speaker pointed out
are one branch Of the great Slavic
race, which with Its principal seat in
Russia, has projected itself into west.
ern Europe, under different names,
from the Baltic in the north to the
Black sea in the south. Everywhere
that this race has come into contact
| with the peoples Of western Europe
there has been q racial conflict and
almost everywhere the Slavic race has
been conquered and oppressed. ia
Dr. Park first sketched the political
history of Poland from 1896, when Po-
land was divided between Russia, Ger
many and Austria. He then turned
to the Internal history of the three
provinces and showed the manner in
which each had developed under the
| influence of the racial conflict between
the different peoples brought together
when Poland was absorbed by its
| neighbors.
Poland's political history has been a
hopeless and fatal struggle to gain
and retain its national independence.
Up to 1880, both in German and Rus
sian Poland, policy of Cancellation
was pursued. Russian Poland, for ex-
ample, was given much greater liberty
than any other part Of the Russian
empire. There was complete freedom
OF the press and at the same time a
very large measure Of self.government.
But the Polish nobility were not salts
fed with anything short Of complete
| independence and reunion Of the diff
ferent parts Of the ancient republic.
In spite Of the heroic struggle to main
tain national existence the insurrec-
ton Of 1880 failed and every subse-
| quent effort in the same direction has
| only served to make the subjugation
Of the country more complete.
After 1880 the mobiles and political
leaders emigrated to Paris and there
retained sort Of revolutionary junta,
which sought to direct political at
fairs in the different parts Of their
dismembered country. The policy was
to take advantage Of the political
troubles Of Russia, Germany and Aus
tria In order that at the right juno
ture the Poles might throw themselves
into the hands Of the country which
would promise to aid them in re-estab-
lishing their national existence.
In all this movement the masses of
the people, the peasants, had little
or no part. They remained, in a con-
dition not much better than serfdom,
on the plantations Of the nobility.
They were not able to help themselves
and every effort that the different gov
ernments. particularly Russia and
Germany, made to improve their con-
dition was paralyzed by the political
intrigues Of the nobility, in Paris and
elsewhere, whose policy was to sacri.
fee everything else to the cause of
national existence. The situation, DR..
Park said, was something like that in
the south after the "carpet-bag gov
eminent" was expelled and the poll
ticians, who had gone into exile in the
north, attempted to control and direct
affairs in the south.
| After the Franco-Prussian war, when
it was found that the Polish regiments
were perfectly willing to fight against
their old allies in France, Bismarck
determined to settle the Polish ques-
ton. He said, 'The Poles would be
all right If we could get rid of this
| factious nobility" So he said: I'VE
will appropriate hundred million
marks to buy out this ! impecunious
Polish nobility and settle good, brave
German peasants on the land. In this
| way we will Germanize the Poles; dis
pei once for all the dream Of resto-
ration Of Poland and in time they will
become good Germans" This was the
beginning Of the modern racial strug-
gle in German Poland, which has had,
according to the speaker. very ex-
traordinary issue.
As soon as 1t was announced that
the German government meant to dis
possess the Polish nobility of their
lands, there was great outcry. Vari.
GUS plans were suggested for resist
ing this move. The nobility In other
parts Of Poland at hrst proposed to
raise money and come to the assist
ance of every Polish landlord who felt
compelled or could not be restrained
by patriotic motives from selling
their estates. But when 1t came to
the pinch 1t appeared that the Polish
nobility, most Of them, had neglected
their estates, and were, in any case,
poor business men, who could not
compete with the Prussian govern
ment. and the plan was given up.
At the time it occurred to one or
two strong, practical men that il the
large Polish estates were to be ;di.
vided up and sold something might
be gained II they were divided up and
sold among Polish instead Of German
peasants. So they began establishing
little cooperative banks and land
companies. Where they found Pol.
ish noble hard pressed they would buy
the estate themselves. In this way
the land remained at Least in the
hands Of the Polish people and they.
were not made aliens on their native
soil. At other times they would pur.