Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1914-01-24
POLAND LOVED LIBERTY.

On thursday night the Poles OF
Chicago held fifteen great mass meet.
ings in various parts of the city to
commemorate, with hundreds of thou.
sands of other Poles throughout the
world. one of the most thrilling cpl.
sodes in the history of their nation,
ment of Poland on January %, 1868.
as war measure Of the third insur-
rection of Polish patriots.
Miss Mary Synon. the brilliant and
entertaining writer, gave la the Chi.
cago Journal the following very read.
able story of the great event:
The January insurrection" began
under the expressions of the Mar.
grave Wielopolski. whose prosecutions
of the Polish Nationalists ciimaxed In
his irregular and compulsory call OF
the youths of Poland to the army. The
margrave's order was principally d..
rected against the instigators OF the
uprising. and its immediate result was
the establishment In Warsaw OF the
national government" which. on Jan.
uary %, 1868. issued a proclamation
to the people of Poland to fight for
their country.
SO intense was the revolutionary
feeling existing In Russian Poland at
the time that the insurrection spread
like wildfre through the country. In
guerilla fighting the Poles were vic.
torious, but in open warfare the
trained armies OF their oppressors
constantly defeated the young en-.
thusiasts.
For more than year the war con
t.nued under conditions of persecu'
ton and oppression unparalleled In
modern times. Thirty.fve thousand
men were killed and wounded. Nearly
all the leaders of the rebellion either
were killed In battle or executed. One
hundred and fifty thousand people
were exiled from their native land.
Berg. in Warsaw, and Murawiew, In
Vino. instigated atrocities upon the
patriots that have made their names
horrible memories among those peo
pie who remember the days OF the
revolution.
The edicts of Punishment from
Poland constituted one of the impor
tant causes of Polish immigration tc
America, so that the January insur
rectlon" Is closely associated with the
life of the Poles in the United States
BY means of the Polish National Ali
ance and similar organizations the
spirit OF Polish nationallsm Is KEEP,
alive among the second generation Of
I'll. L. In. a.i.,a
The Polish nation has not died, and
Poland-although not existing as q
politically Independent country-gives
daily proofs of her existence, Science
literature and the arts have made
wonderful progress under the spur OF
the nationalist feeling that was re
aroused and expressed Itself in the
war of fifty years ago.
The fact that the $4,000 Poles OF
Chicago are unified on the question OF
Polish liberty is evidence OF the
strength OF the soul OF Polish nation
ality. Under the banner OF the Ma
tional Alliance more than 100000 ac
tive workers strive for the good OF
Poland Thousands OF these are In
the association here in Chicago, edu'
eating themselves and their children
that they may be ready and worthy 70
answer the call OF their country when
the time comes to aid her liberation
from the chains of slavery thrust upon
her by Austria, Russia and Germany
II was with the ultimate hope OF
freeing Poland that these thousands
of Chicago Poles assembled on Thurs
day evening at the great mass meet
ings, and with the memory of the ter
rible days OF '63 was the arousine
thought that II at some future time
Poland should need her sons, those OF
them who have enjoyed the liberty OF
another land will be ready and will
ing TO answer her call.