Dziennik Chicagoski. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1890-1971, 1915-03-29
\ Memorial to the
Civilized Nations.
Polish General Committee Issues First
Authoritative Statement on the
Conditions in Poland.

Vevey Lausanne, February 1915.
Poland has hitherto been the principal theatre, OBJ
ject and victim of the present war
The line of battle extends to nearly 1000 kilometres
$3.50 miles), the Mazurian Lakes and the Car
pathian passes the two extreme limits of the country
inhabited by Poles goes through the whole king
Poland and Galicia Of more than 100000
square kilometres go 600 mles) with popula-
ton of 21 millions. this territory about millions OF
Germans and millions OF Russians arc fighting
each other These millions soldiers have been, since
more than six months, treading down and tearing in
turn the Polish land famshing and extermnating its
inhabitants.
In this war, which is raging their territory ana
running Poles obliged to fight in two opposite
camps and for a cause which is not their own They
must engage in fraternal strife; put by both sides in
the first line of battle the Polish soldiers very often
kill each other in bayonet charge Moreover they I'M
dergo recruiting exceedingly high scale. No delay
neither exemption of military service is accorded to
Them as granted to the central provinces OF the
begerant and especially to the great towns and
certain important branches Of production On the
contrary, they submitted to most rigorous system
of conscrption used in frontier districts in order to
evacuate time all the conscrpts who could he taken
by the enemy The Poles hitherto have altogether fur
nished million and half Of soldiers almost equally d-
yided between Russians and Austro German armies
Up to now 100000 of them have been lost In killed.
wounded and prisoners. And all this: SIC VOS, NON
VOBIS
The Kingdom Of Poland includes 10 provinces 127,-
500 square kilometres $4,000 square miles) with IL
millions of inhabitants The directly affected by the
war is one of 900 square kilometres 100000 m)
with millions Of people The two largest and richest
provinces after that Of Warsaw, those Of Lubn and
Piotrko besides those Kelce Radon, Plock Kaisch
Suwad and the greater part Of those OF Warsaw and
Loniza have been devastated from end to end.
Everywhere the tide of fighting repeatedly oVerran
that country 1t submerged about 200 and 5000
villages The material damages amount to above mill
iards Of (12O million pounds) 5000 of these vii
rased to the ground either In battle or In
retreat stay pursuit Innumerabe countryhouses ana
farms were burnt than hundred churches pulled
down, more than a thousand badly damaged. All the
stores of corn forage seized destroyed One
million Of horses and millions OF cattle were taken
for the armies pershed for want Of pasture Even the
bare earth was ravaged the digging Of endless tren
cbes and also by the heavy Shells the fertile
soil was swept away buried under clay and gravel and
even in richest districts of Lubn and Radom de-
prived for long time of productveness. Ruin has
equally upon the peasant population and the great
landowners who have forfeited considerable investments
whole Of the agricultural prOducClOn, Vaueu at ~
r,iIiards Of francs 600 million pounds) year, has
been entirely stopped long time. by want Of seed
and cattle rural population of millions is therefore
reduced to beggary. very large proportion Of them
whose villages in the fire have been burnt down.
are quite homeless; dying Of hunger and cold feeding
on roots and carbon they roam through the WOODS
or shelter themselves in the towns.
But three quarters of the towns are equally In the
midst of the operations Of war. Some, like hansh
fEo nm ,nhabtants have destroyed Others great
,drstriaJ centres such as Czenstochowa, SosnoW1ce
fao ooo l. each), Lodz which twice captured (45o-
oOO IT, suffer terrible financial crisis The capital OF
Poland Warsaw 100000 ~, nearly twice as populous
m Rrusses or Rome has also been sorely tried by be-
ING constantly threatened with capture overwhelmed
b serial ombardement and cut off from the weahest
ostNrn districts of the country The means OF commu-
,cat;on have ceased exist; upwards OF 1870 kome.
1000 mes) of railways have been torn away, sta
lions and bridges up the highroads ploughed
over The coaI.pits of Dombrowa supplying the whole
country were lost very beginning Of the war; the
;neu were blown up or flooded Instead Of getting, as
usua,v It does 10000 wagons of coal every month";
barely receives from the far distant coal
i NJ the Donetz ALI the factories have stopped work
ting many are greatly damaged 100 very important ones
DESTROYED The whole of the industrial production
.,ountnp tn above milliards of francs $50 million
rounds> yearly has been ruined. 100000 workmen are
o without means of subsistence. Together with the
multitude of artisans and tradesmen deprived with ther