The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1915-08-06

broke out l was in St. LOUIS, the guest
of Mr. Bartholdt, Congressman IRON
Missouri; for some years he had been
a peace advocate, running back and
forth between America and Europe,
irving to advance his views when
the German army began its drive" to-
wards Paris and it looked as though
thew might soon enter that French
capital again as forty-four years be-
fore. Bartholdt suddenly lost all MS
peace program and rushed into print
TO declare that Germany had been
surrounded and threatened by bitter
enemies for many years, and now heI
militarism was JUSTIFIED, tor now she
would be overwhelmed and crushea
if she had not been so fully armed. II
was amazing that such man should
talk so; it makes one almost pc
lieye that he had been in alliance with
the German government to produce
such peace policies in England and
America that those countries miRnt
be in such condition that they could
not oppose German plans. | have FOL
lowed the course of the war pretty
closely and kept in touch with pub
lie sentiment in this country; and one
fact deeply impresses me, VIZ; that
almost all the great newspapers OF
our country in English have steadily
grown more and more sympathetic
with England, France and their allies;
It is the same with the big dailies and
the influential weeklies; the opinion
is as widespread that eventually the
allies must win because they represent
the great principles of liberal govern
ment and have the sympathy OF almost
all the remainder of the earth.
And in this connection it is very
interesting to note how each sac
PLAYS with liberty" as talisman. On
the first anniversary of the wars be-
ginning the two great reactionary
governments of the world sent out
declarations amounting to pleas Tor
sympathy of what they would do tor
"the dear people" over whom they
had ruled with "a rod OF iron, or
over whom they wished to rule. 1t
was amusing to read in the last sun
days papers the gentle cooling OF both
the Russian and German governments
regarding the future OF Poland;
poor, crushed, bleeding Poland! The
Premier of the Cars government told
the shadow of the Russian Parliament
called the Duma, that after the war
Poland should be established as an
autonimous government, and have its
lonpinRs for freedom realized. Now,
if one Judges the Russian govern
ment's promises for the future by its
past record, what shall the Poles
decide? 1t was about hundred years
ago that Gear Alexander l, promised
Finland lust such a relation to Rus
STA, with promises of perpetual ex-
ercise of its self government and its
historic liberties; and during the last
twenty-five years the present Car
has been busy destroying them; alb
olishing the Finnish Parliament and
at one time arresting scores OF the
most noted Firms and keeping them
in Imprisonment for months, in spite
of public sentiment of the outside
world. Alexander's promises were
ignored, and Finland absorbed into
the nav of the great Russian bear.
On the other side the Prussian gov
eminent has for more than twenty
FIVE years been trying to Germanize
the Polish provinces, using every
known political art to that end. and
exasperated at the silent but effec-
tive resistance of the Polish farm
ers. The Poles have long memories
and are a virile race; and although
Russia, Austria and Prussia cut up the
territory into three parts and have
tried for a hundred years to absorb
them into their population, they have
not succeeded; the Pole loves his ma
tional life, language and history and
heroes as much today as ever Dur
ing the Russo-Turkish war of 1878
the Polish Chief of Staff Of the Rus
sian Commander. when he came to
Sofia, learning of the American mis-
Sionary in that city, one day after
transacting business with him, tarried
and said to him: you are an Amer
lean Christian gentleman; you love
liberty and can sympathize with a
Pole; | can trust you; | see you have
piano; will you close your windows
and doors and allow me the use OF
your piano% The American mis-
Sionary was a friend OF mine, and af-
forwards told me that he closed his
house, and the Polish officer sat down
20 and played and sang Polish music for
an hour, as though he was pouring
out his very soul, and thanked the
American for his hour of pleasure, and
went his way; another friend of mine
a Pole, who fled to this country af-
ter participation in the Polish rebel
lion of 1868. told me the officers
name and that he was loyal Poland
er, although high in the Russian mill
tary service.
Can the Poles trust the promises OF
Russia Now? One can hardly think
30. But we must remember that
France. England and Italy are now
the allies of the Gar. and when the
hour of settlement comes they will
not let him forget his promises OF
liberal government Tor Poland. Those
who have read McCarthy's History
of Our Own Times" will recall that
public sentiment in England was very
strong for the British government to
go to war for Poland in 1868. And
we may be sure that when European
congress shall again meet to settle the
peace of that continent as in 1915 at