Evening star., 1915-11-13
FORMAL APPEAL MADE
FOR SUBMERGED RACES
President Wilson Asked to Present
Case of Ukraninians When Euro
pean War Ends.
Enthusiasm for Native Country and
Loyalty to United States Voiced
at Meeting.

a vociferous affirmation of the idea
that at the congress of powers which
shall ultimately settle the war the So
called Submerged races" of Europe
shall be given their day was heard the
other day when 5O7 young Ukrainana
or the working class came together ia
Cooper Union Hall. New York, at the
| first congress of these representative
I of long-smothered folk ever held in
| the United States.
| The delegates represented no fewer
| than 40 societies composed of nat
uralized citizens and of men and women
about to become American citizens.
| these societies comprising practically
all of the half million Ukrainians i"
this country. They plainly showed Al
their convention that patriotism is
real and vital thing to new Americans
as well as old. and that the war Is
bringing to the surface a great surge
| of patriotism on the part of the OBJ
pressed races of Europe, according to
an article written by Arthur +. kel-
logg and issued by the Survey press
service of New York.
Known as Little Russians
"The Ukrainians are known in Rus
| sia, where 30.000,G00 of their total OF
| 35,000,000 live, as Little Russians,
says Mr.. Kellogg. I'm Austria, where
over 100000 live in the province %
| Galicia, they are called Ruthenians. In
| the United States. where there are a
| half million of them. mostly In rae
| tories and mines, and in Canada, where
| there are n quarter million on western
rc.a1N Al c
| from Russians. But they are very m
| sistent in pointing out that they are as
| different from the Russians as are the
| Bulgarians. ,r
| of Russia in Europe and large sec
| ton of Austrian ala territory larger
er than France-in the fertile BLACK
soil belt of southeastern Europe
| AT the congress. following a preface
| in which the Ukrainians declare their
| allegiance to this republic and pledge
it their undivided support in peace ana
| war President Wilson is called upon
to present their case to the conference
| of powers on these grounds:
| "'Imbued with the spirit OF American
| democracy and believing in equality OF
| man and woman in political ana clFli
| matters, having learned OF the oppoF-
tunities afforded by the American IN
stitutions. and bearing in mind that
the submerged nationaiities in Europe
do not enjoy these privileges, although
entitled thereto, this congress pro
| claims the right to democracy ana au-
| tonomy for all nationalities In europe
now the object of contest in war
Demand for Autonomy.
1.-The above organization, composed
| of men and women who come from
Ukraine-southern Russia and eastern
Galicia-knowing the conditions pre-
| hai q RI
hope that when time of peace will
come their nationality will also be al
forded democracy and autonomy.
".For the reason stated above hey
demand for their brethren in Europe
the establishment of an Independent
ukrainian state which should comprise
the Ukrainians now inhabitlns the
| countries of eastern Europe
| "A bit later a thick-set, bearded man
| stood on the platform where Lincoln
spoke-the platform which for genera
| tions has been Hospitality open to every
rolling; impetuousd sentences of the
| Polish tongue which is understood by
all eastern Slavs. All through he had
his audience with him, admiring and
eagerly applauding. But at one point
the whole hall broke forth in applause
that would not down.
What does he say asked the half
dozen of the native-born who were
present.
He says was the reply, that Tx
raina cannot be free alone; that until
all the submerged peoples of EurSpe
are free none will be really free, and
the Ukrainians must help the others to
their freedom
but DR.. John Szulpas of Scranton, Pa.
the president of the Lithuanian Au-
tonomy Fund. which is close kin to
the meeting in purpose as the Lithu-
.;,,s.
Other Congresses to Come.
"And following DR.. Szlupas was ST.
mon Q. Pollock. a New York lawyer.
who recalled with feeling some years
of his childhood spent in the Ukraine.
Declaring that this was the first con-
gress of a submerged people, he
prophesed similar meetings of the
other Stified races who are fighting in
all armies. ravaged by every conqueror.
and, in times of peace as well as war.
oppressed by all tyrants.
1T was perfectly clear that the prom
Use of both the Car of Russia and the
Kaiser of Germany of an autonomous
Poland was no promise at all to these
! men. For. while they have no love of
kings, the oppression they feel most is
that by the Polish mobiles, who are
( their overlords in both Russia and
/ Austria.
with no aristocracy and no middle
! class, the Ukrainians are a peasant
| race of ancient civilian tion, democratic
| in spirit, with a rich social life ex-
pressed in many forms of cooperative
enterprise. In early days they formed
a part of the empire of Vladimir the
Great of kief. In the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries they organized
the Cossacks of Zaporozhe, wrested
their independence from the Poles and
Joined Russia. Later Russia divided
the Ukraine with Poland and now the
Ukra inians are subject to both the Rus
sian government and the Polish mobiles.
Formal Declaration.
AT their meeting in New York the
UkrainianS declared:
s.Tbe te goal of be I-krainiau