The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-08-30
The FATE OF POLAND
Great Interest There In the Intention
of Germany.

of Germany.
London, Aug. IA, Correspondence
of the Associated Press.) The Ger
man sweep through Russian Poland,
which at first conferred attention on
the brilliancy of the military move
ment, is now being viewed for the
tremendous effects it has brought
about, territorial economic. and po-
litical, in that locality. Polish quar-
tiers here have summed up some OF
these changes, drawing their data
largely from the writings of X, Dmow
ski, for many years the Warsaw
member of the Russian Duma and the
spokesman there for the Polish. ele-
ment. While member of the Duma,
Mr.. Dmowski has been a severe crit
ic of the Russian regime, so that his
view of conditions has the apparent
merit of being independent while at
the same time it comes from one in
timately familiar with. the country
which the Germans have now over
run. Some of the more striking
changes resulting from the German
occupation are these:
The three branches of Poland now
united under German authority
German Poland, Austrian Poland. and
Russian Poland-have a population
that gives Poland sixth place, in
point of rank, among the powers OF
Europe. 1t comes next to Italy, and
exceeds in numbers all the Balkan
States put ogether-Bulgaria, Serbia
Greece, and Rumania; exceeds also
all the Scandinavian and Dutch
countries united-Norway Sweden,
Denmark, and Holland. and exceeds
two of the next larger countries,
Spain and Portugal, together. This
does not refer to the area of recent
military operations, but to the whole
range Of so-called Poland as it has
been divided up to this time among
Russia, Germany and Austria.
Some of the British observers COM
pare the area of German occupation
with that of the Allies in South Afri-
ca and the Pacific Islands. But the
latter are tropical wastes recently
taken over for colonization, whereas,
Mr. Dmowski shows that Poland is
one of the most densely inhabited sec
lions of Europe, averaging thirty-five
persons to the square kilometer, or
more than the thickly populated dis
tricts of France. 1t is also one of the
richest sections of Russia, with ex-
tensiye banking, industrial, and COM
mercial organizations, coal mines
and agriculture, largely in the hands
of the Polish inhabitants. Even the
policy of Russianizing the Polish
districts. which has been carried on
for some years, has not changed the
character of the native people, which
remains strongly Polish.
The three parts of this extensive
Polish region now brought together
are: Prussan Poland, including the
four provinces OF Posen, West Prus-
STA, East Prussia and Upper Silesia,
with a population of 100000, of
which 3,500,000 are. Poles; Austrian
Poland comprising Galicla and Low
er Silesia, with 100000 population,
of which about half are Poles; Rms
sian Poland, including the province
of Poland with ll,5OO.0O0 population,
chiefly Poles, and what are known as
the annexed provinces OF Kovno.
Il
Vitebsk, having conglomorate pop
ulation of Little and White Russians,
Poles. Lithuanians. and Rnthenians.
These are the three great Polish
branches which are now wholly or
largely under German control,
The regime which the Germans
will set up in Russian Poland is be
ing awaited with keenest interest by
the Polish element, as it will deter
mine whether the policy will be to re.
concile the Poles and bring the three
branches together again, or to use
this rich region for German COLOMBIA
ton, gradually Germanizing it and ex
tinguishing the separate Polish spirit.
This latter has been the policy of Rus
STA, and the difficulties it has had
after years of effort indicate the diff
ficulties ahead for the German regime
whichever course it adopts
Mr.. Dmowski sums up Poland's
position under Russia as that of a
military occupation, with all the adj
ministration at Warsaw and else
whore carried on by Russian Of
flcials, the schools and universities,
conducted by Russian teachers and
teaching the Russian language, the
police entirely Russian, and the
whole direction of affairs in Russian
hands. And yet, he adds, after forty
years of Russian effort, Poland still
remains distinctly Polish, with the
great business institutions, commerce
and agriculture carried on by Poles
1T is exactly for this reason" he
says, that Poland is in one of the
strangest positions that can be mag
ined; the State which possesses it
does not know what to do with it, it
has not found the means of trans
forming it into a Russian country,
II Al, 80 "a.