Iditarod pioneer., 1915-08-28

the testimony of dlSinterested eye-WlthesseS, Polish, English and American, who have recently traversed the stricken reglons, ln- cluding c. C. Gibson of the Rockefeller Foundation, who declared on hls return that this was one of the greatest tragedies the world had known, the devastation of Belgium shrinking in comparlson
 Such telegraphic news as trlckleS through from Poland, except the official reports of military operations from the three sides, IS censored and garbled and gives only the picture of fighting, without that of the pros trate country under the heels of the nght- CTS pressing from four sides. But from eye witnesses returning from Poland, from student refugees from the scourged district and from letters to those who have soughc asylum here, there IS a mass ot information on the real conditions at the scene ot these gigantic eastern operations. Much of thls information flows into the hands of Miss Laurence Alma-T Tadema daughter ot the great English artist, who for three months has been working day and night as the sec retary and directing genius of the Polish relief committee, whose officers and patrons embrace about every name of note III Eng land-peers, cabinet members ambassadors, artists and authors.
 Think of the magnitude of this appalling Polish tragedy" said Miss Alma-Tadema to representative of the Associated Press. "It is difficult for us in England or America, with conditions serene, to cast the mlnd eve across Europe and grasp the fact that all the titanic eastern battles are belng fought on Polish soil. And it IS not only gigantic struggle of invading armies from without one following another, with all their train of ruin and desoation, but 1t par takes almost of civil conflict, with Pole fighting against Pole.
 There are" she went on, about 12O OOO,- GOO Russian Poles and about the same number of Austrian and Prussian Poles. All of them have that intense longing to see Poland rise again as a unified kingdom. And vet of these 24,000000 Poles, 100000 Polish soldiers are fighting in the Russian ranks and another 100000 are fighting Tn the Austrian and German ranks-hterally brother against brother. One of the reports reaching me tells of body of Polish in fantry on the Russian side charging at body of the enemy, with bayonets raised and the battle-cry ringing from both sides only to distinguish as they came to grips that both were shouting the cry of Poland and on that instant, as if inspired by common impulse, every bayonet was lowered and every man in the facing ranks fell on his knees and in their common language breathed the Lords prayer That was Po- lnad's prayer on the battlefield of this terri ble eastern conflict.
 Here is another thoroughly authenticated case" said Miss Alma-Tadema: "A Polish infantryman raised his rifle and fired point blank at an advancing foe, only to see him pitch forward and hear him cry out in Polish: My God, I leave wife and three children And this agonizing dying cry in Polish rang in the ears of the brother Pole who had fired the shot torturing him night and day, until he literally went mad and was taken from the ranks a raving maniac
 'It was natural that the Russian Pole should cast his lot with Russia, and this loyalty has been rewarded by the inspired proclamation of Grand Duke Nicholas prom ising freedom for Poland, pledge which every Russian Pole accepts in good faith as foreshadowing the reunifcation of the Polish nation. On the other hand, the Galician Poles showed a perfectly natural first movement of allegiance to Austria, which has given them the right of their own faith and language and some semblance of freedom. This and the laws of compul- sory military service brought about million Poles into the Austro-German ranks to fight against their brothers in the Russian ranks. And yet in both Austria and Prussia the overwhelming majority of the Poles are at heart solidly with the kingdom of Poland"
 When MT. Gibson of the Rockefeller Foun- dation returned from Poland he told Miss Alma Tadema of the terrible scenes he had witnessed in the stricken regions. Together they planned for extensive measures of re- lief, to be sent through Germany, with the approval of the British foreign office. Ger many consented, but the officials here doubted the good faith of Germany's con- senting to allow large supplies of food to pass across Germany to Poland And so the negotiations halted, and now another plan is on foot to get supplies into Poland by way of Switzerland, without passing through German hands