Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-12-06

aged n inspired Serbian ambitions in
Bosnia and Herzegovina. ambitions
which We're exactly like those the peo-
pie OF a new Polish state would have
With reference to Poscn and East and
West Prussia. would hardly miss the
opportunity to take revenee and at the
same time to set free Slavs under Teu-
tonic domination.
We may conclude, fairly enough,
that the proclamation OF the new Polish
, state means that Austria and Germany
have abandoned all hope of a separate
peace with Russia: we may conclude
that they have abandoned any hope of
an easy and immediate victory. They
cd not annex or liberate Russian Pol
and until now because is was a basis
for bargain. They have not erected the
new Polish state now, with u full reali-
zation of the peril it bringe. until the
last chance of speedy victory has been
eXtinguished and the need of recruits at
once has pushed aside the more re-
mote dangers.
When the nemie of France set a
newly enlarged Sardinia to watch
france along the Alps, by the treaty of
! vienna, they actually insured the uni
!ication OF Italy. But the Poland that
Austria and Germany are 'restoring''
represents Il larger share of the Polish
population OF Europe than Sardinia did
OF the ALLAN French policy was in
evltable; the next Napoleonic empire
Joined with Sardinia to free northern
! Italy. 1t is idle to expect less of the
Russians, whose tics are closer with the
Poles than the French were with the
Italians.
If Russia and hcr allies now win the
war, we may expect that Russia will
insist on the liberation Of Austrian and
German Poles. She has promised a
Polish Autonomy quite as generous as
that now offered by the central powers.
The course of the central powers in set
tlng up a Polish state made out of Rus
sian territory offers the Russians full
warrant for continuing the restoration
OF Poland at the expense of Austria and
Germany. But this means the dismem-
berment of Prussia.
If Russia loses the present war and
her Polish subjects are included in AN
Acknowledgement state of Poland. Russia
Will come back in the next war; and
there will be a next war, for subject
populations are bound to revolt and to
find allies. VIII or lose, the Russians are
now bound to back the Poles against
the Germans and the Austrians, and if
they lose the war II Russian Poland,
the Russians will nave no selfish reason
for refraining from playing the role of
Polish liberators.
But h Polish question only opens
other questions. If the Poles are to have
erty, h about the Czechs OF Bo-
hemia n Moravia? They have long
sought for some form of autonomy, they
have dreamed for centuries of the res
toration of the state that vanished with
the Winter King so long ago. Now tina
the Austrians and Germans. tempor-
arily at least in possession of Russian
territory, have begun to liberate Rus
sian subject races, the Let's as we'll
as the Poles. will no the Russians pay
back he compliment, if they come
west? And if Russia is beaten and the
Poles of Galicia are now permitted to
rejoin their brethren of the autonomous
Poland created by Austrians and Ger
mans. will they not join the Czechs and
every other Slav and discordant ele-
ment i'm Austria?
1t is a dangerous thing to raise the
race issue in Austria, and we have
ample testimony that the Austrians
long opposed the German plan to erect
an autonomous Poland i'm conquered
Russian territory. If Austria loses the
war there will be a general r%eintegra-
ton of subject races, the dual MON
archy will suffer erosion ON every front.
Italians. Rumanians, Serbs, Poles and
Ruthenlans will depart, the coasts of
Hungary may be Joined to the Serbs.
Once this issue of races is raised, an
issue that cost Austria her place in
Germany and her provinces in Italy, it
Is impossible for any man to tell where
1t will stop. After all, the great war
itself had it's origin in the Serb desire
" unity dllu IueFe are Only NAH
as many Serbs az Poles in Europe.
All these facts are perfectly known
to the Germans and to the Austrians.
The Austrians have insisted that the
restoration of Poland, even the limited
restoration the Germans propose,
should not be risked. The Germans
nave insisted upon it and have a
their way at the last. knowing how
difficult the German problem in Posen
q been we get some glimpse of the
German ~predicament, when we see the
German empire officially committed to
the cause of the Poles, however many
qualirlcations and reservations there
may be In the German mind.
From the point of view of the neutral
the pest thing that could be hoped for
would be the complete restoration of
Poland. the erection Of a state includ-
Ing most of the territory inhabited by
Po!es IN eastern Europe. whether now
unoer Russian. German or Austrian
rule. II such a state could be created
and permitted to stand long enough to
I regain the old sense OF nationality. it
would De q permanent barrier between
the Teutonic n the Slavic worlds and
1t would be subservient to neither. But
such q state, built upon the ruins of
Prussian unity could hardly hope to
live long enough to become strong un-
less Germany were crushed in the pres
ent war.
The next best thing would be the UNI
lon OF Russian Poland and Austrian
roland n the bestOwal upOn this
state Of the guarantee OF the three
neighboring empires tina 1t should be
neutral. Belgian neutrality, has proven
such an empty thing that Polish eu-
trality might seem insecure: yet tho
invasion OF Belgium, the war in which
this was In essential detail from a
German point Of view, has already cost
Germany 100000 casualties, and the