Grand Forks herald., 1917-02-23
SAYS
POLES ARE ALL
PRUSS|AN|zfD
Says Germans are Systemat-
: ically Exploiting and
Depressing Them.

Amsterdam. Feb. %. dispatch to
The London Daily Chronicle)-Only
with great difficulty, and on definite
and approved business grounds, will
the Germans allow travellers from po-
land to come westward. The follow
obtained at Rotterdam yesterday with
a certain Pole who had arrived from
Warsaw. cannot fail to be Of interest,
as giving q general idea, from which
detail is necessarily omitted, Of con-
dittons In that city and other parts Of
Poland under the German heel.
II would sooner die than return. By
every possible means Germany is
Prussianizing Poland, refraining from
no methods ITO attain this end. Vast
areas Of our forests have been cut
many, thus, in the opinion Of many,
permanently and irreparably injuring
our sources Of wealth.
with all speed Germany is send
ing number Of police agents into
Poland to dragoon, depress and mis-
handle the population. In all our
schools now 1t is compulsory to learn
German, all teachers even suspected
of opposing or disliking this order are
being arrested and Imprisoned. Prac-
tically all public life and the activi-
societies are forbidden.
There is also a very strong propa-
ganda in full swing against the Jews,
and measures Of an outrageously un-
lawful kind have been put in force
against them. When Jew presents
himself for a passport to travel out
side his own town he is formally asked
his religion. When he replies he is a
Jew the military become abusive, re-
marking: 'Ah! q jew! Also a snug
gler and traitor. We grant no passes
build a house. and this in spite Of the
among she ehsTs ann on Of
habitants; nor are Jews allowed any
hand in the administration Of the
country.
within two hours after the Ger
man troops entered Warsaw the Ger
man secret police, provided with
lists, made searches in more than 200
quite innocent people. All the prisons
Of Warsaw and the adjacent Praga
are filled with Polish citizens who
have spoken perhaps only g. word or
two tndiscreetly, while great numbers
have been shot. Spies are everywhere.
THE city of Warsaw shows scarce
ly any life. Many zones have been
1ilduo lIltO prOnlDlLeO areas, Wnof0 the
general public is not allowed. More-
over, Jews wearing their long caftans
may not even enter Warsaws popular
park known as the Jardin de Sake.
Food is extremely expensive. as
elsewhere, and If there is any food
surplus in one district it may not be
transported to another district under
pain Of Imprisonment. Bread is sup
piled under an official rationing
scheme.
"In spite Of their great misery. the
Polish population endure patiently,
never abandoning the hope Of deliver
ance by the allies victory Business b
In serious condition throughout the
country. Many big houses including
some important banks. have become
bankrupt Among the banks which
have failed is that of Wilhelm Lam
daw, also the house of Peretz also the
firm of Goldfeder. These failures have
Of course caused the deepest distress.
"The Polish population under Aus
trian domination have much less rea-
son to complain. The Austrians, I as
sure you, are not Germans, and it is
not without good reason that the
Poles always say: THE Austrian is our
brother All that is forbidden in the
parts occupied by Germans is allowed
in that occupied by Austrians."