New-York tribune., 1917-12-12
The Foundation of Russian National Unhy
Prediction Her Essential Geographical Unity WI Pe0aa

to have an influence in the industrial ss,-
I he only sound cause for Polish natioasE.'
vas Czarism Within a democratic RusL
Poland can find a place as well as Pinl,.,
Similarly the German element in the P,s. /
provinces has not shown any general &c.
either 20 be annexed 90 Germany or "a ,,,..
t.l it's independence. l1 the eountry a |
'ris's Of thc-c province zoe Germans :,
t1tc iard-ho'dius afs,0crcy. M
Gcrmaulc oppression % thc letf.h p anc
Lithuanian pceea..r F. More f~Iisiiste =,
truia' than o5taiuf 1 anr otflr bsr, ],
Europe in the twentieth century The g.
man aristocrat5 o. ,Lc Russian Baltic no..
inccs arc simply last Prussian Junkers =.
have been given a free hand by the Ct.,
cypress the peasantry. These serfs, s..,,
ing neither Russian nor German, have fss.,
neither sympathy nor protection from ~.
oyerlords either 40 home or 10 the nsts,,
capital. When the hstor, Of 1917 is wsis,,
IL will undoubtedly ~ disclosed that the a,
strong breeze OF dcnocrdcv which blew 4,
The Baltic region cared away forever am.
racial difficulties which presented thcmssh,
formerly There wi.i o0H be-, if not slrs.h
a crowd Of Gc.la. JJukrr hiking css /,
Russia, begging ior bread and for a cha,
70 make an honest living. Gcrmanie h,
and the cities Of the C0urland would re,I
be cutting of their noses % spite their ft,.
II they were TO seek separation from a.
great hnterlaud of Russia. For Riga A.
her sister cities 10 JON Germany would N -
great an economic perycrsion AS Tor PrQ.
Cenec and Boston 20 join Canada.
The national movement IN the Ukraine
largely artificial. lt has been developed I,
Austrian agents who have worked tarotf
the Ruthenian population OF Galicia. Ukras.,
shows as much difference from Russia PROP,
as New England does from New YORK. q
Kentucky from Ohio. The national non,
nent has been coached along BY the estsh
hshnent on the part Of the Austrian soss,,.
ment Of i Ru-hcalan university 10 Wild
Ukrainian students from Russia were b.
yited This university has evolved urc,,
the careful supervision Of the Austria,
agents, q Uk-ainian literature" for TIE .d.
fcation and instruction Of The JAraa.ans n
Russia. Such is the "dangc-' which threaten,
Russian unity from that source.
A United States Of Russia Demanded
What the very existence Of Finland, Pe-
land, tho Baltic provinces and the Ukrs,.
demand is the institution of a United States
Of Russia The size of Russia, as well a
sectional divergence, makes this form not only
desirable, but absolutely necessary. A demo.
cratic Russian government can be successful
only if federalized as ours has been.
At this point it may be well to say woI
concerning the future os Constaatnorle Z
their revolutionary idcalism the workiugme.
and peasantry Of Russia arr being misled b
the cry, NO anncxat.Cns, 10 indemHitieG'
7 his is a stupendous error. Whcthe, or nc,
the waterway to the high seas, including
Gibraltar should be neutralized we shall not
discuss here. Yet the relationship which
Constantinople should hold to Russia ! shall
try to make clear by the following eompsri.
son: Suppose that the Mississippi Vany
and all Central Canada and Alaska were
separate nation composed Of distinct peo.
pie. Suppose further that this populstOr.
possessed Of the Great Lakes. had sesports
only on Hudson Bay and the Bering Sea
Suppose Mexico controlled Texas and tie
mouth Of the Mississippi. Would not that
great nation OF the Mississippi Valley and
the far north be justified in demanding the
possession Of New Orleans and Mobile ArJ
artificial political line drawn between he
sesports Of great continent and the hinlsr
land must be great curse, a hindrsnce to
progress, TO natural economic development of
national life. For that yerv reason he
policy of Italy in demanding Trieste and The
eastern littorsl of the Adristic is rooted /.
fundamental economic and political error. Y
successful it will plant pregnant seeds q
future wars-unless unless We have abs~
lutte and universal free trade established a
a fundamental law OF the worlds futan
economic and political life. This consumns'
ton is probably too much 70 hope Tor a.tls
close of the War. The greater portion d
humanity everywhere are still simplstcns
easily misled, easily herded sud cheated. y
that the good nature Of the Russian masses
and their intense longing for peace misa
them to deceive themselves as regards Coz.
stantinople. This ancient eastern espitd
and the open waterway to the high seas a
the south must be acquired; so viii the hOns
of the Russian nation be completed and tg
future unity, safety and development ASSURED
Copyrighted 1917. OHs D. Wool