The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-10-04
POLES OBJECT TO
POPE'S PEACE NOTE

New York. October s.-The Polish
national defense committee has issued
a statement protesting against the po-
sition taken by the pope in his recent
peace note. The Polish grievance il
expressed in the following terms:
The Polish national defense COM
mittee requests that your grace trans
NIT to the hands of his eminence. the
cardinal secretary of state of the holy
see. it's expressions of profound grief
because OF the wrong done to the rights
and to the dignity of the Polish nation
by the apostolic letter of his holiness
Benedict XIV. addressed to the leaders
of the oelligerent peoples.
THE attitude of the holy see with
regard to the provinces Of Alsace and
lorraine. which were wrested from
France In 1871. Ia. however, not def
mite, as the apostolic letter of his holt
ness in discreet silence passes over the
imperative necessity of restoring these
provinces to their mother country.
France.
Painful and unexpected. however,
Is the attitude assumed by the holy
Polish nation to liberty and inde-
pendence. His holiness speaks of the
Polish question in the following words:
1.-The same spirit OF equity and JUS
tice ought to be followed IN the ex-
animation of other territorial and po-
iitical questions--relative TO terrific
ries making part of the ancient
kingdom of Poland, whose noble and
historical traditions and sufferings
-xvEy - 80 toll ifyr
ing the present war ought to con-
ciiiato the svmpathies of nations
Thus, in the opinion of the holy see,
Poland Is not a nation which is fully
entitled to Independent political life.
His holiness does demand that the Ger
mans evacuate the territory or the
former commonwealth of Poland.
which is almost in it's entirety occu-
pied by the armies of Germany and
Austria Hungary. The holy see does
not recognize the sovereign rights of
the Polish nation to it's own territory.
but merely speaks of the svmpathIes
of nations. which Poland ought TO con-
ciiiate because OF the sufYerings she
has endured According TO the terms
OF the apostolic letter, Poland is but a
territorial and political question which
should be examined. not in it's entirety,
but only In part The fate of the
rest OF IhN pBftH Oh lciHnu. @niCH mis-
holiness excludes from the examina-
tion remains unknown. Which of the
partitioning powers Is therefore to
have possession OF the excluded parts
OF Poland?
I'm the opinion of the holy see the
Poles are not even entitled to decide
about their own fate The apostolic
letter expressly defines the compost
tion of the body which is to examine
the territorial questions. In the para
graph relating to this subject we read
as follows
1.-THE narties In conflict would wish
to examine them with a eonciliatory
disposition, taking into consideration.
az we said formerly. the aspirations
OF the peoples
Thus the Polish nation is supposed
to walt patiently. without participating
In the congress of the leaders OF the
helligerent nations while these leaders
decide the fate of but a part of po-
lapd.
IF such Is to be the Supremacy of
right referred to by the holy see we
can give the positive assurance that
there will not be one single citizen in
Poland who will assent to such de-
decision made by the partitioning"