The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-09-13
POLISH DEFENSE
SENDS PROTEST
Declares Pope Benedict's Letter to Lead
ers OF Belligerent Peoples Did Wrong
to Rights and Dignity Of the
Polish Nation.

| 10 hlHhtb anu Di6nity VI ehc
Polish Nation.
New York, Sept. l3,-The following
protest on behalf of the Polish national
defense committee has been sent TO his
grace, the Rt. Rev. Giovanni Bonzano,
apostolic delegate TO the United States
OF America at Washington, ID. C.;
To His Grace, the RI. Rev, Giovanni Bon
zano
Apostolic delegate TO the United States
OF America,
Washington, ID. G.
Your Graces
The Polish national defense committee
requests that your grace transmit TO the
hands of his emineRce, the cardinal see
rotary OF state of the Holy See, its ex'
pressions of profound grief because of
the wrong done to the rights and TO the
dignity of the Polish nation by the apos'
tolic letter of his holiness, Benedict Nv,
addressed TO the leaders of the belliger-
ent peoples.
Every liberty. and justice-loving indi-
vidual must greet with full appreciation
the peremptory demand of his holiness,
that the Germans should forthwith evac-
uate the territories of Belgium and
France, which they occupy. By this de-
mand his holiness expressly rejects the
idea of conquest and recognizes the fact
that conquest by force of arms cannot
constitute legal basis for incorporating
foreign territories without the consent |
of the people of such territories. Thus |
4 h.. IND .tak rio Af he al
the French nations to the territories in
habited by them Immediately prior TO the
outbreak of the war has been emphati
cally recognized by the Holy See.
The attitude of the Holy See with re-
gard to the provinces of Alsace and Lor-
raine, which were wrested from France in
1871, is, however, not as definite, as the
apostolic letter of his holiness in discreet
silence passes over the imperative neces-
sity Of restoring these provinces TO their
mother country, France.
Painful and unexpected, however, is
The attitude assumed by the Holy See
with regard to the rights of the Polish
nation to liberty and independence. His
holiness speaks of the Polish question in
he following words:
"The same spirit of equity and justice
,ught to be followed in the examination
# other territorial and political ques-
ions relative to terri
cries making a part of the ancient king
lom of Poland, whose noble and histor-
cal traditions and sufferings which it has
especially during the present
var, ought to conciliate the sympathies
# nations"
Thus in the opinion of the Holy See,
'oland is not nation which is fully en-
titled to independent political life. His
oliness does not demand that the Ger
lans evacuate the territory of the for.
Ter commonwealth of Poland, which is
lmost in its entirety occupied by the
rmies of Germany and Austria Hun
airy. The Holy See does not recognize
he sovereign rights Of the Polish nation
D its own territory, but merely speaks
sympathies of nations, which Poland
ught to concilate because of the suffer
lgs she has endured. According to the
rms of the apostolic letter, Poland is
ut "a territorial and political question
hich should be examined" not in its en-
rety but only in part" The fate Of
he rest of the parts" of Poland which
is holiness excludes from the examina-
on remains unknown Which of the
powers is therefore to have
ossession of the excluded parts Of Po-
nd?
In the opinion of the Holy Seq the
oles are not even entitled to decide
,out their own fate, The apostolic let
laGr he s.
lie body, which is to examine the terri
rial questions In the paragraph re-
ting to this subject we read as fol.
ws:
"The parties in conflict would wish to
anime them with conciliatory dis.
'sition, taking into consideration, as
3 said formerly, the aspirations of the
oples."
Thus the Polish nation is supposed to
lit patiently, without participating in
e congress of the leaders of the bellig.
emit nations, while these leaders decide
e fate of but part" of Poland
If such is TO be the Supremacy of
hit" referred to by the Holy See we
n give the positive assurance that there
II not be one single citizen in Poland
10 will assent to such decision made
the partitioning powers.
Different was the tenor of addresses
ected by the predecessors of his Holt
IS, Benedict XIV, to the Polish nation
the times of the lstter's triumphs over
. foes of Poland
At the time when the Polish kings tri.
phed over the German empire and
re about to crush the rebellous and