Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-10-27
Are Illiterate But Have A Firmness For An Inde-
 pendent Government
FIRST TO PIN FAITH
 TO UNITED STATES
Appeal First to President Wilson in 1915 for the
 Relief of Peoples.

The Ukrainians of Russia are race of many contradictions. They are a poor people in rich country. Although strong and healthy, they have high death rate. They are artistically inclined, but often Hitter ate. They have the firmness belief in popular government, but until re- gently they were wholly unrepresent- ed in the Russian parliament. They have rich and distinctive literature, but the Russian government forbade the use of the Ukrainian language even in the common schools. They are good farmers and gardeners, but they have no soil to till. Before the war they produced one-half of Rus sia's iron and coal, but it was all owned by foreign capital.
 The reason for these inconsistent cies is not hard ito find. Ukraine has been an appendage of the Russian crown ever since the great rebellion of the Ukrainian Cossadks in 1854 and since the partitions of Poland which succeeded it. And since about two months after the treaty of Brest- Litovsk it has been ruled by German generals As result, the Ukrainians know the meaning of oppression.
 Their Trust in America.
 The Ukrainians were among the first of the Slavs in this country to pin their faith to America as the great friend of subject and depend ent peoples in Europe. As long ago as 1915, they were sending appeals to President Wilson and to the press in behalf not only of Ukraine, but Poland, Bohemia, Serbia, and the other oppressed nationalities. It was natural for the Ukrainians to turn hopefully to this country, because they are absolutely anti-monarchist and very democratic in spirit. Their traditions and their whole history have made them one of the most democratic peoples of eastern Flu rope. They were the first among the Slavs to rebel against serfdom and to strive for republican institutions.
 Until 1917, the Ukrainians were scarcely known to the American peo- pie, even by name, although they num- Der 80,OOO,0Q0 in Russia. About D. OOO, O,OO0 of their kin (the Ruthenians) have been the subjects of the Haps- burgs. More than "A ,O0O,000 are in the province of eastern Galicia, 300,0O0 in Bukovina, and about half million are in northern Hungary. The Aus trian constitution promised the Ruth enians liberty and equality before the law, but to a large degree this was an empty promise. Education in the schools was mostly directed toward the end of denationalizing them, Their local administration was in the hnnAo of n ,s,.Ovxr crI v,ouy ,~f,,1 cfc which managed to prevent as many Ruthenians as possible from voting and exclude them from the control o1 their own affairs. A far-reaching sys- tenn of electoral corruption and gerry mandering made it impossible for 50 per cent of the population to gain more than 10 per cent of the seats in the Legislature. In fact, the Austrian officials have treated the Ruthenians as foreign interlopers. It is because of this that the Ukrainians wish fo1 the dissolution of Austria Hungary and an organization o. fits free peo. ples under their own rule. Such 8 reorganization will result in uniting the sracially allied Ukrainians anG Rutherians.
 Immigration to United States.
 The. oppression in Europe has. driv. en Mhpy Ukrainians and Ruthenians to this country. It is said that there are about half 3 million Ukrainians in the United States, but the exact Aumber. .canpot be determined, since 1iany Of those who came from Aus. tfia in earlier days were Eridentifiee with the Poles, while those from Russia were usually recorded as Rus. sians. However, they sharply differ from both of their Slavic neighbors and constitute a distinct nationality