New-York tribune., 1918-08-19
Poles light o Be Hanged
That Nation May Survive
'4 IN Shadow of Austrian Calows Beg Friends Not
Appeal for Their Lives. Fearing 1t Would Com
promise Struggle for Country's Freedom

were tried BY the moves OF those whe
claimed 70 be our friends, but we have
persisted.
The Brest-Litovsk peace pact. which
aimed to separate from our mother!and
territory won through ages o. martyr
dom. and held by ties OF blood Che gov
ernment OF Cholm. in Poland. which
Austria agreed TO give TO the Ukrainc). .
Was. however. vital thrust and final
blow TO the remainder OF our already
tried soldierly Faith aud hope.
1T was this pact which convinced us
that il was possible no longer for Us to
continue within the Austrian army.
and, strictly IN accordance with the re-
, qulrcmeNts OF a soldiers honor We de
cided to continue the battle for our
netherlands freedom. but under Il diff
fcrent arrangement OF our strength.
Acts Premeditated
Our decision was the result OF deep
premeditation. No one depended on a
pardon, nor did any one intend to
plead Tor forbearancc or forgiveness
in the event OF defeat. As Ponsh ma
tlonallsts. our move was a deliberate
demonstration in protest against an
outrage. We elected to become for
NAL partners in the general Polish
manifestation. AS men experienced in
warfare and its usages. we selected i
portion Of the national battlee line
which belonged 10 US.
And now Nc receive. indirectly. the
news that awakens fear in us, that COW
Germ over our fate is apt to weaken
the resistance ard the decided stand
taken by the official Polish representa-.
ton in the face of the governments
that dismembered our country. 1t is
said that we are threatened with the
danger that the Polish Parliamentary
Club, in consideration of modiica
ton of our sentence, might be COM
PEELED to lessen the strength of the op~
position and to agree to make conccs>
sions in the sphere Of the general Po-
lish political policies.
I'VE value greatly our compatrots
love. and we We're touched deeply by
tho generosity with which the country
thought of us. hut desire 10 protest
most encrgetically against relief and
concessions secured for US to the de-.
riment of the country by making con-
cessions as to the ancient rights of
our nation. II was our ambition TO
make Of ourselves a power in the hands
Of the highest Polish authority. and.
u full consciousness and realization
CT the role we assumed. wc cast IN
faltering into the fight our greatest
asset-thc fame of Polish soldier. e..
tabiished upon his blood and that most
beautiful, legend Of a Polish army re
born.
Wait Nations Verdict
"You are not to iniure us with gifts
requiring too great concessions. De
not permit our personal lot TO weaken
the united Polish front, Sc" the ver-
dict and death penalty can affect us
only physically. The suferings under
gone by our grandfathers and fathers
we Will continue as q national obliga
ton. without complaint or resentment
and with the sincere conviction that
we arc serving a free. united and indc-
pendent Poland.
"The verdict to be given by our
motherland will mete out justice to
|us, and we await that verdict with cor
tidence
"In the name OF the interned soldiers
and officers"
Altogether. lightweight officers and
twen;ysiX privatcs are being court
martialled at Marmarosz-S Sziget. The
officers and men are part of the Polish
Carpath;an Iron Brigade. which revolt.
cd late in February, seized arms and
provisions and marched from Buko-
wina, in Austria. into Besearabia, under
the command of General Hallcr. Part
of the force was captured by the Ger
mans. but the larger part has since
consolidated with the Czecho- Slovak
army. General Haler made his way to
Paris after the consolidation ard is
now planning for the mobilization of
all Polish troops in Russia TO serve
with the Allied armies in Russia