Evening star., 1918-08-23

ton that will permit the state to de-
velop, because the most importan
question of territory to be occupied py
this state is as yet unsettled anu
is being decided against Poland as,
for instance. in the Brest-AitoVsk
The speaker added that the atmos.
phere surrounding the council ol
state did not permit of constructive
work, for it Is "permeated with tne
general suffering and misery through
out Poland. and the lack OF authorits
remedy those conditions; with ths
sufferings of thousands OF Poiisn
prisoners and exiles of our military
Poland, Russia and Lithuania ane
with the sufferings of our military
divisions and the trials of the legion
aries who were interned and are no"
being court-martialed-
Speech Which Caused Sensation.
But it was the speech Of Deputy
Korfanty in the German reichstae
which caused a sensation Throughout
Poland. After the German govern
ment had made an insidious attempt
to defeat him he was reelected ps
an overwhelming majority. Speaking
on the military bill before the reicn'
stag. he said, in part:
II want to touch upon suo1ecl
discussed on several occasions in TINS
body and in the Prussian parliament
l refer to the Polish workingmer
brought into Germany. There are
about 100000 of these men compeliec
to stay here. and some time ago
speaking of their work. the govern
ment stated that without their worl
the government could not sustain its
war program and could not continue
the war. These 100000 men Were
brought here from Poland by trickery
Some were lured through lies as te
their salaries and working conditions
They were lured through the lies ant
Vaccinations of unscrupulous agents
and some of them were brought mere
by sheer force. for real man-huntt
were arranged in Poland and Llthu'
ania.
.sWhen my colleague, Mr.. Tramp.
czynski, raised the question during
the second reading of the bill. stating
at the time that the minister OF war
while promising relief to these pool
workingmen, in reality had no seri'
Gus intentions in the matter. Gen
Soheuch made the statement that IL
this matter he can be guided only b,
the interests of the German empire
We state briefly and concisely: We
do not recognize any German inter
ests (violent exclamations from thu
junkers) that are contrary to th'
ideas of morality and Christian pre-
ideas 70 morality and Christian pre-
cepts. We recognize only such Ger
man interests as comply with righ
and justice, with morality and tn
precepts of Christ. All other con
ceptions of these interests are de
serving of the severest condemnation
on the part of every civilized man
Relief Not Seriously Considered.
MY colleague after this discussion
talked personally to Gen. Scheucl
relative to these Polish workingmen
AT this time he told him that in hi
on;nion the military authorities dit
not seriously think of granting an!
relief to our workingmen- Gen
Scheuch in the course of this conver
sation again stated emphatically tina
he can govern himself only by Ger
man interests and that this cas-
presents itself to him as a matter
| might.
gentlemen, If you make this mattel
of the Polish workingmen matter o
| might. then we will be obliged to draw
| the most drastic conclusions out OF suci
| a position taken by the government d.
not forget this. 100000 workinsmen o.
whom is dependent, the whole German
war program also constitute power
They constitute an element Of strength
and we have the moral power over thi
| element, these workingmen-
do not force US. do not force tn
Polish nation to draw from this con
| troversy the extreme consequence. Jus
1 a few words do 1 wish to add to thi
| of how the workingmen in Germany ar
being exploited and robbed. (Here tn
| chairman pounded his bell and inter
| rupted to assert that no one ofhciall.
| exploits and robs any workingmen. ant
| that the speaker was not permitted t
| express himself in such language. bu
| the deputy continued.) I will remin'
you, gentlemen, of how at times thes
| workingmen are driven to work througl
| hunger and whipping and in what abom
| Unable conditions they must live. And
| in proof Of what I say, call not onl.
| upon the gentlemen from the left of thi
| body, but upon the testimony of tn
| Catholic clergy, who have written who'll
| volumes on the exploitation and mis-
| treatment of our poor working people
I call upon the testimony Of the deputie
| from among the centrists and Of tn
| high 6ignitaries in the Catholic church
These. the poorest Of our brethren. ar
\ wasting away in this bondage. both Ii
body and soul. This. once for all time
must be confirmed clearly and emphatic
| ally in the presence of the whole world