Evening star., 1918-02-24
New Nation Recognized.

New Nation Recognized.
To begin at the beginning. the Brest-
! Litovsk agreement, SO far as it af-
fects southern Russia. creates great
independent state. having an area of
more than 100000 square miles-that
is. greater than that of Austria-Hun-
gary-with population but little short
of the 3O,OoO,0O of France. This ter
ritory is. roughly speaking. bounded by
the Black sea. the territory of the
Don Cossacks, west Of the river of
that name; the great Pripet marshes,
the old Austro-Russian frontier. and
the new frontier between that Poland
which is to be created and Ukrainia.
This state is mainly populated by
people with a sense of race solidarity
and a long-cherished ideal of auton-
omy, If not actual independence. 1t
is the richest agricultural region of
Russia, and is in the main a land oil
small holdings and peasant owner
ship-quite contrasted with the ccndl-
tions of other regions of Russia Ihls
new state has reasonably we'll marked
natural frontiers; it has an outlet on
the sea- and may be regarded as hav-
ing all the esse ntials of q separate
nation.
Still Another State, Lithuania.
Less clear. yet not to be missed. is
the preparation for the construction OF
still another state-that of Lithuanla,
to include the somewhat hazy estate of
the old Jagellon Lithuania and the
Baltic provinces which at one time or
another were, in part at least. held by
the Teutonic orders. This state is to
include practically all the Russian
Baltic seacoast, with the great ports OF
Riga and Libau. and. not impossloly,
Reval. 1t would have an area OF about
60. 900 square miles, half that of Italy.
and a population of upward of 6.000.-
600, but this population would be pix
ed-mainly Lettish, but with strong
Polish and Finnish infusions. and an
appreciaole element of Germans
Unlike Ukrainia. this Lithuanian state
would lack real racial cohesion. 1t won d
he really a German-controlled facade,
thrown across the Batic seaboard of
northern Russia. giving the German
masters actual mastery of the outlets
of Russia on the Baltic. 1t would be
under the domination of the numerl-
cally insignificant element of Germans
survivors of the old Teutonic orders
it would depend upon Germany for eX-
istence, and it would be the cause OF
another war if Russia ever again be-
came a powerful state. because such
state would of necessity have to gain
an outlet on the sea-
And Thirdly, Poland.
Finally. the more or less definite in
diration of the Lithuanian and ukral-
nian frontiers reveals the Austro-Ger-
man plan for Poland. This Poland is 10
be relatively restricted state, smaller
than Lithuania, and shut in between
Germany, I.ithuania, Ikrainia and AUS
| tnv, nf
were added to it its area would be Well
under $4,000 square miles-less thah
that of New York state-holding pop
ulation of a little above 10000 900. IL
would be cut off from the sea by Ger
man Prussia and shut out of the Rus
sian markets, which it supplied with
manufactured goods. by the new from
tiers. Such a Poland would be little
more than sham and mockerE. 1t
would have better chance of survival
were Polish Galicia joined to it. but it
would still be helpless enclave in the
German and Austrian-controlled terri
tories, which would surround it.
Now as to the political alignment of
! these three states: Ukrainia would have
all the essentials of an independent
state; it would naturally fall into an
alliance with the central powers. whose
aid it would seek against invasion from
the north by the bolshevik armies.
coming not so much to conquer and
restore Ukrainia to Russia as to estab-
+ lsh the doctrines of the Russian revo-
luton and introduce the class war. to
i, which the Russian reds will now dedi-
cate themselves. For the central pow
ers in peace or in war. ukrainia would
he natural granary, while it would
not have to fear ultimate German alb
sorption. since it lies outside the path
way of German ambition and is in the
main removed from German frontiers
Ukrainia May Replace Italy.
BY the Brest-Litovsk document, then,
which. SO far as the Ukrainians are
concerned, is signed and agreed to on
both sides, the central powers have
created a new state of considerable
size. likely to endure and to become a
willing partner in any Mitteleuropa
scheme which is economic rather than
political In dividing Russia in half the
Germans have created a natural ally
and furnished this ally with real rea-
sons for alliance in the future.
Ukrainia may then easily replace Italy
in the triple alliance if this alignment
persists after the war.
Lithuania, on the other hand, is fat
state. 1t is highly artificial; it has no
real excuse for existence. and it can be
of no permanent Importance save only
for that tirhe in which 'r~nosa armies
are able to garrison its cities and carry
out the will of the German minority
1t deprfves the Poles of one of their
ancient outlets upon the sea, and it
likewise throws the frontier of north
ern Russia back from the free waters.
1t is Enthusiastically an expression of the
o1d-fashioned idea of following up
victorious war by the seizure of prov.
inces of the enemy. without regard to
the rights or the desires of the in
habitanta
AS to Poland, the Germans have de-
signed to leave only a mutilated frag-
rnent, deprived Of all outlet upon the
lsea; deprived Of much territory whose