New-York tribune., 1918-01-04
German Peace Terms-A Colossal
Fraud
IL p Poland

Ill Diana
Yesterday there was discussed in this
place the meaning Of German peace terms
rs cnunciated at Brest-Litovsk, so far as
they affected the Baltic Provinces of Rus
sia. 1t remains to discuss the second divi-
sion of these terms, those which apply to
Russian Poland
The problem Of Russian Poland may be
simply stated: There are in Russian Po-
land, so called, some $500 900 people, the
very great ajority Of whom are Poles.
This territory must be the basis Of any
Polish state to be created There are also
many Poles in the adjoining Russian gov
In addition, nearly four millions of Poles
inhabit German lands across the frontier
in the Prussian provinces of Silesia, Posen
and East and West Prussia Finally, there
are more than five million Poles in the
Austrian province Of Galicia.
Any honest attempt to settle the Polish
problem, either by treaty Or by plebiscite,
would involve permitting the Poles of
Prussia, Russia and Austria to determine
their allegiance. We're this allowed, they
would almost without exception vote to
return to a restored Poland Such an ar
rangement would create a compact state,
with q population of over 25,OOO 900 in
habitants, having its Sea gate on the Bal
tic at Danzig and including very consid-
erahle portions of several P1Tssian prov
inces and all Of the province of Posen-
But the German proposal made at
Bres1~Litovsk deliberately excludes the
Prussian Poles from the question. 1t sirni-
1ar1y excludes the Austrian Poles. bat on
this question there is more to be said
presently Naturally, the Germans are
not sincere in their championship of Polish
nationality, because they are totally I'M
willing to surrender their own Polish SUBJ
jects to q new Poland and unless such a
surrender is made no real Poland can be
created The reason for this the map
shows- Seated on the Baltic shore from
Menel to Danzig, Germany holds all the
Beaports and thus the exits of Polish
coast would then, in the nature of things
be an economic dependency Of the Ger
h bo = 81 n
In the German proposition, a flaw which
discloses the underlying fraud of their ef-
fort to invoke the question of the rights
of small nations.
AS to the exact limits Of the new Polish
state which Germany purposes to erect
there is lacking all information. Russian
Poland, save Suwalki, will unquestionably
be included, but, in addition, it is extreme.
1y likely the Germans plan to add some
portions of the Russian governments OF
Grodno and Volhynia, which are now oc.
cupied by Austro- German troops and con
tain Polish Inhabitants. The state thus
constituted would contain between 45. .OO(
and 10000 square miles, with population
Of between 100000 and $4,000 900
Were the Germans seeking to follow ethnit
and reasonable lines they would add a,
least a portion Of Wilma, with its Polish
population. and leave Suwalki, but these
are probably to be included in theil
I.ithuania.
This new Poland is to be placed undel
the direct control Of Austria, so we have
been again and again informed from
Vienna and from Berlin. But this raise.
a new question: Will the 5000. 900 Poles O.
Austria be joined to those Of the old Rus
sian Poland? Will the whole of Galici;
be so joined or only the Polish half? II
any event, we seem certain to see the
western half of Galicia joined to the new
Poland. The result will be the creation O.
more or less compact state with a popu
lation of between seventeen and twent,
millions, in the main Polish.
But this state, the present plans dis
close, is not to be free; it is to be one
more of the various dependencies Of the
Hapsburgs. Here is the second fraud
The Germans refuse to allow their Pole.
to ioin with the other Poles in restoring &