The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-10-27

The Ukrainians OF Russia are a
| race OF many contradictions They
are a poor people in a rich country.
Although strong and healthy. they
have high death rate. They are
lartisdcally inclined, but often Hitter
ate. They have the firrnest belief in
popular government, but until re-
Gently they were wholly unreprese
/ Ia tha Russian pa Hiiia ts4eHat - They
have a rich and distinctive literature.
but the Russian government forbade
the use OF the Ukrainian language
even in tho common schools. They
are good farmers and gardeners, but
they have no soil to till. Before the
war they produced one-half CT Rus
sIa's iron and coal, but 1t was all
owned by foreign capital.
The reason for these Inconsistencies
is not hard to find Ukraine has been
an appendage OF the Russian crown
ever since tho great rebellion Of the
Ukrainian Cossacks in 1854 and since
the partitions of Poland which sue
eeeded H. And since about two
months after the treaty of Brest Lit
ovsk it has been ruled by German gen
erals. AS a result, the rkrainians
know the meaning OF oppression.
Their Trust I'm America
The Gkrainians were among the
1rst Of the Slavs in this country to
I pin their faith to America as the great
friend of subject and dependent peo-
iplcs in Eurppe.-As long ago as 1915
+ f+-ts- Fnt-rt-- sending appeals 10 f'rest-
dent Wilson and TO the press in he
half not only Of Ukraine, but Poland,
Bohemia. Serbia, and the other op-
pressed nationaiities. 1t was natural
for the tkrainians to turn hopefully
{ -, =,
isolutely anti-monarchist and very DEM
ocratic in spirit. Their traditions and
their whole history have made them
one of tho most democratic peoples
OF eastern Europe. They were the
first among the Slavs to rebel against
iserfdom and to strive for republican
institutions
I Unt1 1917 the Ukrainians were
scarcely known TO the American peo-
iple. even by name although they
number Sc coo, 600 in Russia About
I 5000, 600 of their kin fthe Ruthen-
/ iansl have been the subjects of the
( Hapsburgs More than 1000, 600 are
/ in the province. OF eastern Gaiicia,
800 900 are in Bukovina and about
/ half q million are in northern Hun
gary. The Austrian constitution
promised the Rutheuians liberty and
/ equality before the law, but 10 large
! degree this was an empty promise,
{ Education in the schools was mostly
directed toward the end OF denational-
! ling them. Their local administra
Ition was in the hands Of a narrow and
! powerful caste which managed To
lpreyGnl As many Ruthenians AS pos
iSihle from voting and exclude them
from the control Of their own affairs
A. far-reachihg system of electoral
corruption and ccrrymandering made
it Impossible for 80 per cent Of the
population to gain more than 10 per
lcent Of tho seats in the legislature In
fact, the Austrian officials have treated
ithe Ruthenians as foreign nterIop-
Iors Il Is because of this that the
| krai.ians wish for 1.-THE dissolution
TOT Austria Hungary and an orGaniza
}tton of its free peoples under thci,
own rule. Such a reorganization vii
result in uniting the raeiaily alice
~ krainians and Ruthenians
Immigration TO United States
The oppression in Europe has driven