The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-01-04
FORMATION OF
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Carpathians, country larger than
any contemporary European nation,
save Russia. This Poland for brief
time even touched the Black Sea, but
early withdrew to the Middle Dniester
and Deneiper. This was the rolahu
for the First Partition IN l772, Dut
II was not q Poland Of Poles merely,
on all the fringes OF this vast country
were alien subjects, Lithuanians,
White Russians and Roman1ahs on
the east and south, Germans on the
west
Minority In Posen.
nv contrast with this Poland OF his
tory there is the Poland of fact, IN
the main but not quite the Poland OF
the last partition in 1895. This IS
the true Poland of the Poles and IN
cludes the whole of Russian Poland.
the western half OF Austrian Galicia
and all or portions OF the German
provinces OF Posen, West Prussia and
Silesia. Actually the Poles are In a
minority in all provinces save Posen.
although constituting majority IN
many subdivisions. In this area dwell
some 100000 OF Poles, 10000 600
in old Russian territory, 100000 In
Austrian and approximately four In
German
For themselves the Poles claim all
OF this region. so far as 1t Is Polish,
that Is except certain limited areas
where the German and Slav can be
easily separated without inuring the
larger solidarity of the new Polish
state. But in addition they lay claim
to outlying districts in which there
Is a strong Polish minority. Thus
Polish and Lithuanian claims conflict
In Grondo and Wilma; Ruthenian and
Polish in Cholm and Eastern Galicia.
where Lemberg. the capital. is Pol
ish city in a Ruthenian region. At
Brest-Litovsk, the cession OF Cholm
to the Ruthenians, that Is. to the
Ukraine, led to violent Polish protest.
while we have recently seen fighting
for Lemberg. Again. the Poles claim
large regions east of the Bug. as far
as Minsk, in which the population Is
White Russian, but has. so far as one
can say, shown no opposition to in
corporation with the Poles.
II is the dream OF the Poles that
the Lithuanians will seek new fed
GRAFTON with the Poles, such as exist
ed In the past centuries when the
great Jagellon family Of Lithuania
supplied Poland with her kings. But
the Germans undertook to prevent
this by creating a separate Lithuanian
state and the desire Of the Lithuani-
ans for independent existence seems
unmistakable
Gaiiclan Difficult.
hn Dnfh nd "a
Poles, the struggle is even keener.
The Cholm district can only be be-
slowed by Versailles since neither
side will concede 1t to the other. al
though the claims Of the Poles seem
better founded in history and in geo.
graphical fact, for it Is the Bug river
which supplies the only natural from.
tier In this quarter
In eastern GaIicia the decision Is
harder. Lemberg is an old centre Of
Polish culture and population, but the
surrounding districts with a few no.
table exceptions are Ruthenian and
the Ruthenian element dominates east
OF the San, beyond PrZemysl, of con-
sOnantal memories. 1t also crosses
the Carpathians and dips into Hun
gary, while 1t covers the northern half
OF BukOvina. claimed by Rumania. and
now occupied by garrisons Of the lat
ter power.
But despite certain heart burnngs,
there is no insuperable obstacle to an
enduring settlement of the disputes
between the Poles and the Ruthenians.
aand any settlement insures a well
defined Polish frontier on the east,
while together Russian and Austrian
districts certain to be included in the
Polish state will supply population
OF above 100000 in very large
measure Polish. Such frontier draw
Ing as must take place. will moreover,
ofYer no eccentric projections. Really
considerable natural frontier between
the races il is impossible to find, save
N the Carpathians and for Il certain |
distance along the Bug. since this re-
gion is a portion of the great plain, |
but roughly speaking. Poland will hold |
the vast valley of the Vistula. the
cradle Of the race.
German Question. |
IL is on the German side that the |
main difficulties occur To begin at !
the south. the upper third of the Prus- |
sian province of Silesa, which had !
been Prussian since the days when |
Frederick the Great stole ii from Ma
ria Theresa and started the German
system OF larceny on the grand style.
is purely Polish in it's population This
is the region. too, Of great mineral !
and industrial development If Germ
any loses it. as she is now bound to
lose her other great region of Alsace-
Lorraine she will be deprived Of the
greater part Of the material out of
which she erected her great economic
edifice in the last half century. Yet,
II the frontiers are drawn here on
race divisions, aside from a small
dispute between the Czechs and the
Poles In the Teschen region. there
will be no more than justice done the
Poles. and he question of making the
new frontiers involves no great
puzzles.
AS one proceeds northward, how