Evening star., 1919-03-20
HUNS PLOT TOKEEP
PORTION Of POLAND
Charged With Resorting 10
Terrible 0utrages to
Subdue People.
BAR POLES At ELECTIONS
ny ANTHONY czARNEekI
Cabletrnn, to The EveainE Star aud
Chicago Daily News. Copyright. t01D.~

| POsEN. Poland, by courier 10 Parts,
| March 13.-Gen. Francis J. Eernan.
U. $. A, head of the Amcrican group
or the allied mission for Poland.
| accompanied by number Of as
sistsnts and the French, Italian and
British members OF the same mission,
all travelling in special cars, has ar
! rived here to assist in terminating
! the bloody conflict which has been
| going on for weeks between the Ger
| mans and Poles on the line between
! the territory in posen whence the
| Germans were driven out and, that
portion still in their hands.
Through the kindness Of Gen. ker-
nan 1t was my privilege 10 be: the
only American newspaper corresponds
ent to be present on an occasion
which promises to be most important
i'll connection with the future history
or Poland as we'll as Of Germany, and
which Will have an important bear
ing on the peace conference. In prep
aration for the reception of the in.
terallied commission Posen and the
places around it had been decked
with the Stars and Stripes and the
nags of Britain, France, Italy and
Poland. Fighting has been going on
despite the armistice for weeks
with dead and wounded victims daily.
Scenes of Reign of Terror.
In addition to the fighting between
the German and Polish soldiers there
nave been continuous reports from
Polish civilians that the territory in
the province of Posen in which the
Poles are In the majority. but W hich
the Germans still control. and also
in the territory of Upper silesia
cities. towns and villages in East
Prussia have been the scenes Of
reigns OF terror. Most terrible OUT
RACES. executions and imprisonments
have. 1t is alleged, been resorted to
People supdued. eds = They eyep are e"s chargsd ]
with systematically refusing food
rations to Polish children and women
In those portions of old Poland where's
In the Poles still predominate, but
which the Germans hope to keep even
after the peace conference and which
cupy.
refugees from these places that a.
systematic effort is being made to
KIN of as many Polish. people by
Poles groin under the heel Of oppres-
sion. which under the purposes of
President Wilson and the allies at
the peace conference would have been
made impossible and ended. BY pub
lie demonstrations in honor of the
allies and by the display of the allied
and Polish colors wherever the Poll
ish government has supplanted the
German rule 1t is hoped to give
physical and visible proof that they
are still Polish. that they have not
been Germanized and that they are
an inseparable part of Poland. The
also Of the other allied leaders is
asked in order that they may learn
the full facts regarding the present
fate OF the Polish population in the
territory of old Poland still under
German rule which the Germans
claim to be Germanized territory.
Poles here claim that in some Sec
tions a state Of siege has been main
tanned for weeks by the German gov
ernment with ruthless executions and
martial law to compel the Polish peo-
pie to remain quiet in the hope that
the peace conference will permit
those parts Of Poland to remain sep
by Germany. In other parts Of old
Poland under German rule at recent
local and other elections the Polish
candidates were barred, while the
population was compelled under Sc
we're regulations to go to the polls.
This. it 10 claimed, was done for the
purpose OF making the claim before
the peace conference that the Poles
are satisfied with German rule. This
is for the purpose Of preventing the
relinquishing Of these parts by Ger
many and also for preventing their
rejoining a free and Independent Po-
land.