The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-01-04
to Poland, then at least a million and /,

| 10 fOIanO, lNen at IeaSt n mlilOu duO
half Of Germans between the vistula
and the Memel, with Konigsberg as
| their capital, will be separated from
the main mass Of Germans to the west
ward, isolated politically and econom-
ically, hemmcd in by the Poles and
Lithuanians and occupying q thin fac
ade between the. Baltic and the solid
block Of Poles to the south. This was
the situation when Frederick the
Great engineered the Arst partition OF
Poland in 1772, to obtain land commu-
nicaton with his East Prussian terri
tories.
Would Lack Outlet.
BY contrast, II this Polish arm, with
| Danzis does not fall to the new Po-
| land, there will be created a state
| with at least 25,0O0,000 of people
! within its frontier, highly industrial
lied, capable of indefinite economic
expansion, but lacking any outlet up
on the sea- Such a nation will be
wholly at the mercy OF the Germans
occupying the narrow strip between
| the Baltic and the new Poland, and
thus holding the lower watches OF the
vistula, which Is to Poland what the
Mississippi river was to the region
between the Alleghanies and the Rock
| los before the era OF railroads.
1t is quite plain that If Poland is to
be strong Independent nation, AGO
nomically and politically, 1t must have
an outlet upon the sea, 1t must have
Danzig. 1t can only have this outlet
by isolating East Prussia and Polish
possession of Danzig and its restrict
ed seacoast would be wholly insecure.
Just as long as Prussia cherished the
hope Of retaining her landward con-
nection with East Prussia.
We have here, then, one OF the
most difficult of all problems. The
basis OF self determination does not
suffice. because If you followed race
boundaries merely, Poland would reach
the Baltic and the separation Of the
Prussians would be achieved, but Dan
zig would remain Prussian and Poland
would have no seaport, for the shore
Of the Polish strip on the Baltic is
sandy and inhospitable Therefore, it
is plain that Danzig must return to
! Poland, that the whole of the Polish
speaking west bank OF the Vistula must
be included In the new Polish state.
1t is equally plain that Posen must
ly included in Prussia until the Con-
gress Of Vienna which partitioned Ma
poleou's Grand Duchy of Warsaw the
surviving remnant of the Polish king
dom, nor is 1t less necessary that Pc
land should have Polish Silesia.
Thus constituted with only Polish
speaking regions included, Poland
would become nation of at least 25,-
20 1or tn,
modern Italy Were it conceivable
other races, notably with the Lithuan-
ians and the Ruthenians were settled
by the inclusion Of large areas Of ter
ritory once Polish, but inhabited by
other races now in part, at least, then
the new Poland would have an area
as great as that Of France and no less
than 100000 Of people.
Causes for New War.
But this really great state would
still have on the sea only a frontage
of some fifty miles, with Danzig as its
sole port, and between the Vistula
and the Mcneil, a narrow strip inhab-
tied by Prussian Germans, with Ger
man sympathies, would separate the
Poles from the sea. Here would be
the unacceptable cause for new wars,
for rivalries and for ambitions. 1t
seems to me that Tor this situation
there can be but one solution. Not
to include the whole seacoast from
the Polish strip to the Memel in the
New Poland. would be to hold out
new temptations for another Polish
partition.
This particular problem will be long
debated, the claims of the Germans
and Of the Slavs are both imposing
All depends upon whether it be the
purpose at Versailles to follow alb
stract principles vigorously, or to
erect living and enduring nations,
with all proper regard for conflicting
claims which do not stand in the way
Of this larger project. Whether the
future of 20,000.0OO of Poles, whose
race for two centuries has been the
victim OF the grossest wrongs, is 10
count, or that of 100000 Germans.
themselves invaders in the far off
times; this must be the real question.
Aside from the problem of the Prus-
SLAMS, however, the Polish question is
relatively simple. A new nation is 60
ing to rise on the ruins Of the old.
with population as great as that of
france century ago. and will exceed
that OF reunited Italy What the final
frontiers of this new state to the east
ward will be, no man can accurately
forecast. But on all other sides the
frontiers of language and the princi-
Piles Of self determination supply
reasonably safe guides i
Poland to be Buiwark
With this new state the population |
will be overwhelmingly Polish, the |
possibilities of economic expansion,
with the inclusion of the mineral dis
tricts OF Silesia and the restoration of |
the old manufacturing centres Of LODI |
and Warsaw. are definite Poland. |
Russian Poland was the factory of |
Russia before the war. the new Poland |
may easily possess itself of the Rus
sian market to the exclusion Of the
German. who dreamed to dominate