Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1919-09-03

Eoiunu, HdNluS Ueen ldheu OI the
map by a treaty, is now to be put
back again by another treaty. In the
latter part of the fourteenth century
Poland was the dominant power In east
ern Europe. Her dominion extended
from the Baltic to the Dnieper and
pressed down upon Austria to the
south. while Red Russia, White Rus
Ha, Black Russia and the Ukraine
were hers. Prussia was little state
huddled up In a corner on the Baltic,
and surrounded on the other sides by
Poland. Courland and Livonia were
Polish provinces. The Prussians or
Borussians, were an idolatrous tribe
who INDUCED in human sacrifices and
Poland called In the Teutonic knights
to subdue them.
The TeutOnic knights subdued the
Borussians, but they turned Prussia
into militant little state which be.
gan at once wars to increase Its ter
ritory. A Hohenzollern had himself
elected head Of the Teutonic knights
and thus began the house of Hohen-
zollern, and that power destined to
have such large share In the down
fall of Poland and to be such a men,
ace to the world, sprung from race
Of savages led by an adventurer.
AS late as 1868, when the American
colonies were already settled common
wealths, POlend was so powerful that
her king, John Sobieski, marching with
nlf 10 n
Vienna and saved Europe from being
overrun by the Turk.
Dynasty Came to an End.
With the death of Sigismund Angus
tus in 1872, the dynasty Of the old
kings came to an end and Poland
adopted system of elective kings, and
a new constitution which worked out
badly and contributed to the downfall
of the nation. The Polish diet elected
the king II consisted of chamber
Of peers and house Of representa-
tives of the lesser mobiles. The diet
sat only six weeks each year and its
decisions We're obliged to be unani-
nous to be effective. Also there was
q recognized right of any mobiles con-
federating together to enforce their
will by the power of arms. Naturally
the result was diScord and sometimes
civil war. Russia, the growing Prus-
sia and Austria fOstered these internal
disagreements with hungry looks on
Polish territory.
large number of Germans found
their way into the country, gathered
to themselves business and industries
and worked their propaganda.
In 1878 the election of Augustus III
TO the Polish throne was accomplished
by open bribery and under the guard of
Russian soldiers. The Poles revolted
and that interference Of Russia was
the beginning Of the downfall Of Po-
land. On the death of Augustus III
Russia and Prussia forced the cleo
ton to the throne of Poniatowski, an
old lover of the Empress Catherine,
sending an army into the country to
accomplish 1t. The Poles organized to
resist Russia. Prussia and Austria,
fearful that Russia would seize all
Poland, proposed that the kingdom be
divided up among the three, and a
treaty was signed by the three powers
at ST. Petersburg on August 5, 1772,
by which Russia acquired part of
old Lithuania, an area Of $4,000 square
miles with population of nearly two
millions; Prussia took West Prussia,
excepting Dantzig, and district on
the Netze of 1900 square miles and
1901 900 inhabitants; while Austria re-
ceived Galicia and Lodomeria, $1,000
square miles and 100000 inhabitants.
Poland was left kingdom; but one