The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-20
Poland Ccmlng Into Her Rights.


The last stage In the settlement Of
the boundary between Poland and Ger
many has apparently been reached
in making Danzig an international
port. This decision Is not in accord
with the recommendation Of the War
Council, which, as announced in
March, was that Poland should have
possession Of this contested Baltic port
and corridor to 1t from her own
territory through Prussia. The final
settlement, however, has apparently
the approval Of Premier PADEREwsKI,
who recently came to Paris from War
saw to present the Polish claims.
The settlement no doubt represents
compromise; but the situation Is
such as to demand this. The city
itself has preponderance Of German
population, but the country back OF
it is overwhelmingly Polish. The
railroads Of Danzig are German; the
Vistula, which carried large inland
commerce to this port, however, flows
in It's almost entire navigable course
from Cracow through and has tribu-
tary to 1t rich and productive por-
ton Of Polish territory.
Premier PADEREwsKt has through
out strongly insisted that Poland
must have an outlet to the sea II the
new state Is to make any industrial
or economic progress. The factories
Of Warsaw and other manufacturing
centres, he contended, should not be
forced into n dependence upon Ger
man entry ports for their fuel and
raw materials, neither should all the
Polish resources of the Vistula val
ley be compelled to pass through Ger
man hands in order to reach the sea.
The Polish borders present no oppor-
tunities for a seaport; and K6nigs-
berg. further TO the north and ap-
proachable from the Polish state with
out driving a wedge into such an i'm
portant portion Of East Prussian ter
rltory as does the Danzig corridor, is
too limited in Its port facilities to be
available. The matter thus, accord
ing to the Poles, resolves itself into
being entirely cut off from the sea or
having the use Of Danzig.
Making Danzig an international
port, 1t is believed, solves in a meas
ure the difficulty of the corridor
from Poland to the sea. 1t affords
an opportunity for reaching East
Prussia from western Germany with
out crossing strip which the Ger
mans contend would be under Polish
control. By this corridor East Prus-
sia is cut off from the remainder OF
Germany. 1t leaves a German island
with an estimated German population
of 2,00O,OO In the Baltic region. This
was the reason given ny Germany for
her opposition to the plan; but
whether or not the internationaliza
ton of Danzig was accepted as con-
cession that would overcome this OBJ
lection will develop when the treaty
conditions are laid before the German
Peace Commissioners.
The settlement of the DanziG Ques-
ton Is another evidence of the i'm
provement in the whole Polish stu
alton. The troops under General
HALLER are being returned to Poland
and the Poles will thus be better
able to establish their rights to dis
puted territory in the south and also
to combat the threatened advance of
Bolshevism. Premier PADEREwsKI's
presence in Paris has put an end TO
the Polish commission in that city
and also to the conflicts in ideals and
authority. The Premier has proved
his ability as a courageous executive
and there seems no other person in
whom authority should be centred to
lay we'll and securely the foundations
of the new Polish state.