The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-02-25


Nl have just been accepted by
~l Germany with every show
IsNaI Of reluctance, the Arst step
I3EJHI has been taken in the direc-
&sl tion of dealing with the the
practical problems of peace.
For more than month the Paris con-
ference has been wrestling with that
whole series Of questions which ex-
tend from Principe to Paradise, and
at last It has undertaken to deal with
the creation OF one of the new states
which must be the foundation of fu-
ture peace in Europe.
1t is a hesitating step that the Allies
have taken In respect to Poland. In
tracing the line about the City Of Po-
sen beyond which the German armies
may not pass, the Allies have recog-
nized in principle the claims Of the
Poles upon various districts in East
ern Germany, in which they consti-
tute the majority OF the population.
But they have not by any means made
this line include all the Polish popula-
tion. even in the province Of Posen,
ard they have still avoided the great
question, which is. whether the Poles
shall occupy the left bank Of the vistu-
Ia from the old Russian frontier to the
Gulf of Dantzic and thus obtain a
window upon the sea and an economic
Independence absolutely essential to
existence Of a strong Poland. The
Polish question ia one Of the most in
tricate and at the same time one of
the most vital which confronts the
Peace Conference. Russia is a chaos
beyond tho caracity of the Allies to
deal with. They have recognized this
and practically have abandoned Rus
sin 10 Bolshevism. Nothing seems
more certain than that Rolshevik Rus.
s'a and Germany will ultimately draw
together and that the vast resources
az Russia will be ordered and organ
i7ed by Germany unless a powerful
Polish barrier state Is placed between
the Germans and the Bolsheviks.
Must BE United.
To make strong Poland. 1t is es.
sential not only that the Poles Of Aus
tria and Of Russia should be united.
but that there should be also included
in the frontiers Of new state four OF
FIVE million Poles of Germany, and
that this new state should have the
old Polish port of Dantzic on the Bal.
tic. But the creation of such Polish
state is clearly undesirable for the
Bolsheviks, who are seeking to over.
run Europe with their doctrines of an.
archy, and for the Germans, who
would not only lose direct access to
Russia. but also see their eastern ter
ritories mutilated and that condition
restored which led Frederick the
Great to engineer the first partition OF
Poland.
While they were victorious the Ger
mans created out of Russian Poland q
state which. like the baltic provinces
like conquered Roumania, was to be a
creature of MittelEuropa. Between
Germany and Austria, up to the down
fall Of both, there existed bitter con
troversy as to whether this new
Poland should be united with Galicia
to make part of the Hapsburg empire
or not When Germany and Austria
were defeated. the Poles of Russia
and of Austria at once proclaimed
their independence and began an eff
fort to restore Poland. But they were
at once assailed. both by the Germans
and by the Bolsheviks; they were alse
attacked to the south by the Ukran
fans. with whom they have had ar
age-long quarrel over Lemberg, anC
finally there arrived dispute between
the Bohemians and the Poles abou
Upper Silesia.
Part Of German Problem.
Recognizing that Poland was. after
all, the cornerstone Of the new Eu
ropean system the most important de
tail In the program Of liberating the
enslaved peoples, it will be seen how
great has been the apprehension il
Paris over the constantly worsenint
condition in Poland. At the presen
hour, the Bolsheviks hold Wilma, the
Ukranians are bombarding Lemberg
and the Germans were invading Po
sen, when the terms OF the new armiS
tice were served upon them.
At bottom, the Polish situation Il
part of the great problem as to wheth
er Germany shall be able again to at
tack Europe, not alone with her owl
strength, but with the unwilling aid o
millions Of subjects peoples. In 1914
some sixty-three millions of German
in Germany holding seven millions o
Ilsatiansfi Poles and Danes, and twen
ty-two millions of Germans and Hun
garians in Austria. holding thirty mil
lion of Slavs and Latins, attacke,
France and Russia Thus German,
and Austria together were able to EN-
ploy against France and Russia tn
military resources Of thirty-seven mil
lions of subject people, a population
nearly as great as thatof France. Blu
for these resources Germany woul'
have been beaten in the first tw,
wears of the war by Russia an,
Eropce Tho whole scheme of Mitte]
Europa was that seventy-five million
of Germans in Germany and Austria
together with ten millions OF Hunga
rians and five millions OF Bulgartans
should dominate an empire containing
at least one hundred and nifty million
Of people Of various races. and US
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