Evening star., 1919-04-06
By FRANK II. ssNONDS.


Asst week I discussed the west
ern frontiers of Germany, in
dicating that the allies mad
substantially agreed that Ger
many should surrender Alsace-Lor-
raine and the Saar coal district 10
France outright, and that she would
further have to consent to the crea
tion of a Rhenish republic on the left
bank of the Rhine. TIE permanent
military frontier and the temporary
political frontier of Germany on the
west is thus fixed at the Rhine.
Since that time very great decisions
have been practically reached. not
merely with respect to the eastern
frontiers of Germany. but also as
to the permanent boundaries of five
states which are either to be created.
expanded. or in the case of Hungary.
greatly diminished. These decisions
give US a chance to see something
of what the map of Europe is to be
after the, peace of Versailles. and it
Is these changes which / am going to
discuss now
The problem before the victors in
the present war was to create out of
tho nationalities rescued from Ger
man and Austrian tyranny or having
escaped from the Russian chaos real
states which should have a future
part in the preservation of peace in
fcation of races whose servitude has
been a permanent menace to the peace
of Europe.
SlavS Held in Bondage.
In August, 1914, and in all the Pc
riod before that. stretching back to
the decisions of the congress of vi
emma, a century ago. three Slav races
the Poles, Czechoslovaks and the
Jpgoslavs-have been condemned to
alien rule. while a fourth, the Ruma-
nian. although in the latter foIf of the
century it achieved partial liberation.
has been. in fact: a creature of the
Hapsburg monarchy. When Germany
and Austria assailed the western pow-
ers they were able to make use of the
man power and the industrial power
Of more than 30.0O0.000 of these sub
iect races. To rescue these masses is.
tuCIc Icloic, al cSScHlidi Slep 10 TODDlNS
Germany of the opportunity to come
again.
Each one of the four reop1es-the
Poles. the Rumanians, the Czecho-
slovaks and the Jugoslsvs-has an
independent history of its own in
did not begin until 1772, and as late
as 1875 there was Poland, and even
after the last partition Of that year
Napoleon. in creating the grand duchv
OF Warsaw. revived Polish hopes and,
in a certain measure. Polish liberia
ton. As a consequence of this. Po-
land gave the great emperor at least
one marshal of France and marv Of
his best troops. The congress of vi
emma abolished Poland in fact. despite
the fiction written into that document,
hut from 1915 until the end of the
world war the story of Poland has
been CHASTITY tragedy. The Polish
people have been divided between
Austrian. Prussian and Russian rul-
efs- In the last war they were con-
and IT was not until this war broke
that there was the smallest promise
OF restoration of Poland
Poland Necessary to Peace.
But today the allies who have con-
quered Germany have been compelled
to recognize that no element in the
future peace of Europe can be more
important than a strong and stable
Poland. at once barrier to German
expansion into the east and to boil
shevist conquest in the west Actual.
~. Poland is to be the buffer state be-
tween the Germans and the bolshe-
visits. and it is the hope of western
civilization that the Poles will be able
to build permanently and solidly un-
der the guarantee of the league of
nations and to become within a gem
Grafton the greatest of the small DOW
ers of Europe.
At the moment when the allies in
Paris began their work the Polish
problem seemed almost insolubIe. On
the east Poland was invaded by the
bolshevists. on the south it was at
tackled by the Ukranians. on the west
the Germans still sullenly held to
their own Polish provinces. Even at
the present moment the Poles and the
Ukranians are fighting. and there has
never been any truce between the boil
shevists and the Poles Moreover. it
has been absolutely impossible under
existing conditions. not alone to send
dispatch thither Polish divisions in
France.
In addition to all these practical
problems the conference of Paris had
to face the question whether Poland
should or should not have a seacoast.
pie, mainly Polish, with workable
frontiers, was a relatively simple
problem, but between the Poles of
this block and the Baltic there is
narrow facade of German popula ton
stretching from Konigsburg to Dant-
zig. population of perhaps $500, 900
Teurons and more Germans than all
other Germans If this population
was surrendered to Poland there was
bound to be protest on the part of
Germany that the self determination
OF these people had been prevented.
On the other hand. if Poland were de-
MED her outlet to the sea through
Dantzig. which was once the sea gate.
she would remain in economic servi-
tude to Germany. The third possi-
bility, the creation of a corridor be-
tween DantZig and Bromberg. on the
left bank of the Vistula, offered even
greater difficulties, since it gave to
Poland an indefensible strip of terri
tory separating two masses of Ger
man population and restored the con-
ditions which had led to the first par
tition.
After many long debates. the allies
have, it appears. taken the bull by the
horns and accepted the only logical
solution. West Prussia and East
Prussia are to be Polish. The Ger
man facade on the Baltic is to be
abolished and 20.000.000 of Poles to-
breathing space essential to their ma
tional existence
Thus constituted. Poland will con-
sist of all of Russian Poland, practi-
cally all of the old Prussian provinces
of East and West Prussia and Posen,
q relatively small strip of Prussian
SIesia, valuable because of it's great
mineral wealth, and rather more tina n
half of the Austrian province of Cali
cia, including Lemberg. 1t will also