New-York tribune., 1919-06-28
Poland:s Army
By Elias Tobenkin
6GT z IGH SEM (Diet) Poland, must
have great army. High

4 nave a great army. . High
Sejm, our fatherland in the past,
was destroyed not because it was sinful or
degenerated, but because it did not have a
great, strong, standing army. There
fore, with a low bow, l pray to thee, High
Sejm, and appeal and invoke thee to pro-
claim at once universal military service.
And begin recruiting at once
Let the Polish army, the faithful army that
is to bring security, serenity and peace to
the fatherland, only arise; let it only make
Its appearance, and equipment, ammuni-
tlon, clothing, shoes, underwear, money
all will appear at once"
Such was the climax Of Paderewskis
first Presidential message delivered in the
Polish Diet on February 90. As the gray
haired musician-P President sank into his
chair, the Right side Of the House to a
man arose and waved and cheered and
shouted approval. But the members of the
Left, the Socialists including two ex-Min-
lister Presidents, Moraczewski and Das-
zynskl, sat as if glued to their chairs.
They did not cheer, they did not applaud.
Earlier in his speech Paderewski had
given the reasons for Poland's need of
"a great, strong standing army" They
were two: To war on Bolshevism and to
protect Poland's frontiers.
a Great Pesfilence
"a great pestilence," he had said. "is
moving upon us from the east. The bloody
wave of Russian Bolshevism is flowing
toward us. The arch priests of this new
faith promise every one who embraces
their dogma everlasting happiness and
heaven upon earth. Of course. Boil
shevism will fail ultimately because it
must fail. But may prove false prophet,
from the ruins Of Boshevism not re-
pubic but new Czarism is likely to arise
IN the mean tina there live in this savage,
chaotic Russia hundreds of thousands of
our countrymen in want, hunger, cold"
He was fully as eloquent on the subject
of the defending the Polish frontiers:
"Poland is in such a position that no
matter what happens she will be compclled
to defend her own borders Our
Mnsk, Pinsk and Wilma are in Bolshe-
visits hands In Volhyne. in Podol
Ukraine and Red (Ruthenian y Russia >.
we have made the land fat with the blood
and marrow of our forefathers, the greatest
Polish heroes. We have lifted that
land with our Polish culture We
must not renounce our claims to the cradle
Of Zolkiewski and Sobieski."
Following the speech Of the Minister
President a military commission proceeded
to the work of mapping out a plan for
Polands new army to be based on univer
sal service. The commission decided unon
an army of 100000. To obtain that manv
soldiers, young men of six classes. those
born in the years 1895 to 1901, inclusive.
would be called to the colors. The Diet
was called upon to approve the govern
ment's plan for the army. debate arose:
1t was the fiercest debate the young Polish
Parliament had yet known
Socialists against Army
Dr. Herman Lieberman. the f1rst snoke.-
man for the Polish Socialist party, a
shrewd lawyer, opened up the issue His
party he said, would support the govern
ment call for an army Of defence But
for the purpose Of defending the Polish
frontiers against all possible enemies an
army of 100000 was ample Besides, such
an army was all that Poland could support.
If the government insisted on having the
Diet pass bill for an army Of half a
million 1t was defeating itself, for such
an army could never be anything more
than an army on paper. The half-million
figure would look good in kilograms sent
abroad, but 1t would be a boast that the
Polish people could not make good.
The former Socialist Premier Morac-
zewsh spoke even more sharply. He
warned the members Of tho Right that any
designs they may have for using tho army
Tor counter revolutionary purposes at
home and abroad would fail
Nevertheless the parties Of the Right in
sisted upon passing bill for an army or
half million, and when the Socialists
saw that the bill would be passed they
withdrew their opposition in order to es-
cape the charge Of being unpatriotic.
But the word had gone out among So
cialists and radicals that the government
was planning an army of reaction. The
Socialists and radicals responded: "We
Will make 1t an army of revolution" By
the hundreds radical Socialists were flock
ing to the army and advising their friends
to do the same in order ultimately ia
capture the army for the proletarist.