The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1920-08-27
Shall Chaos or Reconstruction
in Europe Follow the Great
World War?
POLAND NOW STANDING ALONE
Heroic Nation, Herself In Dire Need,
Is the Only Barrier to 6oIsheVism,
Fighting the Battle for
Civilization.
Article xxxIl.
BY FRANK coMERFoRo.

are up TO the nations Oh tne WORTH. |
Russia's problem affects the world. 1t |
must be solved by the powers in con- |
cert. Its solution will make the first |
step toward rest. The complete solu- |
ton of the problem of unrest must be
decided by each nation in its own way.
asked two important Slav leaders
for their opinions as to the proper
policy the world should adopt toward
the bolsheviks, and the Russian prob
lem. In Prague l spoke to President
Mazyrik of Czecho-Slovakia; in War
saw / interviewed General Pilsudski,
president of Poland. Both answered
the question in practically the same
words: Leave Russia alone; let the
Russian people solve the Russian
question"
What Is the Russian situation? A
minority has seized the government
and is holding it by force. The form
| of government adopted cannot last.
Communism will destroy itself if given
sufficient rope. Already 1t has de-
stroyed production and brought on
chaos. The great danger bOlsheyism
offers the outside world is its effort
to organize the unrest of the world
and lead ii to revolution.
| Po.and's Hard Position.
Poland is the barrier holding the
RED" wave of bolshevism back. Po-
land is a new state. 1t is almost as
big as France in population and about
! Of of N Three
thrones fell to make a presidential
seat for the Polish republic-Austria,
Russia and Germany. The Polish peo-
pie are intense in their patriotism.
They are indiYidualists. They are
against the Red" terror. But Poland
is poor, terribly poor. The war
brought her to the point of hunger
She is now facing starvation. She is
doing world guard duty. Her army Is
holding closed the door of bolshevik
Russia. 1t is an army made up of men
of zeal and determination. l have
never seen men sustain their spirit
under more trying conditions. Think
of men without shoes facing the Red"
army; hunger and cold attacking
them, but standing in their places
holding the front. When I was In
Europe in October, 1919, saw this
magnificent army. Forty per cent of
them were without shoes. There were
/, less than 10000 outfits for 100000
| men. They were hungry, they were
cold. Back home their loved ones
were not hungry, they were starving
they were not cold, they were freezing
Still these men stood at their posts.
talked the matter over with the chief
of state, General Pilsudski, and shall
never forget the manner, the tone and
the words of this Roosevelt of the
Slavs,
sour army will hold the pass; the
= Red terror will not bring the torch
to Europe unless winter and want
;, force us to retreat. Chattering teetf
" and pain pinched stomachs will xii
the morale of any army in time. The
indomitable spirit of our men ha:
= withstood hardships that might have
. destroyed an army made up Of mel
less infiamed with the passion to make
, secure their newly achieved freedom
We are without transportation facili
ties even for the front. Our soldier
. are ragged and hungry. They do no
complain, nor do I complain for them
but facts are facts and these fact
belong to the world. Our army i
: fighting a world cause and against
: world evil. Civilization is In the bal
: ance and every citizen of Civilization
i. has a right to know the conditions IN
der which Poland is doing world guar
a duty.
\ Fight Under FrightfuI Conditions.
. "We have no ambulances at tn
front and our soldiers going into bal
z tie know that If they are wounded an
q are not fortunate enough to fall nea
'e field hospital, they are doomed t
die of neglect and exposure or com
n to death by torture from Chinese mel
Ie cenarIes who make up the torture bal
II TALON of the Red army. We have n
antiseptics and our wounded men ar
{, exposed to gangrenous death, W
70 are without anesthetics and wounde
'e men are required to submit to operf
lie lions while keenly alive to every ser
satiOn of the knife.
:, Help must come, and 1t must com
n soon. Our troops are willing to figh
II on; this is their glorious spirit, bu
III they are only flesh and there Is poir
II It which the finest spirit surrenders
= .old and hunger and pain"
Appeals were made to the peac
table for help. They fell on deaf ear
~ Great stocks of clothing were locke
- up in England and France while tn
n Polish army shivered at the bolshevi
n front. l saw locomotives and empt
n freight cars on the side tracks in Ell
n rope at the time Poland was fightin
N the worlds fight and crying for tran'
IS portation,
1t The bolsheyiks must be shut Il
Is they must be confined to Russia.