New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-09-09
The New Polish Front
BY Franz II. Simonds

All the discussion which is now going
on as to the fixing of the new Polish
front is conditioned on certain obvious
circumstances. First of all, there is the
so-called "ethnic frontier" which has
come to have something like fixed and
sacred meaning in London and Wash
ington. Now the truth is that the
"ethnic frontier" is neither frontier
nor front; that is, it does not exist
politically or militarily. 1t stands for
one of the familiar Paris compromises
and was recognized in Paris as purely
provisional.
In 1919, while the Paris Conference
was in session, it became necessary to
fix an eastern as we'll as a western
frontier for Poland. This involved the
whole question of a settlement with
Russia, and the peace conference
avoided the issue by esta blishing a pro-
visional line. In substance what it said
to Poland was that it was plain there
must be some line on which Poland
could rest. The line fixed was the
line of the so-called Congress Poland"
that is, the Poland recognized by the
Congress of Vienna in 1915. All terri
tories west of this line were beyond all
question Polish thus Poland might con-
slider them as Individually hers and
proceed to organize them. But as to the
lands to the east, White Russian,
Ukrainian and Lithuanian, which had
been Polish before the first partition
and contained q considerable Polish
population, decision was adjourned to
the future.
That ''Ethnic Fyonher''
To-day the attempt is being made to
establish the idea that this so-called
"ethnic frontier" was a definitve line,
that the Paris Conference fixed upon
1T as the eastern frontier of Poland.
which is both untrue and unjust to.
Poland. In fixing the provisional line
the Paris Conference agreed that it
should be accepted as temporary and
Polish consent to it should be without
prejudice to Polands claims in the
regions beyond, in which it was con-
coded Poland has respectable historic
and ethnic claims.
So much for the political aspect of
the "ethnic line" The military phase
IS at the moment more important. AS
fixed at Paris the temporary eastern
boundary of Poland started at the East
Prussian frontier, just north of Su-
walki, and extended southeastward to
the Niemen below Grodno, which was
excluded from Poland's immediate con-
troll. South of Grodno it followed the
west bank of the Niemen for a. few
miles and then ran almost due south to
the Bug below and north of Brest-
Litovsk, which was again excluded from
Polish control. Above Brest-Ltovsk it
followed the west bank of the Bug TO
the old frontier of Austrian Galicfa;
thence east and south it followed the old
frontier between Russia and Austria
until it reached the Rumanian frontier
on the Dniester, just north of Ger
nowitz.
Strategic Considerations
The line thus drawn was patiently the
work of civilians without concern for
any strategic consideration. 1t evieted
the Poles from the region to the north
Of Suwalki and the angle between the
East Prussian frontier and the NiemeY,,
thus destroying the military value of
the Niemen as cover for the north
ern flank Of the Poles and enabling the
Bolshevists to establish contact with the
Germans. Theoretically this region waa
to fall to che Lithusnians; actually re-
gard Tor strategic considerations should
entail Polish occupation Of Che Niamsn
from Kovno and ths Eass Pxussaan