The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-19

their officers and troops are nothing
but a ragged rabble whose highest aim
Is plumber But as one side is about
as bad as the other. the fighting still
goes on and may go on indefinitely.
But meantime the degeneration which
has taken place in the devastated re-
gions is so bad that it simply cannot
be written about The troops and the
civilian population have sunk into that
weller of barbarism. hunger. dirt and
disease which. toward the end Of the
thirty years war, had converted parts
of Germany into desert.
Poles Want Danxig.
The Poles are rather doubtful OF ever
getting the position they desire at Dam
zig, for the Prussians are very strongly
intrenched. have a powerful economic
position. are formidable competitors in
the commercial arena and are solidly
welded together. And in this DanziE
question the Allies do not seem disposed
to back up Warsaw as much as War
saw desires. Poland is therefore disposed
to take the line of least resistance ana
to seek an outlet on the Baltic among
the comparatively weak and inexperi-
enced nationalities north of Danz.g.
The Lithuanians fear that they would
like to conquer Lithuania and get pos
session Of Mcneil and the Let's are also
alarmed being afraid that the success OF
the Poles at Memel would lead them TO
cast covetous eyes on Libau. The Let's
have therefore strengthened their army
on the Lithuanian frontier and made
hurried preparations to meet every
eventuality. Warsaw. they say, may De
well intentioned but Warsaw does not
seem to have much of a hold on Zell-
m III
he seized Wilma zellgouski has also an
arrangement with some of the White
Russians which may lead him to try his
fortunes in the direction of Grodno.
This will lead to renewal OF the
Russo-Polish war; and. indeed. gen
uine peace between Russia and Poland
Is impossible so long as Balakhovitch re-
mains in arms. Joffe, the Bolshevik en-
voy here. wants the Poles to disarm
Balakhovitch, but the Poles refuse to do
so. Speaking through NJ. Domski their
delegate here. they say that they cannot
disarm a Russian leader who fought
shoulder to shoulder with them against
the Soviet Government. Joffe points out
that if the Red army attacks Balakho-
witch. as it means to do Poland will GER
tainly be involved in the conflict.
Meanwhile. however. the Poles are not
worrying much about Soviet Russia
They rare only thinking of Lithuania.
This little country has been charged
with being too Gern1anophile and some
color is lent to the accusation by the
fact that economically Lithuania leans
very much toward East Prussia. Her
exchange rises and falls with the Ger
man mark, but among the Lithuanian
peasantry there is no love whatever for
the German. Col. Kleshchinsky, the
Lithuanian Chief of Staff at Kovno, in
sists that neither his Government nor
his army has the slightest prediction
for the Prussian, and that the recent
attempt of three hundred German SOL
diers to cross the frontier and join the
forces under his command was prevented
by the Lithuanians. who turned them all
back
Latvia Is somewhat uneasy about the
Polish advance in Lithuania, but spe-
cial Polish mission which has just ar
rived here in Riga in connection with
the peace negotiations is doing its best
to allay the suspicious of the Lettish
Government and to induce that Govern
ment to sign an agreement that 1t Will
not assist Lithuania. 1t is also credited
with the desire to demand some quid
pro quo as the price OF its recognition
of Latvia.