Omaha daily bee., 1920-01-31
PoIund's Thin Red Line
From the Minneapolis Tribune.

Is Poland to be substituted for Belgium ana
France, and Trotzky for Wilhelm, in the next
great war for the preservation of civilization!
The most powerful army in Europe today is
that of the bolshevik. 1t is on the aggressive
in all directions 1t is expected that it will be
launched, in large part at least, against Poland
in the spring.
Poland, as constituted BY the Peace confer
enoe and recognized by the League of Nations,
is made up largely of territory formerly belong
ing to Russia 1t constitutes today, as the dis
patches describe it, the thin red line" between
bolshevism on the East and democracy on the
West. Poland, it is expected, will have to fight
for her life. Will she be obliged to defend it
alone? Her life is the barrier against the West
ern spread of bolshevist forces and ideas, and
bolshevist occupation. The soviet government
OF Russia has no notion now apparently, OF be-
ing content with domination over its own terri
tory, as now constituted, but aims to extend its
power and spread its propaganda throughout
the world 1t is just as ambitious program,
is Just as much of menace to the peace of the
world as was Prussianism five years ago.
The theory that the people of Russia should
be permitted to develop their own form Of gov
ernment and select their own leaders and have
the kind of government they desire has been
adhered to by the Allies on the theory of self
determination, but circumstances have been
such that this has resulted in the assertion of
arbitrary power more absolute, more tyran-
ncal, more cruel than ever existed under the
SAdiiSuC ICSlHlc DOlSHcVlSIH IS TO-DAY d SredtCI
menace to the liberties of the people as whole
than was the empire at any time during the
last 10 years of its existence. This Is the power
that has gained the ascendancy in Russia and
which aims at the overthrow and the absorp-
ton OF other states and other systems as
eagerly as did the Hun. Will Poland, weak and
probably incapable of dealing alone successfully
with this threatened invasion, be allowed to
fight her battles as best she can, or will the
Entente, the United States included, decide,
perhaps after costly delay, that Poland must
not be crushed, but must have such help as will
BE necessary to make a successful resistance
against the advances of the bolshevist power?
Perhaps this sounds like getting ready for
new war, or like advocating new war; it
certainly is not intended to be understood as
repeat the mistake of 1914 to 1917 and fail to be
prepared for. whatever emergency may arise.
Naturally and properly, the first move would be
made by France and Great Britain; they will
feel the first effects if the Poles should be un-
able to maintain themselves: But the triumph
nlfcance for US than the overrunnng of Bel
gium by Germany and the assault upon France,
aiming at world dominion
The government is now contemplating the
furnishing OF lfe's necessities to the Russian
people, p1ovided the transmission of Supplies
can surely be made so as to reach the hands of
the needy in the population centers. It is as
sumed that people who have food cannot be
induced to follow boshevk leadership very
long, and that if food supplies are provided the
bolshevik ranks will soon begin to show de-
sertions in large numbers
How practicable this scheme may be only
experience can demonstrate, but if it be prac-
ticable now, the question is, Why was not this
policy. adopted before the bolshevik movement
was able to gain its present strength by threats
and favoritism? If such a plan can detach its
followers from boshevism now, could it not
have been much more successful before boil
shevsm became so widely extended and so we'll
intrenched? The Russian policy of the Allies
lowed by results that leave little to be said in
its defense. Perhaps Mr.. Hoover's plan to re-
move the blockade and feed the starving may
succeed; let's try it; it is at least the humane
thing fo do