The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1920-12-09

Plight Of People Of New Republic
Deaths Of Thousands Predicted This
Winter. ia Spite Of the Relief From
MISUNDERSTANDING Tried to Solve
Own Problem by Foistino Thousands
OF Their Sick on Poland. .5.,. ~
= The following statement was made
public by the Polish bureau Of infOrma-
tion. telling Of the conditions which
Poland faces this coming winter:
1.-THE Polish army has turned back
the Bolsheviki before Warsaw. With
the tension 0ccasioned by danger Of
immediate attack over, comes news Of
the deplorable conditions in the city.
For the last two months 900 a day
have been dying in Warsaw from ty-
plus. Even before the sick and
wounded from the armies flooded the
city all hospitals were filled to ca
pacity with typhus and spotted fever
victims. "
1.-The Bolshevist advance threw tens
Of thousands Of sick and starving ref
ugees on the city, many Of whom have
had to remain there because they had
no means of getting out. Warsaw, nor
mally a city Of 100000 inhabitants. to-
day has a population Of 100000 and
home building has been at a standstill
for the last six years. Before the
Bolshevist advance the municipal au-
thorities were caring for 10000, the
majority Russian, who were without
homes Of any sort.
I'm June the agricultural ministry
estimated this years crops at about 60
per cent of normal OF this potential
food supply more than half was in the
lands invaded by the Bolsheviki and is
q total loss.
Death Of Thousands Predicted.
1.-THE conditions that Warsaw faces
prevail to a greater or lesser extent
throughout. the country. DR.. Jesse H.
Holmes of Swarthmore, who returned
in July from Poland, reports that thou
sands will die this winter from cold,
hunger and typhus in spite Of relief
work now being carried on.
"'Poland today Doctor Holmes
says, is fighting far greater enemy
than the Bolshevists. Typhus has al
ready ragged in that country and next
winter an extreme epidemic all over
the country is expected "a -. H..
I'm the first four months of 1920
100000 refugees had come into the
towns and cities Of Poland, bringing
fresh waves Of disease with each new
wave Of exiles. In the advance of the
Russians easily a million more have
been turned out Of their homes.
1.-THE Bolsheviki have tried to solve
their own problem by foisting thou
sands Of their sick on the Poles, and
have been sending armored trains be-
fore their advance into Poland loaded
with typhus victims.
. Poor Poles In Worst Plight.
1.-THE story Of Poland's refugees is
by itself tragic history. Six years
ago Poland was modified for war-in
three different armies, fighting on two
sides of the same question. In 1914
q million Poles united on the ideal Of
an independent Poland were forced to
take service in the Russian, German
end Austrian armies and more were
called each year while the war lasted.
"Poland thus drained Of its man
power then became the theater of &C.
tivities. Whatever way the tide of
battle flowed, the Polish plain was in
undated. AT the beginning Of the war
came the Russian successes and the in
vasion of Austrian Poland. The re-
treating Germans and Austrians left
trail of devastation in their wake and
drove before them all the refugees that
were able to travel and the victorious
Russians, led by advance guards Of
Cossack cavalry, finished the work of
destruction as thoroughly as possible
in the short time before the German
counter-of offensive. Thus twice in the
early days of the war, devastation and
the sad wave of refugees passed over
Poland.
But Poland was to face this most
terrible feature Of warfare again. The
German counter-thrust and the Rus
sian retreat commenced.
Plight Of Civilian Population.
1.-THE details Of retreat are always
horrible. and the most horrible element
is the plight of the civilian populat tons.
Ordered destruction for military pur-
poses and the confiscation Of all medi-
cal supplies and food is followed by the
vandalism of uncontrolled soldiers.
Starvation and disease, the handmade
ems of war, aided by the awful syste-
matte destruction so efficient in the
German school CT warfare, continued
to be Polands lot.
I'm 1918 came the end of the Euro
pean conflict and the real commence
ment of Poland's struggle to realize
her dream of a free Poland.
'"The allied powers, the Red Cross
and various relief committees from
America and Europe had hardly COM
menced the fight against disease and
starvation the Polish soldiers had but
hoo,,r n saturn IN thoi,. hOuoS and