Evening star., 1920-02-01
BALTIC COUNTRIES FEAR
GERMAN DOMINATION
Only Allied Aid in Enhancing Security OF
Small Republics Will Check Teuton
Aspirations In Eastern Europe.

day of agreement.
! In this one thing the hand of Ger
many is seen. The difficulty OF any
Baltic confederation resisting the pro-
posed plans of Germany is made
certain, for, with Lithuania out of the
confederation and leaning admittedly
toward Germany. the very spine OF the
confederation is at once removed Inc
connecting link in the Baltic chaln Is
broken. Any steps looking to"aro
the coordination of states to the
north and those of Poland to the
south is improbable. Already dis
patches indicate that LlthuanidhS'
, ,despairing of allied recognition or as
sistance. are turning toward the Ger
mans with ever-increaSing frequency
should Letvia and FSthonia bring INTO
being a peace with the bolsheviks, their
armies will be able to return 10 thelr
homes for reconstruction WORK anu as
sist in the advancement of the TWO little
countries. Whether they VIII become
so permeated with Russian doctrines OF
the new order and through preJudlced
influences forever prevent the Bal
tic confederation from functionlng as
planned is conjectural AS a matter OF
fact. they may become the catspaws OF
Germany, which may be expected 10
operate through Russia. That all OF the
Baltic countries eventually may do so
is Il fact foreSeen by those who sun
hope that allied economic and financial
assistance will yet win these peoples
from previous ill-advised allegiances and
that they will forever as strongly resist
the bolsheviks as they will Germany.
Live in Terror Of Russia.
Though all of these little republics
live in terror of forced reunion with
Russia, they feel that with proper as
sistance they can establish themselves
firmly long before Russia is revivified.
and as a consequence will be able to
resist Russian plans of aggression.
The fact that the white leaders of Rus
sia have never agreed to the separa-
tion of the T,altic countries from the
mother cou':<ry always has been deemed
significant by the statesmen of the Bal
tic republics. Any power or group of
powers that tends to strengthen their
resistive forces against this very thing
will be the ones to win undying sympa-
thies
With the allies pursuing their present
policy of inaction, it is but natural that
the Germans should seize their oppor-
tunity and create. if possible, favor
able leanings toward Germany.
That this has happened and that eff
forts will increase as the months go by
is a fact admitted by the shrewd states
men in Europe. who are closely watch
ing developments and urging respective
governments to change their vacillating
policies and move with expedition in
hope of obtaining rapproachements with
the Baltic republics.
Position of Poles Serious.
The position of the Poles at the
present moment is extremely grave
and will increase until the whole
eastern European situation has clear
ed and the peoples generally forget
about war and settle down to con-
structive processes.
The Poles today are fighting on the
eastern front against the bolsheviks.
The Polish government is constantly
forced to combat insidious preach
ments of German emissaries sent by
Germany with the hope of undermine
ing set will to accomplish all of Po-
lands destinies. The Polish effort to
bring all the Baltic states into con-
ftict with the bolsheviki will have
failed when Letvia and Esthonia have
signed peace with the reds. Poland's
troubles with Ukrainia continue de-
spite tentative agreements in regard
to the question of Galicia.
Poland is fighting for her future. ac-
cording to her statesmen, and should
she be forsaken by her neighbor allies
against both Germany and the bolshe-
viks. Poland's position will be par
ticularly severe, inasmuch- as she will
be completely cut off territorially
barring the rather make-shift corridor
to the sea at DanZig. which always is
vulnerable.
Situation Might BE Critical.
With no immediate assistance of
any of the Baltic states, should the
bolShevikS turn upon Poland or should
German Vaccinations bring menace
from the west, the allies doing little
to fortify Poland's hand against poten-
tial dangers. the situa ton truly would
be critical during the spring months
This particularly if Denikine is dis
posed of by the reds and all other
forms of government antagonistic to
the bolsheviks destroyed in Russia.
In view of the possible dangers the
Poles naturally expect the allied gov
ernments to render them material aid
at the moment SO that there will be
no eleventh-hour assistance, such as
has proven ineffective invariably
Should Poland's army of 400, 600 men
be equipped before the spring months
arrive, then Poland may be expected to
care for herself on the battlefields.
But even in more optimistic diplomatic
circles it is admitted today that Po-
lands peril is extreme in view of the
fact that German Vaccinations in
eastern Europe continue to be direct
ed toward the complete undermining
of Poland'S power, if not reduction of
it's prestige to the point where it can do
nothing but become eventually a tool
for Russia or Germany, and in either
case the influence would be of German
hue.
In so far as the Baltic confedera ton
problem is concerned, in it's broader
phases and principles, the allies are
playing waiting game. In the mean
time Germany is wooing support and
sympathy with the hope of forever
estranging them from western Europe
and Strengthening her own CONNER
cial and political supremacy through
out the whole of the eastern continent.
And the tides at the moment would
indicate success.