New-York tribune., 1920-11-22
The Bessarabian Problem
Rumanian Claims to Territor,
Vigorously Contested

Vigorously Contested
To the Editor Of Tho Tribune.
+ Sir: In your Issue Of November II
4 certain Mr.. Basil Stoica charges mo
with "brazen untruths" in my COM
munication, in which protested
against the high-handcd, arbitrary and
dishonest methods by which Rumania
annexed Bessarabia, and the cynical ac-
tion Of the Allies in agreeing to this.
Although the four points which Mr..
Stoica attempts to make against my
contentious are of minor Importance
and have little to do with the main
issue, l cannot allow them to 60 un-
answered.
1. My contention that Bessarabia be-
came a part of Russia by being freed
from Turkish rule forty-seven years
before Rumania came into existence
can be shown by consulting any stand
ard history and is inadvertently cor
roborated by Mr.. Stoica himself. That
| the Moldavians of Bessarabia--less
than SO per cent of the population
had no desire to join Rumania Is evil
denced by the unwillingness Of the
Rumanian government to leave the de-
cision to fair plebiscite.
2. Mr.. Stoica's attempt to controvert
the population statistics Of the official
census of 1897 by the quotation of OBJ
scure and casual writer's is absurd. as
well as irrelevant.
8. Answering Mr.. Stoica's claim that
the Sfatul Terri, or Bessarabian as
sembly, was representative congress
elected on the basis Of universal suf-
frage and comprising not only all ma
tionalities, but also all social and pro-
fessional organizations Of the coun-
try, and further, that it was not under
the pressure of the Rumanian military
authorities, I beg to point to the fol-
lowing facts, attested by docum mentary
evidence: The soldiers council, or So
called Moldavian Military Congress,
nominated delegates and chose from
their own number id of the 12O dele
gates. The landowners and bourgeois
classes generally were excluded. There
was no universal or secret suffrage.
Between January 13, 1918, when the
Rumanian troops entered Bessarabia,
and March 81, 1918, when the Sfatul
Terri passed the first Of its two reso-
lutions of annexation, five Deputies,
Kataros, Chumachenka, Prakhnitsky,
Pantsyr and Rudyev, who were opposed
to annexation, were shot by order of
General Braschtenau, the Rumanian
commander, and Of these five four
were Moldavians. Prior to the passage
of the resolution for unconditional an
nexation, on November &c, 1918, and
while Bessarabia was undeN complete
control Of the Rumanian army, forty
two additional members were added to
the Sfatul Terri.
4. Mr. Stoica disputes my figures Of
che vote on the resolution of annexa-
ton. Had he been honest in his con-
tention he would have pointed out that
his figures referred to the first resolu-
tion of annexation, which reserved
provincial autonomy and the preserva-
tion OF local administrative insttu-
tions. He concealed the fact that I
gave the correct figures Of the vote on
the more significant resolution of No
vember 26, 1918, in favor Of uncondi-
tional union Of Bessarabia to Rumauia
and annulling the autonomy Of Bes-
sarabia. In this connection l may add
further that only the Moldavan bloc
were notified of this session and that
but 46 Deputies out of 1872 were pres
ent when tho vote was taken.
MIR. Stoica ignores entirely the fact
that on entering Bessarabia the Ru-
manian military commander issued
declaration stating that the Rumanian
troops would withdraw as soon as order
was resstablished and that the Ru-
! manian government had no annexation
ist objects In view. The same guaran-
ty was given by the French Minister
In Rumania in the name Of the repre-
sentatlves of the Allied powers.
l must therefore continue to protest
against the arbitrary seizure Of Bes-
sarabia. despite the obligation to con-
slider Russias case and to give the
people of Bessarabia the opportunity
of free choice, as we'll as the out
rageous treatment to which they have
since been subjected.
JEROME LANDFIELD.
New York Nov ~ 1Q1O