The Washington herald., 1921-01-04
HOPEFUL OF EARLY
LETTIsH FREEDOM,

LETIIsH FhEEDOMs
.- Representatiye-eIe Walter M.
Chandler, of New York, is hopeful
of early recognition of Latvian in
dependence as a result of the grow
ing conversance with Latvian af-
fairs he has noticed in conversations
with both Representatives and SEN
ators.
| -. Chandler came to Washington IN
the interest of the little Baltic re-
| public of which fhe-is the political
representative in ihis> country.
IA = Failure of the United States TO
recognize this struggling republic is
due largely to>ignorance of facts"
said Chandler. In the first place
many@ members contend that the
Let's are not qualified for self-gov-
eminent, because they have neither
that experience in government nor
that development and training along
| educational and cultured lines that
fit a people for the. enjoyment and
exercise of complete independence.
With all due respect to such mem
bers and their opinions, IL must be
said that this contention rests upon
wholly false foundation and Is
born of lack of knowledge of Let
y
and culture.
"As a matter of fact" Chandler
pointed out. the Let's are among
the most literate people in the
world. The illiterates are few In
number and are to be found chiefly
| in insane asylums and other institu-
tions for mental delinquentss 1t Is
nothing uncommon to find Lettish
peasants who speak three languages
| Lettish, Russian and German-and
they understand something of the
history and literature OF Latvia,
Russia and Germany"
HAS KNOWLEDGE FROM
| PERSONAL CONTACT.
Chandler declares that he knows
this from personal contact with Let
tish peasants whom he met while
| travelling through Latvia during the
summer of 1919. He says that he
also knows and can testify from
personal contact and observation
that the statesmen of Latvia, Es-
thonia and Lithuania, whom he met
at Paris and in the Baltic countries.
are the most cultured and accom-
plished that he has ever met in any
country. Nearly all of them, he
says, are university graduates from
RUSSIAN ana UNI
versities, and nearly all of them
have had valuable experience in
government under the imperial Rus
sian regime.
TT is therefore untrue and de-
cidedly ungenerous to urge want OF
experience in Government and lack
| of national culture and training as
objections to the right of Latwa to
national independence" he added.
TT is neither an exaggeration nor
an unpatriotic statement to make
when it is said that there is less
iIliteracy. in Latvia than in Amer
| lea and that the education and quail
' incations for public service OF the
! statesmen of Riga are quite equal
il not superior to those of the
statesmen at Washington. And. il
it be admitted that the masses of
the Let's are well educated and
that their statesmen are cultured
and experienced, it must be admit
ted that they have, as a government
and as a people, the educational and
cultural qualifications of free and
Independent people living in a free
and Independent state"
Country Larger Than Many Nations.
To the objection raised in some
recognized as a sovereign nation be-
cause the country OF the Let's is
too small in territory, Chandler de-
clares that Latvia is territorially
larger than Holland, Belgium,
Denmark, Switzerland, Montenegro
or Nicaragua.
1T Is more populous than a dozen
other small monarchies and repub-
lies of the earth that are recognized
as absolutely free and indepen-
dent" he said. ITO be consistent.
II Latvia be too small Tn territory
and her population too few in num-
bers to justify recognition of her
Independence, why not blot out
Panama, Liberia, Haiti, Santo Do
mingo, Armenia and a half dozen
other small nations of the world?'
The advocates of a reunited Rus
sia among the members of both
Houses of Congress insist that the
independence of Latvia. Esthonia
and Lithuania would practically shut
out Great Russia from the Baltic
Sea and from free commerce with
the western world, according TO
Chandler. These members contend.
he says, that the absolute indepen-
dence of these states, considering
their small territory and geographi-
cal situation, would be a constant
menace TO the peace of the world
because of the supreme necessities
of Russian industrial and CONNER
cial life, and that their reconouest
by some Charles XII. or Peter the
Great would be only a matter of
time and provocation and circum-
stance in history.
The answer to this objection"
said Chandler, ARE Latvia's actions
since the peace conference at Paris
and at other times to the represen-
tatives of different nations, to keep
her ports on the Baltic open to the
Russians under fair and equitable
conditions of port duties and GUS
toms charges. She also has prom
ised to guarantee to the Russians
equitable railway transit across her
territory, thus furnishing fair and
unobstructeo passage from Russia
to the open sea. She already ba.
acted and is now acting in good
faith in the proposals she has made
in this regard
Indeed. Latvia has already DEM
onstrated a spirit OF fine interna-
tional comfy in the commercial and
transit treaties she has concluded
and is prepared to conclude with the
government of Russia in pursuance
of Articles XVII and XVIII of the
treaty signed at Riga on the el.v-
enth of August, 1920"
T. w n