Evening star., 1925-08-23
EXPULSION OF GERMANS
is DEFENSIBLE POLICY
Polish EvictiOns From SiIesia Necessary
to Preserve Homogeneity Of Nation
and for Protection.

Poles with utmost harshness, they
could expect little consideration. Yet
this emigration was discouraged by
the German government, which saw
in the removal of this German ele-
ment the elimination of an argument
and an aid to reconquest. So in dae
time the Germans began to seek TO
remain and the Poles adopted a more
or less settled policy of expulsion.
In the case of the Germans Of
Upper Silesia, the Germans are handi-
capped by having to admit the prec-
edent Of Alsace-Lorraine, where their
annexation in 1871 was followed by
similar migration of the inhabitants
who had elected to remain French
citizens, some 100000 abandoning
their homes, and in some cases, in
Metz, even taking up the dead from
the cemeteries that they might lie in
French soil.
The German-Polish situation was
still further aggravated by the en-
during bad blood between the gov
ernments and the multiplicity of dis
puteS. Not only did the Germans
refuse to recognize as definitive the
loss Of the lands ceded to Poland,
but in number of cases they car
rfed on a policy Of pinpricks which
led to Polish reprisal. Perehaps one
might more exactly say that both
governments were equally responsi-
Bile for the enduring friction, al
though the Polish was innocent of
any design to annex more German
territory.
Reprisal Charge Denied.
The last episode, the failure to agree
upon tariff adjustment and the con-
sequent tariff war, which closed the
German market TO Upper Silesian coal
and iron, was followed so nearly by
the expulsion affair as to suggest re-
prisal, yet this is denied in Warsaw.
Be this as it may, not only are many
thousands of Germans now affected,
but since the making of peace seven
years ago upward of a million Ger
mans have left Polish lands and il is
hardly to be denied that Polish policy
would welcome the departure of the
last Teuton.
German reprisal cannot be very
effective because, while there are a
certain number of Poles left in the
present German territory, they are
almost without exception industrial
workers without any real roots; more
over, most Of this population, once
very numerous in the Ruhr, has al
ready gone on to France and settled
in the devastated area where there are
now whole villages with only Polish
inhabitants.
Germany thus sees systematic up
roofing of the German elements all
along her eastern boundary and thus
the diminution Of her chance to re-
cover these lands. 1t is not true that
the Polish action has increased the
Polish danger of German attack be-
cause there never has been at any
riyr1a oh Of
ance of the loss of West Prussia and
of Upper Silesia or liberation of the
separation Of Danzig under the free
city arrangement. But the whole eX-
pulsion episode has led to an ex, losion
of German resentment and serN IS to
emphasize the enduring danger in the
east of Europe.
But, after all, what Is most signif-
icant for Americans in the whole af-
fair is the underlying European condi-
ton which 1t discloses. Not only is
there Policeman situation in the
Vistula and Oder lands, but there is a
Czech situation to Czechoslo-
vakia, where there is a German mi
nority of 3,500,000, at least a quarter
of the whole population, and occupy
ing solidly many frontier districts.
This population, which is hostile to
the Czechs and eager to escape to
German rule, constitutes a grave dan
ger and the Czechs on their side have
adopted a policy of enforced Slaviciza-
ton, which has been quite as disturb
ing in Berlin.
Czech Security Menaced.
AS long as there is a German minor
ity in Czechoslovakia, the unity and
security Of the new state are menaced,
but here the policy of expulsion is un-
available and that of Observation-Disclosures
the only possible substitute. But it as
certainly makes for international un-
rest, and just as German policy envis-
ages the reconquest of the lost eastern
provinces, 1t contemplates some course
of action to protect the Germanic
character of the large Teuton minori-
ties in Bohemia and Moravia.
The German question in Poland and
Czechoslovabia is, too, matched by
both German and Hungarian ques-
tionS in Rumania and by a Hungarian
question in CZechoslovakia. In Ruma-
MIA the frontiers were drawn at Paris
to include nearly a million HungarianS
who lived in enclaves within the area
assigned to Rumania. Theoretically
their protection was provided in the
treaty, but actually they constitute a
permanent danger. since Hungary
continues to plan to reconquer those
lost areas and her race brethren in
them beckon with ever-increasing ear
nestneSS.
A policy of expulsion has been in
progress here for seven years and
many hundreds of thousands of
Magyars have been forced or per-
suaded to quit Pennsylvania, the Ba-
nat and other areas adjoining Hun
gary. and return to their already
crowded Magyar state. The Germans
who could hardly be driven out to re-
turn to a land their ancestors left
many centuries ago, have been sub
jected to a process of denationaliza-
ton, which has aroused bitter but fu-
tile German protests.
OF course, the most gigantic illus
ira ton of this policy was the still re-
cent exchange Of populations between
Greece and Turkey, which involved
the transfer of more than million
Greeks from Asia Minor. where their
ancestors had been established since
the classical age, and the reciprocal
removal from continental Greece of
upward of half a million Turks, whose
forebears had followed the wave of
invasion of five centuries ago.
Wanderers Over Europe.
Indeed, all over Europe new wan
dering of the tribes is taking place.
In 1914 the east and south of Europe
was Kaleidoscope ethnographic pic
ture as disclosed by a race map and
the conquering races, the Germans.
the Hungarians and the Turks had
flung out relatively vast racial out
posts established in the midst Of sub
ject races. Remaking the map of
Europe in conformity with the doc
trine of self determination has had as
itS newt a bla copcOp1itant the re-