Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-21

VIII Soviet Russia "come to the
rescue of Lithuania"? A revolution
overthrow the Lithuanian govern
ment last Friday morning, and yes.
terday the coup d'etat was ratified
and confirmed by the Assembly's cleo
ton of it's leader, Antona Smetona,
President.
Six years ago the late Senator Hen
nv Cabot Lodge, in a report on the I'M
rest in the Baltic provinces, on behalf
of the committee on foreign relations,
summed up the situation with this:
"The two great problems of the pro-
visional government of Lithuania are:
II. The defense against bolshevism.
"2. Settlement of the agrarian Ques-
ton"
Senator Lodge commented: "Bolshe-
vism is an infection which menaceS
the world. Prussian militarism is an
infection which has menaced the
world and may menace it again If we
permit it to grow strong on the ruins
of Russia. For the worlds sake and
our own selfish sake, we cannot af-
ford to have bofshevism coming
through to the West; we cannot afford
to have an INSCRIPTIONS Prussia pierre
ing through to the East. Bolshevism
is to achieve its results by world rev.
olution, by the corruption of the
French, English and American work
ingman, IL 1t can get at him.
The allies have never committed them
selves to determination of bolshevism,
but they are committed to mainte-
nance Of q sanitary Gordon and the
prevention of bolshevism being re-
leased into Europe and the. Western
World. For the maintenance Of this
sanitary Gordon we have consented to
the presence in Latvia and Lithuania
of some 10000 German troops. The
problem of the Baltic states is two
fold:
Il. The maintenance in these ter
ritories of this sanitary Gordon against
bolshevism.
"2. To prevent Germany from ruth
lessly exploiting these countries. and
from making of them and of Russia
In the future a vast territory servile
to her lGermany's) scheme of expan-
sion and ACKNOWLEDGMENT. We
must attempt to secure justice for all
the indigenous races in these prov
1nces. The problem is as mon
umental as it is urgent"
- -
In the late Fall of 1918. just before
the armistice, copy of an official
order from the commanding officer of
the German Army in Lithuania be-
trayed the confidence of the Germans
that they were on the eve of an al
lance with Russia, giving them full
control of Russian raw material and
military reinforcements. Germany
had protested to befriend Lithuania
against the Russians, but had stoutly
refused to recognize that country as
an independent nation, following its
revolt from Russia as a province of
that tyranny. The whole Baltic re-
gion is a hotbed of jealousy and fight
ing, and has ever been such, from
the dawn of it's history under civiliza-
ton. The fight is what Is known in
the lowest form of alleged sport as
a battle royal" in which every
mans hand is raised against every
other mans head--every nation is
against all other nations.
The LithuanianS are descended from
Indo-Europeans, and their language
is the oldest living language in the
world, quite similar to ancient dead
Sanskrit-a language which Lithua-
MAN peasants today are ablesto under
stand. Yet there is no authentic trace
as to their origin.
In the tenth century the Lithua-
mans branched into three lines:
I. Borrissians, who under the DOM
ination of the Germans became "Prus-
SLAMS"
2. Let's or Latvis.
8. Lithuanians, which branch sep
arated into Lithuanians proper and
Zmudz, or lowlanders.
The Let's were driven northward,
and with the Livonian tribe of the
north later frequently raided the
Lithuanians of the south.
In 1925 King Gedymin made a
treaty with Poland against the 1.-Two
MAN order, and that became the en-
tering wedge by which Poland grad
ually attained supremacy over Lith-
uania- Gedymin left seven sons. all
supposed to have equal inheritance,
but two-Olgierd and Keistal-be-
came dominant in power. Olgierd
was an opportunist. ready to profess
Christianity to gain support Of the
church, and he was baptized in the