Evening star., 1926-11-02
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL Y. COLLINS

armed forces, 1t is agreed that he re
mains practically dictator today. with
out official recognition as such. 1t
is almost a recall of the famous self
definition of the Grand Monarch of
France, 1.-The state; 1t is myself"
Neither the president nor premier
would dare take any step opposed by
the head of the army.
Hence, there is less interest in what
is on the program of the Polish Presi-
dent or premier or Diet than there is
in the question as to what Pilsudski
wants to dO-he and his loyal and
enthusiastic army. a mere kingship
which would call for prime minister
and a cabinet to do the actual govern
ing, and royal pOmp with courtiers
and diplomats to strut about the court,
has no appeal for the rough -and-ready
soldier, whose life dream has been
Poland'S greatness.
The Danzig Corridor, seized from
Prussia and East Prussia as q prize
Of war. when partitioned Poland was
liberated and made a nation anew, Is
not q mere "Alsace" for Poland.
mere conquered hinterland. IT and
all Of Pomerania formerly was part
of Poland, before the partition, 11h
years ago. by which Germany seized
that part of the doomed nation. 1t is
merely restored now.
Liuthania. northeast Of Poland, has
been an enemy and also an ally of
Poland, in times past; hence II will not
be a great innovation if the two coun-
tries again become allied. In fact,
there is as much in common between
eastern Poles and the Lithuanians az
there is mutually between the Poles
of the east. west and south. Po-
lands greatest weakness lies in the
bitterness of her partisan divisions.
In 1241 the Tartars invaded Poland
from the Russian east and held il
200 years. their blood becoming mixed
with that of the native stock. The
result is race Of "big -mustached'
fighters, who admire and love their
militaristiC leader, Pilsudski
Western Poles have been under the
influence of German "kultur," and
are made up largely Of men OF
trimmed boards professional men
being leaders. Southern Poles In Ga
licia have been prosperous farmers
under Austrian guidance.
After the Poles had stopped further
advance Of the Tartars and protected
western Europe. in the thirteenth and
| fourteenth centuries, their country
was invaded. In the fourteenth cen
tury, by the German Knights" and
for self-defense the Poles then allied
themselves with the Lithuanlans.
against the Germans, and conquered
Pomerania. through which today runs
the corridor to the sea. In that alli-
ance, made by the Polish King, Cast
mir the Great, the slogan adopted by
the allies was: Equals with equals;
the free with the free"' That slogan
insured mutual respect for the rights
of the allies
Today Poland is divided into parties
which fail 70 show such broad toler-
ance Of each other as the two nations
did, the one for the other. In Poland.
though the nation is Just emerging
from foreign oppression, the Con
servatives are 15hting the Liberals.
and the conflict RACES between the
Socialists and the Capitalists. while
the jngo Nationalists despise tho Op-
portunist Tories. who are ready to
make concessions 10 their neighbors,
German or Russian or Ukrainian or
Austrian, and there Is perpetually
agitated strife against native classes
against the Jews and Jesuits
Whether Pilsudski will emulate
Primo de Rivera Of Spain. Mussolini
Of Italy or the several dictators of
Greece, or aim at that obsolete office
Of royalty. he stlll may use the an.
Lithuania and Poland, Equals with
equals; the free with the free" and
he may recall the ancient warming:
/ In our hands only, in our breasts
and throats only, is our armory-
these are our mountains and our
waters; these are the castles and
ramparts Of Poland"
A western Pole says OF PiIsudski
HE is a militarist, who figures with
a bayonet when he needs a pencil"
# ~
Financially and economically, Poland
Is in a soundcr condition than almost
any other part OF Europe. She is al
most without n national debt, beyond
the $155 900 900 she owes our Govern
ment 2Ad the $50 900 900 owed to our
banks She inherited free, her rail
| roads esN public buildings, built by
her previous cOnqueror5, and while
her general industries need develop
ing, she is mainly dependent on agri-
| culture. and has time-tried system
Of letting one-third of her farm acres
| lie fallow each year, thereby main
tanning fair fertility.
fConvrfaht 1924 nv paul - Nnrl,n.4