Evening star., 1926-06-08
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

President Wilson's idea 'to include
indisputably Polish population" for it
includes also 10000, 900 non-Poles in
its total of 80 600 900 population. Even
when Poland was one of the greatest
powers in Europe. its population was
never homogeneous. The mobiles were
rich and powerful, while the peasants
were serfS, and there was no middle
class that was Polish. The trading
between the mobiles and serfs was done
mostly by Jews, so that the two eX-
tremes Of the Polish race never came
to know each other.
When Russia began TO plot to en-
croach upon Polish liberty, Poland
had lost all her former virility and
greatness. Only so per cent of her
population. even then. We're Poles, a
third We're Ukrainians and White
Russians. and the rest We're Germans,
Jews. Lithuanians, Let's, Ar1nenians
and Tartars. Poland then was a re-
public in name. but all rights and
privileges belonged only to the former
mobiles. Two centuries earlier, the
Republic of Poland had been the
greatest republic since the days of
Rome, and not until the American
Revolution was there another that
could compare with it.
But she sank into lethargy and un-
preparedness foT national defense, for
the enslaved peasants cared nothing
for patriotism. The powers, her neigh
bors, made pretense that she was
"anarchicar' and must be taken in
hand for the peace of Europe. 1t is
openly charged by Poles that today
there is an organized bolshevik effort
to repeat history by renewing
anarchy and justifying interventio"
by her old enemies. Her hope lies in
finding a strong man"--perhaps Pill
sudski-who will arouse patriotism
and organize her forces.
X X X
Since the three main parts of his
toric Poland passed into the hands of
separate conquerors. and there re-
mained under different policies of sup
preston so long, it is natural that
these parts-although still Polish
should take on the effect of their eX
periences. The result was the creation
of three kinds of Poles.
Russia was cruel in her tyranny.
All Polish schools We're Russianized,
and to speak a word of Polish was q
crime punishable with prison or death.
The terrorizing of the regime of Mura-
view, the hangman, still sends shud-
ders to Poles.
Prussia adopted the policy of flood
ing Poland with PruSsian colonlsts,
and Systematically robbing the natives.
AS late as 1908 she adopted law Civ
Ing the Prussian governor in Poland
the power to appropriate (rob) any
Polish landowner of his acres at the
governors arbitrary will.
Austria was more humane or polite.
She gave Galicia-her slice of par
tltloned Poland-more autonomy. the
result was that into Galicia f1ocked
the educated Poles and those trained
In government and administration. So
Galicia (now divided into Tarnopol,
Stanislowow, Lwow and Krakow Is in
habited by alert Poles and by non
Poles who are ready to declare 1nelr
wills Is to government.
Russian Poles who people eastern
Poland. north of Tarnopol, are more
illiterate, backward in economics and
socially and politically inexperienced,
but. aside from the so per cent IL
literates, they are devoted to literatCre
and art.
The Prussian Poles of PoZnan and
PomorZe (of the corridor) are methodl-.
cal, unsentimental, illiterate, but me-
chanically efficient and orderly. In the
last 80 years the PoZnanian and Po-
morzian de, Pomeranian) peasants
have been the mainstay of the Polish
cause of patriotism.
Eighty-two per cent of ethnlc Po-
land has been under the mastery OF
Russia since 1772, 10 per cent unoer
Austria and per cent under Prus-
sia since 1893 and 1896, respectively.
Taken as whole, modern Poland
is rated by historians as potentially
stronger than old Poland ever was,
aside from her reliance upon the
pledge of the League of Nations and
the great powers-France. England
and Italy especially-to protect her.
Copyright. 1895. by Paul v. Collins.)