New Britain herald., 1928-01-21
PLIGHT 1 LAID ID TRAITORS
Priest Blams Renegade Coun. trymen for Polish Ascendancy


 Rev. Peter P. sarusaitis. member of the Marian Order of Missionaries. who has been delivering a series of lectures at St. Andrews church dur ing the week. has expressed his opin- ion on the cause of discord between Lithuania and Poland. Father Saru- saitis is a native of Lithuania but has been in this country nearly 50 years and during that time, he has studied the diplomatic relations be- tween his country and Poland. He has prepared the following article on the question and 1t will be of in- terest, it is thought, to members of both races:
 "I do not Sec why truth should be kept secret. All Lithuanians blame the Polish people for prosecuting Lithuanians and for having deprived them of their capital. Wilma. They should blame only the Polonized Llthua aians who, having renounced and despised their mother tongue, have assumed the Polish language and. trying to simulate the Poles, are denying that they gre real Lithu- anIans. ''
 Tt is almost always the case that all those who despise their mother tongue are at the same time despis- ing their parents as well as their country. They lose their faith and patriotism.
 Warsaw, is full. at present, of such Lithuanian renegades, who claim to be Poles but are not There is no hope of concord between Lith- uania and Poland without removing from the Polish government the Lithuanian renegadee. No one can justly blame the Polish people for all the discords up to this time be- cause in 1921 at suvalki, Lithuanian and Polish delegates met and made a perfect agreement. signed and duly executed, that Wilma and Sinai would belong to Lithuania. A few days after this, however. the Lithu- anian renegades occupied Wilma and expelled the Lithuanian government.
 Without the Lithuanian rene gades this would never have been done for they haze induced even the pacific Polish Cath olics to do what is not right-What is evidently wrong. deprive 8 nation Of its cap- itai.
 Because of this, unless the Po- fish people strive to rid themselves of these Lithuanian renegades or | exclude them from participating in the Polish government, the peaceful relations between the two nations
 will never return. It stands 10 req son that will be so because all these Lithuanian renegades are attempt ing to force all Lithuanian people to initiate them, renounce their mother tongue and accept the Polish lan- guage as they did.
 Times when this was possible have long ago passed and they will never return. The number of Lithu- anian philologists and patriots is growing fast Tn spite of the men
 who are trying to persecute the na- tiyes of their own mother land.
 Why is it that no other nation exists with SO many renerades at. tempting to destroy their own coun- try and language? Because the Lith-
 uanian people for centuries have
 have a very poor chance for educa. ton after the union between Lith.
 uania and Poland through the inter-
 marriage of the Duke of Jagella oI | Lithuania and the Queen of Poland
 and later by the mutual consent o1 both countries.
 Ever since the leaders of Lithu. ania, sitting on tho Polish throne governing both countries. never used
 q word of the Lithuanian language
 but at all times talked in Polish. SC
 all the people followed them and be-
 came accustomed to neglect th.
 mother tongue. Under the Russian
 yoke, the Polish language was ney-
 er forbidden while Lithuanian was
 not permitted and even the rraye,
 Looks printed in Latin were ordered changed 10 have Russian character. substituted. Iithuanians. however
 did not use the transcribed bookt because that would have spoiled their language altogether. For Af years, Lithuanians were deprived oI their pr; yer books. The Polish Ian.
 "uage Is very much like the Russian and for this reason the speech was Tot debarred. Lithuanian. on the other hand. has no similarity anG Of all extant langua ges. it is thy nearest 10 Sanscrit.
 "Of late, some Lithuanian patriots began to attract the attention O | their countrymen 10 the fact tha. the language was liable to disa D , pear altogether. There is no dan.