Evening star., 1928-04-08
POLISH.LITHUANIAN ROW
DATES TO 18th CENTURY
Border Dispute, Which Now Centers on
Wilma, Began With Marriage Of Prince
to Escape TeutOnic Enemies.

all the main eastward lines of commu-
nicati0a Of Germany.
AS for che bolshevists, Poland along
all her frontier has been the solid OBJ
stacle to Red penetration into Western
Europe The Polish victory before War
saw inflicted a disaster on the Red
forces from which they have never re-
covered II the Polish wall stands and
consolidates then there is no future
for the world revolution beyond Russian
territory on the European side az least.
There e also wilma Province, which
counts a million inhabitants. II ex-
tends from the Niemen to the DT1ra.
In all this province, claimed by the
Lithuan.ans, there are less than 100000
Lithuanians. And across the present
frontier il Li.huania there are much
larger number Of Polec.
The White Ruthenians have also en-
tered a claim. In Wilma City they number
less than 10000. but in The province
to carve out of Poland and bolsheyist
Russia a White Ruthenian state ex-
tending from the PripheC Marshes north
to the Gulf Of Finland itself.
I wish Senator 2orah could have
been with me as sat at the same table
and listened, first 70 Pole, then TO
Lithuanian and finally to White Rus
sian explain the reasons Why the city
and the province should conform 70 his
racial ideas Only the Jew was lacking
to complete the heirs at Law. The Jew
claims not possession Of :he town on
the basis of nationalisn-, but extra po-
litical privileges on religious grounds.
The Lithuanian says substantially
this: That while there may be few
Lithuanians in Wilma, geography, his
tory and justice combine to make Wilma
the natural capital Of his state. With
out Wilma he is cut OF from the interior,
the inevitable victim Of later Polish ex-
pansion and penetration. Without
wilma he is condemned 70 live and die
in a tiny Baltic state with less than
two million inhabitants, dependent
upon Polish back country for COM
mercial and economic life.
Poles Cite Possession.
The White Russian says much the
same White Russia is still a dream,
since most Of the White Russians
(Ruthenian is the polite word current
in Vilna) are still in bolshevisr terri
tory. They are. for the larger part,
politically unawakeued, accustomed %
regard themselves as farmers rather
than Poles or Russians. describing
themselves by their religion rather than
their race. But a great White Russia
is TO rise one day. and when that day
comes wilma must be its western
citadel
The Pole rests his case upon posses
sion, the ethnographic character Of the
population, the historical fact that al
the Baltic region, Lithuania included.
once joined itself willingly to Poland.
He holds wilma with the firm belief that
one day Polish influence and culture
again radiating from this center viii
repeat the achievement Of the past.
when all Lithuania was Polanized and
all the educated and cultured classes
spoke Polish-as, in fact, most Of them
stiH do.
There the situation stands No
wheel turns, the lumber Tots N the
forests, the railway lines are aban-
doned- The League Of Nations thun-
derS at waldemaraS. commanding him
to abandon state Of war and 60 back
10 a state Of business. and Waldemaras
thunderS back, or hard pressed. yields
in appearance but maintains the sub
stance. keeps the frontier closed and
the state Of war intact.
There are no LithuanianS IN wilma,
none on Polish territory IN any dtrec-
ton for IS miles, less than 100. 900 n
the whole district. which counts
/, 100, 900 inhabitants. There is the cold
fact about the famous wilma dispute.
The real problem OF the Eastern
marshes in the cloSeneSS 70 Red RuSSiS-
There is the real danger for Europe IN
the future, II the quarrel between Po-
land and Lithuania continues, II the
passions are aroused between two peo-
Piles who. for four centuries following
the fortunate marriage, lived together
in peace and harmony under 3 single
sovereignty.
tCouyriEht. 1881