Evening star., 1928-04-01
.PHSUDSKI WANTS POLAND
GOVERNED LIKE AMERICA
DiclatOrs Success i'm Recent ParadOxical
Election Gives Promise of
Future Stability.

power from trembling. inefficient and in
certain cases corrupt hands.
Poland has found master. The will
of the marshal Is the decisive factor.
Although he has gathered able men
about him, none can in any sense be
regarded as second He has made
over the army with certain ruthless
ness.
In his policy toward Germany, Lithu--
ania and minorities eyerywhere-and
minoritieS are the gravest problem for
Poland with ten millions Of non-PoleS
among its thirty millions Of people
the marshal has worked for reconc1ia-
alton. He has broken sQuarley with
the policy of his nationalist predeces-
sors. With the Jews, the Ukranians,
the White Russians there has been a
great appeasement. On the list Of
candidates of the marshal's group men
of the ninorities figured prominently.
In sum, the revolution Of May, 1925,
which was military and violent, has
been adopted by precisely those ele-
ments which are most associated aot
only with peace. but with calm. The
appeal of the marshal TO the people
is based on domestic program OF
progress, ecor. .omic reconstruction.
financial rehabilitation. upon precisely
those circumstances which are only
possible in times of peace. when at
home and abroad there exists feel
ing of confidence.
Won on Slight Chance.
On the 4th of March, then, Poland
went to the polls to decide whether
it would continue the marshal by q
vote Of confidence or. by dividing Its
votes, restore the old state of anarchy.
And what the marshal had to do to win
was little short Of the performance Of
a miracle.
There was not the smallest chance
| that he could gain a majority OF the
| 444 members of the Diet. His single
chance was t. get enough seats to
control the largest single group, to
| create center about which could
gather the various elements which, de-
serting various parties, might end By
supporting him.
His campaign had a second important
| objective. While in theory he had
| adhered to the constitution, in fact he
| had deliberately set it aside. A sweep
| ing defeat would bring his situation
| into the clear daylight as utterly il
| legal. Pilsudski won beyond the ex-
| pectationS Of any observer and is now
able to bring his position back to fun
legality.
What he means to do with his VIC
1 lOIy - ElcdI. 1IlS Il6N OIcb Will Dc
| called upon first to adopt the American
system and elect its President by popu-
/ lar vote. That step taken, Pilsudsh
will be the first President. Then can
he break through the existing system.
/ which counts 80 political parties. and
| obtain clear mandate from the people.
| Thereafter PilSudsd will speak as the
| voice of the masses. And along with
this change viii go many amendments
to the continuation. most OF them
modelled on the American i1es and in
tended 70 give the cabinet. as well as
the President. great freedom from par
liamentary control.
Pilsudski Is Great Enigma.
| Pilsudski is one of the greatest enig-
mas in Europe. He Is ct heart an old
conspirator, who has spent al his life
| in prison or In exile. a rebel against
the rule of those who have conquered
his people. He works always by indirec-
ton. His hand Is always concealed.
he prepares situations. he does not ap-
peal to the people in advance And
there is always something of the un-
movable. something of the unforesee-
able in him.
He is. too, q visionary, q dreamer
| Moreover, he is. like so many more Of
| the great figures in Polish history, like
| KoSciuSko himself, a Lithuanian. He
| dreams of restoration OF the greatest
Poland of history. not by wars Of con-
| quest but by the gradual creation of
system of federated peoples, Polish.
Lithuanian. Ukrainian. White Russian.
And there again the American con-
/ ceptionS 4lderlieS the marshal's idea.
/ At home AZ least this policy OF
| appeaSement has been successful In
| the recent election Poland voted for
a soldier. because his period OF power
/ gives promise Of peace. for 3 dictator
/ whose purpose is TO create in Poland
democracy modelled upon the Ameri-
| can. But beyond all else. the election
/ returns followed the unnliStakahle crea-
| ton of prosperity at home and the &C
+ QUESTION of prestige abroad. II rati-
! fed at the polls a power which had
been literally taken az the point Of
| the bayonet, but only because since
that time the bayonet has disappeared.
tConvri<ht laSSN