The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-03-27

Except for the narrow national fists, whose view is selfish and one-' sided, the critics of the so-called Polish Corridor" in most cases un- doubtedly are inspired by the best intentions However, American crit ;cs, in particular. often lack thor ough and broad understanding of the causes that have worked Tor centuries to bring about this prob- lem. Safe in the splendid isolation Of their great republic and with char acteristic new world rashness, they view the efforts of the drafters of the peace treaties as allied ven- geance, forgetting that the most criticized arrangements were the re- suit of the mature deliberation Of experts.
 The past few months have seen presented to American readers rather large crop of articles con- corning German-Po1ish relations and this aforementioned Polish Corridor. While the authors of these articles emphasized different phases of the problems discussed, they almost without exception gave the same chief argument for the return of the Corridor to Germany, an argument which substantially was this: Ger many will never be satisfied as long :.s Poland holds the Corridor. so, for the peace of the world, 1t must te returned to Germany" Consider ing objectively, is this the sort of reasoning to be put forth by think ing people? "The baby will yell till he gets the candy. Therefore, for the sake of peace i'll the family, take the candy away from brother and give i. to the baby" Are world affairs to be decide according to such dangerous reasoning as tnis! Aren't we thereby returning to the same immoral principle that might makes right" which shattered the world? Are national egotism and .:elfishness, the brute force of arms and still more powerful pressure of economies and dollars to destroy even those rudiments of the idea of human justice that through the ages in great pain, the human race has reen evolving, and throw us again into the abyss of barbarian?
 If we believe that at least these rudiments of justice should govern between nations as between indivi- duals, then we must approach this question with a sincere desire to see the truth as it is. Let us turn to the fundamental principles underlying the question.
 First, we assume that no critic will go so far as to deny the justice and necessity of the reestablishment of free Poland. If such is the case, we must bear in mind that Poland did not drop with the rain at the Versailles Conference. Poland was not politically created as a previous ~ non-existent state from territories rlghtfully belonging to someone else. On the contrary, territories which were in the wrongful possession of Germany, Austria and Russia were only returned to their previous fn- dependence. The so-called New Po- land is in fact a resurrected Old Po- land with only about half its right full territory.
 If Germany is justified in asking the return of the territory which she had to give up, then Russia is justified in asking the return of her former unlawful holdings, Austria Is justified in doing the same, and Po- land Is again no more.
 The term Polish Corridor" has been introduced by German propa- sandists to designate the small strip of land known as Pomerania, which divides Germany from her colony of East Prussia and gives Poland her only access to the sea. There are very clear and definite reasons why this should belong to Poland, req sons which may be divided into these three groups: historic. eth nological and economic.
 Historically. it is pertinent to rec ord that Polish Pomerania, inhabited since time immemorial by Polish people, was annexed by the Germans in 1908 and was in their possession until 1454, or for 146 years. At that time Pomerania went back to Po- land and remained in Polland's pos session until the first partition of Poland in 1772, that is, for 31S years. In 1920 parts of this Polish Pomer- ania, after 148 years of renewed German, that is foreign, domination. were returned again to Poland. thus giving the restored nation partial access to the sea. In other words. there is the same historic reason for returning Pomerania to Poland that there was for returning Alsacc and Lorraine to France. Americans, with their strong sence of justice. eagerly approved the restitution of Alsace and Lorraine to France. They will surely just as earnestly support Poland's right to Pomerania when they realize the facts In the case.
 The examination of the ethnologi- cal situation In this section clearly proves it's Polish character. The Cor ridor has at the present time about eight hundred thousand inhabitants of whom S5 per cent cinsider them selves Polish, as Is shown by election results. Moreover, even while under | the hostile German rule, from 1871 | to 1918, in the fifteen elections to the Reichstag this province returned l only Polish candidates. Not once 1 was a German candidate elected.
 Finally, examination of the econ omic aspect of the problem convinces up that this territory Is undoubtedly | part of the Polish economic unit | and not of the German. Danzig's developments as a port before the | World War, that Is under German | rule. was stationary, the average pre-