Evening star., 1935-08-18

CduSS IL Ildu bAAS
ton of the local currency, which was
distinct from the Polish zloty.
What the Danzigers we're after, OBJ.
viously, was to force Hitler, against
his will, to intervene. They saw their
fate as inescapable unless they were
permitted to rejoin the Reich. With
out German aid they could not long
hold out against the economic pressure
of Poland, which now proceeded to
close its own frontiers to imports from
Danzig and to divert all of its COM
merce to Gdynia. Unless Germany
intervened Danzig would presently
have to surrender and would then be
compelled to abandon its policy of re-
sistance to Polish penetration, which
had continued ever since 1919.
But if Hitler INTERVIEWED formally
then, of course, the Polish-G German
truce would come to an end, Warsaw
would necessarily have to return to the
French orientation, and Germany
would be encircled by hostile States.
If he refused to intervene. then he
would expose himself to a deadly at
tack on the home front because of
his abandonment of German out
post. Thoroughly aroused by recent
events. the Poles we're now certain to
press the issue with Danzig. to de-
mand the right of their nationals to
settle and do business in the city and
thus by colonization to obtain eventual
control.
Hitler Avoids Decision.
That is the way the situation
stands at the present moment. So
far Hitler has hung back and avoided
any decisive step. But it is not to be
disguised that the Danzigers have
found strong if more or less con-
cealed. support from Germany. Nor
is it less evident that She Poles have
become increasingly incensed and
have reached the point where only a
surrender by Danzig will satisfy
them. Sooner or later. therefore,
Hitler will have to decide whether to
challenge domestic criticism by keep
ing faith with Poland or to invite
new foreign complications by an open
support of Danzig which will drive
Poland back into the ranks OF the
active opponents Of the Reich.
The situation of the Danzigers
themselves. however. has become so
desperate that they are bound to go
to any lengths to force Hitler's hand.
And no one who has not visited Dan
zig in the postwar years can even
vaguely dream of the state of mind
of the inhabitants of this fascinating
town. wholly German in culture and
spirit, which sees itself threatened
by the fate that has already over
taken Bromberg. Posen and various
other smaller cities recovered by
Poland in 1919. All Of these towns
once possessed German majorities,
but now their Teutonic elements have
dwindled to nothing. And similar
Slav tidal wave beats steadily upon
the gates of Danzig.
Struggle Seven Centuries Old.
This struggle which is again fam
ing up has been in progress for seven
centuries. 1t opened with the VIC
tory Of the Teutonic knights in the
thirteenth century, which was marked
by the destruction of the Slav popula-
tion of Danzig. In the fifteenth CEN
tury the Poles gained the upper hand
and thenceforth, until the first par
tition more than three centuries
later, Danzig was Polish. although it
preserved its Teutonic character. Ma
poleon restored Danzig independence
by the treaty of Tilsit, which also
created the Grand Duchy of Warsaw,
and as late as the Congress of Vienna
the Danzigers protested against union
with Prussia. Thereafter. however,
local loyalty gave way to national pa
triotism and Danzig became a willing
and enthusiastic portion of the new
German empire.
The election of the Danzig Free
State by the Paris Peace Conference
was a concession to the Wilsonian doc
trine of self determination. The peo-
pie of Danzig were German, but their
territory constituted a thin Teutonic
facade to the Slavic hinterland and
the city was the natural port of the
vast region of the Vistula, which con-
stituted the larger part OF Poland.
Racially Danzig was bound to Ger
many, economically it was indissolubly
associated with Poland. To give 1t to
Germany was to put Prussian hands
at the throat of the new Polish re-
public. To give it to Poland was to
surrender 10000 Germans to Polish
rule. The compromise ultimately
adopted was to give the Germans OF
Danzig political independence, but to
establish their economic unity with
Poland.
Compromise Failure.
This compromise, however. never
worked. 1t was a half measure which
left the Danzigers still eager to be
Germans and the Poles still resolved
to obtain complete control Of the city
which was their natural window on
the sea. To preserve their German
ma ajority the Danzigers closed their
gates to Polish immigrants. To break
the Danzig grip upon their throat the
Poles built Gdynia. For years and
years the battle ragged. Every session
of the Council or Assembly of the
League of Nations was called upon to
deal with some fresh Danzig issue.
There were murders in the streets OF
Danzig, endless battles between the
Danzig Senate and the Polish govern
ment.
Now, after the slight pause produced
by the non-aggression pact, the con-
fiict has broken out again. There Is,
moreover, no possibility of settling this
dispute on any but one Of two bases.
Either Danzig must return to Ger
many or it must fall to Poland out
right. But Poland will fight rather
than agree to the former settlement,
and Germany must fight rather than
consent to the latter solution. For
the first adjustment would prove but
the initial step to the suppression of
the Corridor, and the second would
prove the preliminary to the absorp-
ton of East Prussia.
During the past is years, moreover,
Poland has been winning this battle
of the Eastern Marches. Since Po-
morze, Posen and Upper Silesia were