Evening star., 1939-07-26
Minorities d Danger
In Poland and Russiu
Says Demoeroeies Neglect
Ukroniun Problem
At Their Peril


A country is desirable as an ally for
another country, or countries, If It's in
ternal condition guarantees its ability
to face adversaries without being q
handicap to associates. With this in
mind we must view Great Britain and
her efforts to solidify the anti-aggression
front, with Poland and Soviet Russia
as partners in that all-democratic un-
dertaking to stop the German aggres-
sion. Poland has already obtained Brit
ish guarantees and Soviet Russia is still
being wooed to enter the anti-aggression
bloc.
Great Britain and her friends are
faced with potential danger of German
domination on the continent and their
interests elsewhere are also being
menaced. Therefore. they started a
drive to organize their resistance, with
no time to stop and consider whom they
are taking for allies.
Yet it should be most advisable for
Great Britain to look into the internal
conditions of both Poland and Soviet
Russia because that might in the end
save her and her powerful western as
sociates great deal of trouble.
Looking at Poland today, one must
frankly admit that no other country
could have been less fortunate, though
unavoidable, choice for an ally than she
is. The burden Of financial subsidy for
the Polish armaments and the fact that
Poland was given free hand to start
a world conflict over the Danzig affair
Is only one part of Britain's misfortune.
The real trouble Is hidden in the fact
that Poland's determined pose, in face
of the impending crisis, is only matched
by her internal weakness. With Poland,
it is not only "Danzig" on the Baltic Sea,
1t is "Danzig" on all of her fronts. 1t is
the eternal conflict within her own
boundaries, the front of go per cent of
the Poles against 40 per cent of the non
Polish maltyeated minorities which con-
stantly saps her energies, rocks her
solidity and renders her impotent for
any serious engagement with an outside
enemy. And the largest of those mi
norities are the Ukrainians, who con-
stitute at least one-fourth of the entire
Polish nation.
Speaking of the Ukrainians alone, the
Polish government does everything pos
slble to subdue the rising tide of
Ukralnian movement. Thousands of
Ukrainian patriotic youth and clergy
have been locked within the walls of the
state prisons. Ukrainian cultural and
economic institutions are padlocked, the
Ukrainian villages and the Ukrainian
churches are being forcefully Catholi-
clzed or completely destroyed. The
Ukralnlan people are even denied the
right 10 acquire their own native land.
And meanwhile new Polish organizations
are being spurred to carry out the task
OF Polonizing the Ukrainian population
and the world is told that there never
were, are not and never shall be any
Ukrainlans in Eastern Galicia" and other
parts OF Western Ukraine. Violence and
injustice are rampant Can it be
imagined that such conditions should
tend to strengthen Poland's fighting
power? To cover the picture of the
inside OF her structure before the world
the Poles whitewash the whole situation
declaring that now the Polish nation is
united as one man." And all that is
pelng done even now, when Poland finds
herself in a critical position and when,
as one would expect. the Poles should
stretch their hands toward the Ukrain-
1ans and somehow mend and correct
difficulties for the sake of both sides.
And as for Soviet Russia, the world
IS not unaware of her internal trouble
with her largest minority, the Ukrainians.
1t Is then vitally important that Great
Britain, before she enters another war
with Poland and Soviet Russia as her
allies, should be certain that she has on
her side not only the government of
these countries and their major popula-
tlons but also their minorities. She.
therefore, should not wait until it is too
late to use her influence upon the gov
ernment OF Poland and eventually of
Russia, toward the end of ameliorating
the condition of the Ukrainians, as the
first step toward the final solution of
the ultimate Ukrainian problem.
What is more, the democratic powers
should bear in mind the grave posi-
bllity of the repetition of 1917, when.
with the collapse of Russia, their eastern
front was opened to the advancing Ger
man armies and when in the place of
their former ally, new nations began to
arise. Considering the conglomerate
character of Poland and Soviet Russia.
that has great probability of happen
ing again.
There are close to so 900 900 Ukrainians
in Eastern Europe and they cannot be
expected to be quiet at such a time.
They no doubt would take up arms. And
they would direct them against their
enemies. 1T depends on whom thew
would recognize as their friends.
I presume, therefore, that it should
be to the interest of Great Britain and
her democratic friends to associate them
selves more closely with the Ukrainian
issue, even If only as a precaution.
I shall not mention the great ad-
vantages that could be derived from
happy relations between the democracies
and free Ukrainian state later on.
July "a. EUGENE SKOTZKO.