Evening star., 1942-05-06
Democratic Freedom
Is Lotviuns' Demand
Minister From Rieo Soys
Countrymen Hate kozis
And BoIsheviks Alike
To the Editor of The Star:

HuO OOISuSViNS NiIkS
To the Editor Of The Star
Soviet Premier Stain, in his speech
of May l, called Latvians his brothers. -
Some time ago German gauleiter in
Nazi-occupied Latvia addressed the Lat
vians as comrades" The one is as
hypocritical as the other.
Latvians do not want to be either
Nazis or Bolsheviks. They are on the
side of the democracies and hope that
the democracies will be victorious and
that the principles Of the Atlantic
Charter will be fully realized also in re-
gard to Latvia.
Latvians are neither Germans nor
Russians. They are not even a Slavonic
people. They speak language of their
own belonging to the Baltic branch of
European languages, deriving di
rectly from Sanscrit. They are Prot
estants and Roman Catholics. but are
not of the Russian Orthodox faith.
They are very religious, believe in
family life, in private property and
social Justice They are occidental by
culture, ethics, aspects and civilization.
As an ethnographically homogeneous
nation, the Latvians have lived for
thousands of years in their present ter
ritory. Since 1907 the Latvian Princes
of Kurland, Semigallia, Livonia and
Latgallia, under the leadership of the
Catholic Archbishop Of Riga, formed
federation called Terra Mariana-Land
Of the Holy Mary or vulgo Livonia.
This federation was recognized as an
independent state by the Emperor Philip
in 1907 and Pope Innocent III in 1910.
Estonia also joined this federation in
the 14th century. Terra Mariana existed
as an independent state until 1861, when
it was partitioned. The southern prov
inces-Kurland and Semigallia became
a hereditary duchy; Latgale or Inflantes,
the province bordering on Russia, be-
came a dependency of the Polish Com
monwealth, and the fourth province
Livonia, with the city of Riga-became
a duchy under Swedish suzerainty, SINH
lar to Estonia, and enjoyed the benefits
of the progressive and humanitarian
Swedish rule.
Estonia and Livonia with Riga were
occupied by the Russian Car Peter the
Great only in 1721 after the Russo
Swedish War, provoked by Russia. The
major parts of Latvia-the duchies of
under Russian occupation only after the
partitioning of Poland in 1895
1t is evident that Latvia, like Finland,
which was occupied by Russia in 1909,
was under Russian occupation only
little more than 100 years.
The social structure in the so-called
Baltic provinces" became very reac-
tionary under Russian rule. The Rus
sian government granted the German
Bait barons a free hand to rule there as
they pleased But the result was in
surrection after insurrection Q802. 1872.
1874, 1868, 1899 and 1905). The last
revolution, in 1908, was the bloodiest and
climaxed in q proclamation of inde-
pendence.
But this was a castle in the air. be-
cause the Russian imperialistic giant re-
turned To Latvia with three big armies
and the Baltic barons. disguised as off,
GERS, then took terrible revenge. Slight
reforms followed, but the most needed
were always postponed as, for instance,
the promised participation of Latvian
peasants in 1907 in the local autono-
nous Diet, dominated by Germans.
In 1915 during the First World War,
the Latvians volunteered to form ter
ritorial army of their own, the so-called
Latvian Rifles, whose divisions, with
the help of valiant Siberian divisions,
succeeded in repulsing the German on
slaughts for two years. There was also
a Latvian brigade in the Far East and
a military formation in France. During
the First World War Latvians lost about
$4,000 men. BY supporting the Allied
cause against Germany the Latvians
gained the support of the Allies for their
independence.
Already on July 5, 1917, Prince Lwow,
the head Of the Russian provisional
government, granted Latvia self-govern-
ment. But, alas it came too late. Kur-
land was occupied by Germany and on
September II, 1917, the Germans also
occupied Riga, after the collapse of the
Russian army, which was weakened by
BolsheviSm.
Nevertheless, a Latvian National Coun-
Gil was elected.
On November 7, 1917, the Bolsheviks
took power in Russia and at once started
negotiations with Germany for a sepa-
rate peace.
On November 18, 1917 the Latvian
National Council declared itself in
Walka, Latvia, representative OF the
Latvian nation and proclaimed Latvia
independent of Russia. 1t also deter
mined to carry on with the Allied cause.
On January 5, 1918, the decision of the
Latvian National Council was trans
mitted to the All-Russian Constituent
Assembly. AS is known, this Constitu-
ent Assembly, in which the Bolsheviks
had only "a per cent of all votes, was
dispersed with the help of the so-called
Bolshevik Red Guards. Meanwhile, the
Germans were approaching Petrograd
and the Soviet government on March 3,
1918. was forced to sign in Brest-Litowsk
a separate peace with Germany and
Austria AT that time Soviet Russia
recognized the independence of the
Ukraine and the separation forever from
Russia of former Poland, White Russia,
Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland.
Finally Germany collapsed in November,
1918, and the government of Great Brit
ain, on November II, 1918. recognized