Dirva = Field. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1915-current, 1943-08-06
THE PERISCOPE
By SARUNAS.

THE STRONG LOVE of Ameri-
can Lithuanians for Lithuania and
America was amply demonstrated
by the numerous celebrations OF the
25th anniversary Of Lithuania's IN
dependence held in February. The
correspondent of Garsas (Wllkes-
Barre. Pa.) has compiled exact
statistics, and, WOW! how they con-
flute the argument Of Miss Salome-
ia Neris, the self-styled "Lithuan-
ian poetess, Deputy Supreme So
Wet, USSR" who spent about $500
to cable long letter to the New
York Herald MAY 20, 1943) and
spread purely propagandistic sto-
ry to the effect that "95.51 percent
of the voters who participated in
the (Lithuanian) peoples Seim cleo
ton, cast 99.89 percent of the votes
for the Union of Lithuanian Toll
ers candidates.. These candidates,
later en-, voted for Lithuania's in
corporation into the Soviet Union.
AMERICAN LITHUANIANS, in
their essential makeup, do not diff
1cI iiuSl, pOllllCdlly VI SHloIlolleli-
ly, from their racial brothers in
Lithuania. The only difference was
that here, in the United States,
Lithuanians are free to express
their real opinions, while there, dur
ing the so-called peoples Seim"
elections they were forced by the
secret police to cast their votes for
the "Union of Lithuanian Toilers"
canGidates--all hand-picked by the
Bolshevik Commissars. Therefore,
while the boosters of Russian i'm
perialistic activities in the Baltic
talk about "99.89 percent, which
palpably is not the truth, let's see
what the correspondent of Garsas
found in regard to true expression
of the real will of the million Lith-
uanians in the United States.
FIRST, let's take the churches.
There are 1913 Lithuanian Catholic
parishes in the United States. In
everyone of the parishes this Feb
ruary special religious ceremonies
were held, commemorating Lithua-
MAS independence anniversary and
the heroes that gave their lives for
Lithuanian freedom. In all, 1876
| special sermons for the occasion
were given by 324 Lithuanian
priests.
NOW, LET'S SEE what John @.
I Public done. In So cities of the
United States Lithuanian societies,
or groups of societies, arranged
special massmeetings to commemo-
rate the 25th anniversary of Lith-
uania's independence. The Cover
nors of Maryland and Illinois pro-
claimed February 10Th as special
day for commemoration. The same
was done by the mayors of Chicago,
Lawrence, Mass, and Linden, N. j.
Special proclamations announced
that February 16 is the Republic
of Lithuania Day.. All citizens,
and interested groups, societies
and individuals" were requested "to
observe the day by appropriate ce-
remonies".
ON THIS DAY American Lith-
uanians were felicitated by Mrs.
p. Roosevelt, Archbishop Stritch of
Chicago, by the Ambassadors of
Great Britain, Norway, The Neither
lands, Greece and China, by the
Charge d'Affaires of Czechoslova-
kia, by Under~Secretary of State
Sumner Welles, by the Honorary
Consul of Lithuania in Mexico, TIL
Vilchis, by the Governor of New
York, Thomas Dewey, by the Gov
elnor of Illinois, Dwight H. Green,
by Senators James M. Mead, and
Robert F. Wagner, by Congressman
Sol Bloom, by Wendell Willkie, DR..
Nicholas Murray Butler, by Mayor
LaGuardia, by Prof. Alfred Sem,
by Newbold Morris, by Mrs. Anna
O'Hare Mccormick, Otto Tolischus,
! Dorothy Thompson, and Latvian,
Estonian, and Ukrainian organiza-
tions.
IN ALL, 32 RESOLUTIONS were
adopted, and three of them were,
through the kind offices of friend
ly congressman, printed in the
Congressional Record. The speech
of Congressman Thomas E. Scan
lon, of Pittsburgh, Pa, was also
inserted in this valuable publica-
ton. These resolutions were sent
to President Roosevelt, to Secretary
of State Hull, to Secretary Simp-
son.
The mass-meetings were address
sed by 261 speakers who delivered
314 speeches. Among the speakers
were: SO priests, 18 Lithuanian
editors, 27 lawyers, justices, attor-
neys, ID city mayors, II physicians.
congressman, university and
college professors, 5 aldermen, 4
ccuncilmen, a high army officers,
2 consuls of Lithuania, Senators,
2 Polish consuls, 2 Yugoslav con-
suls. Czechoslovak consuls, 2 post
masters, 2 representatives of city
governments, 2 members of State
Legislatures, the President of Lith-
uania, the Latvian Minister, the
Lithuanian Minister, the Latvian
consul general, the Estonian consul
General, the Governor of Illinois,
the Governor of Maryland, the Sec
retary of the Lithuanian Legation,
| and others