Evening star., 1944-07-07
Letters to The Star
Describes Misery of Ukrainians
And Blames Poland

With the advance Of the Russian
armies, increasing also are the Polish
complaints that Russia does not intend
to respect the 1899 borders of the former
Polish State. The following lines are
written sine ira ct studio, that is to
say without any animosity against the
Polish people; but they are supported
by observations gained by the writer in
the contested region of that part of
Poland covered by Russian claims
It may be considered as generally
known that, according to the on1cial
Polish census, the Ukrainian popula-
ton amounted to 14.3 per cent and the
White Russians to 80 per cent OF the
inhabitants of the Polish state. Taking
the population in its entirety with about
81 millions, there were approximately
~ millions of Ukrainians falsely called
Ruthenians) living In compact mass
In the western part Of Galicia and bor-
dering the Russian Ukraine There can
be no doubt that the number of them
is considerably higher, at least 5h mil
lions.
These peasant people are living on
poor soil under the poorest economic
and cultural conditions. oppressed polit-
ically by the Polish bureaucracy and
economically by the Polish landowners.
People who are aware OF the slum
conditions of New York or London Ger
tainly would no longer speak of the
misery OF those pauper districts, If they
knew the life Of the Ukrainian popula-
ton in Poland. Most of the latter are
living IN small wooden huts, consisting
of two rooms with clay floors, one for
the house owner and his family, the
other for the households Animals. I'm
der this designation do not mean cows.
but only few chickens and perhaps a
goat. The little shaggy horses, if any,
are tied up to posts outside the houses
the year around. saw large families
living In single rooms furnished with
only the most primitive articles: one
bed used only by the old people and
the babies, while the others slept, sit
ting in crouched positions, on a big
brick stove placed in a corner of the
room. All together they owned one pair
OF boots used on special occasions in
bad weather by one member of the
family, especially on Sundays for visit
ing the church. Meat as food is nearly
unknown, their main food being cab
bage, beans and coarse bread
Such was the life of these people
under the Austrian rule. Has it i'm
rr0vaN nndor ho Gcb
The economic features have not
changed at all and the people remain
the same proletariat Of the poorest kind
as they had been before. I remember
the outburst Of Ukrainian discomfort
which led to the assassination of the
Polish governor Of Galicia by Ukrainian
students. At that time the Ukrainians
were already oppressed by the Poles
with the connivance of the Austrian
government, mostly in need OF political
Polish help.
Nevertheless at that time there
existed a great number of Ukrainian
schools. even an Ukrainian chair at
the Polish University of Lwow. But in
the new Poland there we're only 26
secondary Ukrainian schools as COM
pared with ITO Polish ones, although
the Ukrainian population amounts to
about Is per cent Of the Polish. and no
Ukrainian university at all, but instead
concentration camps under the Pilsud-
sh-Beck regime We must not forget
that this Ukrainian territory was Fore
IDLY annexed by the Poles after the last
war. against the principle Of self-de
termination. The reason Polish rule was
accepted on the one side is clearly eco
nomic one, because in this part of the
country are located the only oil wells,
owned mostly by Jewish industrialists.
and, on the other side, 1t was and is vet
a conspicuous and intensive desire for
external political power, similar to the
German desire for "lebensraum."
This leads us to the behavior shown
by Poland In its relations with its
neighbors. Poland did not care for the
League of Nations nor for the nations
1t had to thank for its resurrection, but
on the contrary invaded little defense
less Lithuania and annexed the dis
NAASe aAiA VoWl VI tllHO.
From the beginning. Poland main
tanned very unfriendly attitude to-
wards Czechoslovakia, and this was be-
cause OF its claim to little insignif-
icant mountain area in Slovakia and
town Of about 10000 population with a
Polish minority in Silesia. This enmity
was climaxed in the autumn of 1898
when the Poles annexed parts Of
Czechoslovakia with the permission of
Hitler
Poland was betrayed by the Nazi
friends Of the last Polish Premier Beck.
1t has suffered terribly, perhaps more
than any other country But If there
is for Poland a hope of resurrection.
that hope has its only foundation in
Russian courage, sacrifice and help.
Mostly with Russian blood can its free
dom be regained.
Looking at the history of the Polish
Republic, 1t Is very hard to find any
sign OF gratitude towards its former
liberators, especially towards France,
which had saved it from total annihila-
ton by the Russian Army in 1920.
Poland always was looking for a savior,
never for friends, and therefore never
acceded to any treaty aimed at the
defense against German aggression.
I am sure the American citizens of
Polish origin will not agree with the
attitude of the Polish government in
exile. They live in freedom and brother
hood with their Ukrainian brethren
and cannot do anything better than
wish for that Ukrainian people beyond