The Wilmington morning star., 1946-12-25

CHRISTN
be accorded to all political parties
and requested assurances OF a
free, unfettered election"
AS Ear as can be learned, Pc
land has n o t officially answered
those note S. But government
spokesman have made it clear
that Poland considers elections
her '.own internal affair." and that
she doesn't need o u tside advice,
simultaneously contending thar So
Wet Russia has not attempted to
"interfere" in this country's at
fairs. Government spokesman also
have made it plain that Poland
doesn't want nor does she intend
to have any official allied OBJ
servers here for the elections.
In the minds Of those who lead
the bloc parties, there's no cues
ton about a bloc victory. Vice
Premier Wladyslaw Gomulka, sec
retary-general of the Communist
backed Polish Workers party, and
other Communist minded leaders
publicly have declared that all OPP
position would be 'beaten down."
With the workers in the bloc
which has agreed in advance on
party representation in h e new
parliament - are the Socialists,
the Independent Peasants and the
Democrats. The bloc also appears
certain to get majority support
from the labor party and a group
of peasants which broke away
from Mikolajczyk's p a rty, known
as the New Liberation, headed by
Westminster of Justice Tadeusz
REX.
Against these, MikolaJczyk and
his Polish Peasant party stand
alone-and not without Gear.
Mikolajczyk has expressed par
ticular concern over a provision In
the election law which says that
all persons connected with anti
government, terroristic under
ground organizations S a ii be
barred from voting.
Government leaders and bloc
newspapers consistently have
charged that Mikolajczyk and his
party is backed by the under
ground and that thousands OF Pol
ish Peasant party members have
engaged in terroristic activities,
murder of bloc politicians, robber-
les, sabotage and attempts by
force to overthrow the provisional
regime.
Mikolajczyk in turn has charged
that the Ministry Of Public Securi-
ty (secret police) has engaged in
a campaign Of mass arrest of Pol
ish Peasant party (PSL mem
bers, including potential candi-
dates FOR the Sejm. He has de-
manded the abolition of the minis
try and what he terms the resto-
ration of individual freedom and
rights for every Polish citizen.
The secret police have arrested
six principal editors of Mikola-
jczyk's newspaper. the "Gazeta
Ludowa." Other members IT the
staff are in hiding. That has to
a considerable extent stifled the
voice of-seditorial criticism that
Mikolajczyk has leveled against
the provisional regime.
Already one oldtime Polish po-
litical leader has virtually disap-
peared from the scene. He is
Karol Popiel, who served in a
ministerial capacity in tn war
time Polish government in London
of which Mikolajczyk was premi-
er.
Popiel formerly headed the La
Dor party. He and his party mem
bers in the provisional parliament
walked out and suspended party
activities, charging that the Labor
party had been denied the right
OF free political action after mass
arrests of labor members by the
secret police. Subsequently, with
the sanction of bloc parties, the
Labor party "reorganized' with
Felix's Widy-Wirski, Vice Minister
Of Information, as one Of its prin-
cipal leaders.
There is a good chance that
there'll be heavy abstention OF
voters on election day. The Catho-
lie church in Poland, which large
ly supported Popiel's organization,
has demanded + presentation tor
a catholic party" in the new par
lament, since Poland is 96 per-
cent catholic. The government has
! shown on disposition to recognize
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