Evening star., 1946-03-10
LowIessness Spreads
Throughout Country
BY LARRY ALLEN.

WARSAW, Poland.-One of the big
gest headaches of the Polish provisional
government today is how to bring Sc
curtty to the nations 100000 people
and arrange general elections without
precipitating serious internal strife.
Although the Minister for Public Sc
curity, Stanislaw Radkiewicz, has
placed an estimated $4,000 to 100000
persons in prison, his job of wedding
out what he terms "subversive elements"
seems to be getting tougher than ever.
Killings, sporadic shootings, rob-
berries and holdups are a nightly oc-
currence in most urban centers.
Since the provisional government
came in last year, 1000 Polish politicians
have been assassinated, along with
scores of Jews and peasants. Whole
towns and villages have been wiped out
by fire and livestock carried Off Trains,
banks, state institutions and ware
houses have been robbed
Radkiewicz blames bands which he
says are financed and armed from
abroad by Gen. Wladyslaw Anders and
others formerly associated with the
old London government" There is
strong penetration of elements Or
ganizing fifth-column work." he says
May Number 100000.
Within the last few weeks, units
whose membership is reputed to include
soldiers who served in the insurrection
army in Warsaw in the fall of 1914,
remnants of the division organized by
the Russian Gen. Vlassov to fight along
side the Germans, and Polish Army de-
serters have carried the torch of terror
all the way from Northeastern to South
eastern Poland.
Many inhabitants no longer undress
at night. Valuables are hidden Special
alarm signals have been arranged to
warn of the approach of raiders.
No one seems to know the strength
Of these opposition organizations. Esti-
mates range from $4,000 to 100000. They
frequent the snow-covered forests. and
are concentrated mostly in the east
near the Soviet border.
The Government has sent two di-
visions to the Bialystok area. These
are reported to be supplemented by
division of Russians, whose aid was
asked by provincial authorities. Min
lister OF Defense Marshal Michael Rola-
zymierski recently also announced "sev-
eral" divisions of militia had been sent
into the Przemsyl district.
Play Robin Hood Role.
The bands around Bialystok often
played sort of Robin Hood" role,
leaving part of their loot at schools and
hospitals for poor children. They also
appeared to be disposed favorably to-
ward peasants but warned them not to
turn over foodstuffs to provincial au-
thorities.
In that latter connection, after raid
In which five villages were burned and
more than 100 persons shot, survivors
found this placard nailed to a tree:
You have been punished because you
paid taxes in kind"
C"Taxes in kind" is the farm produce
the peasants must deliver regularly to
the government)
All this adds up to the type of lawless-
ness which has contributed to what
persons like zbigniew Stypulkowski term
political, economic and financial chaos"
Stypulkowski, one OF the Poles tried in
Moscow last summer for alleged diver
sionlSt activity against Russia Che plead
ed innocent and was released, also has
charged that the present Polish govern
ment was mot willing to risk free elec-
tions except upon the condition that
there be single list of candidates"
All parties in Poland have agreed to
single bloc with the exception of the
Polish Peasant party, headed by Vice
Premier Stanislaw Mikolajczyk, and the
Labor party, of which Karol Popiel is
president.
Strong pressure, however, is being ex-
erted upon Mikolajczyk, who claims to
represent go per cent of all the Polish
people.
Would Divide in Advance.
The single ticket would mean that all
of the political parties would agree in
advance what their representation in
the Sejm-Parliament-would be. and
draw up list of candidates accordingly.
Opponents say: IF that happens, why
vote?"
Political leaders such as fiery Vice
Premier Wladyslaw Gomulka, head of
the Communist-backed Polish Workers