The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-02-17
Comment On
World Events

American workers welcome the
first elections in the State Of Israel,
which give the two labor parties
the right-wing Mapai and the left
wing Mapam--little less than a
majority in the 121-member nation
al assembly. This means that the
present government under Prime
Minister David Ben-Gurion, head
Of the Mapai party, will be contin-
ued and that the worlds youngest
democracy will gain furt h r
strength if the other parties avail
themselves of Ben-Gurion's invita-
ton:
Each party must choose be-
tween alternatives. Either it comes
into the government and shares
responsibility, or it remains out
side and preserves its liberty and
opposition. 1t cannot have it both
ways"
In a way, this warning is adj
dressed to the Mapam which so far
has shown preference for the East
and desire to seek Soviet sup
port. The Mapam, it is said will
join in the coalition if the new gov
ernment does not subscribe to any
thing resembling the Marshall Plan
or any other pact that supposedly
places the new state under West
ern obligation. Let's hope that the
democratic forces of Israel will be
guided by the policies outlined by
the Prime Minister and that there
will be no Eastern orientation at
the expense of good relations with
the West on which the progress of
Israel and its democratic future
depend.
Mass arrests continue as before
in Poland. The attitude of the UB
| political police) with regard to
the arrested is most interesting
Political charges such as partici-
patton. in the resistance movement
attempts on the life of function
aries of the regime etc. are the ex-
ceptions. Prisoners charged with
such crimes constitute a small min
ority in the prisons. Even the num-
erouS Catholic priests arrested in
connection with the current propa-
ganda against the church are most
lily accused of crimes against NOR
ality, embezzlement etc.
The arrests are undertaken under
any pretext that comes handy
Physical torture is applied during
imprisonment but it is never of a
very vigorous nature and does not
impair the health of the young
prisoners for any length of time
There seems no doubt that under
present conditions the UB regards
Imprisonment as an educational
method. The administration clearly
does not consider the temporary
loss of freedom as dishonorable OF
something to be ashamed of. 1t has
often happened that a recently lib
Grated prisoner still bearing the
marks of physical torture on his
face and body easily gets a good
and even responsible job, often q
better one than he had before his
arrest.
! Criminal offenders, thieves anC
bandits are confined in the same
cells as the political prisoners. They
rarely constitute more than 10 per-
cent of the inmates.
Conditions in the prisons are in
tolerable and worst in the jails sub
ordinated to the so-called Military
Intelligence. All the prisons are
overcrowded: sometimes there are
up to Is people in a cell built fol
two. A number of prisoners disap-
pear without trace. 1t is, however
believed that they are not eXecut-
ed but deported to Russia.
Almost half of all the prisoners
are charged with having carried OF
a whispering campaign. No'
much is necessary to be charged
with this "crime." Thus, for in
stance, shopkeeper is asked
whether he has any herring fol
sale. The man replies jokingly, no
the herrings have travelled i
Russia. The sentence for thi;
"crime" is 3 years.
A young man who under the in
fluence of liquor said that Premiel
Cyrankiewicz said things he die
NOT he1ieve himself also pot 3 wears