| Show o 4 O 9 1 TIlE THE POL E P S NEW OPPRESSOR I 2 I a 7 I Boston Evening Transcript OPLE have laave been for or so 10 long ic w PEOPLE r to identify Russia RUNia RuaI with tiie t he stories of ot savage persecution ard and TUOI rUIl md despotism suffered A by br the Poles Po 8 that It Is somewhat startling to tonj nj the thc th latter beta bel being held beld up Just at presto by or the Muscovite press pre to the nr of ff the entire civilized civilised world as a tv t victims of barbarous oppression on PJ t part of the German government lid iid there them are an plenty of ot people to tot t h the te cable able dispatches dc of the pest past t k ks the matter will willI TV I nal all UK ery ry generally for fortt M tt n tt lt that besides the Poland Pola d dI I ng to Rula there are ar h two Oth 1 nIs the th one forming part of ofu u and the other of Gee Oer I For tor when b b the kl f t which played pIa so 80 great eat a role 1 thi DM world during several r t j ries es war nar partitioned it was U ito k thee hc h e parts parte Russia R la taking Ui the UM then n h hir with about 1000 Inh YI 0 t N Austria a Ii smaller r Ik with a aIt af It on of f while l 1 s m in the s 80 oito was a ter let terr r r with ith a population OD of about X 2 01 I TilE The he Poles pg of Austria are today I no met ost t loyal lo 1 Slid and contented of the theof theS S II d of l f Emperor Francis Joseph JI I I m the th ranks ranka of their 11 Li 11 prefers to recruit his minister 1 1 Pat it of the household 11 t i of the dual empire ana soto II tl t r of the imperial house honse a k ant ki kit t nt t moment being bem a member mem of I t h aristocracy racy while it is iii the t tl i l f t the people of Austrian Ansan Pe Po Pot t the t he Hapsburg dynasty that i turo t Ut one ODe of the ue strongest u bul bal defense of or the dua due empire i eastern pastern and aDd northern attack atta k part of either Russia Rua Ru or Ger Gee Gerof Gerr Et r P of f it and ud Germany I the th other so discontent iI with wit such ada bitter feel fed fedi 11 i their the Muscovite JI and Ten Tei rs iv that they form foon a very im 1 ment mt nt cf of f daa deeper er to both Gel Gee GerI 1 r I to RuIe a danger which uy y authorities of If these two t I are obliged to take Into very tnt mt nt account to In considering Ute the theof itis ti s of ff war w In Ia one ODe word there theft I ih i sh h question in 1 I Austria but bat bati lt i and in Germany the Polish I i i exist and aDd ate a source of as h 1 tr a lf Anxiety mud and I my may add kr h ss as the Irish question is to 1 r ush empire v otes of ot explanation of this I i n of ot affairs may y be 1 b t of or timely to lt t the readers of the Tran Tranie it ie 1 more so 80 as rf has as always alway y aU al In this country a very ro strong stron ht 11 t f for fer the Poles Ples rh r 11 cannot forget that the tt Pol Pot h n loal t 1 Thaddeus to ton mortal has been erected at att t t t wn was one on of the principal un u of or W and that a h I dw w tooK too I rt t i n r an war for or inde indes ler p s 1 the Ih Poles Poes P es have hae al alk ala a k M upon in ill the tho United Ota f monarchical deF dee de deU deen n 2 U A been n a Pi their national nd l H r to t satisfy the territorial a I greed of f three unscrupulous empires banded to together ether for no other purpose than to out the existence of a relatively sm and neighboring state While there tlOra are elements of truth In Inthis Inthis Inthis this view It is not entirely correct I have no Intention of embarking hero he upon any course of Polish history or or of championing the partition of o the king kin dome dom But Bat 1 I would merely point out that at the time It occurred the coun country country try tl was in a a state of anarchy ot or such sucIa j ja a character as io o 0 disturb the neigh neighboring neighboring neighboring boring states and due to the Intolerable intolerable able tole oppre oppression loa of the peasantry by the which later was divided lato Innumerable factions carrying on san sanguinary warfare amongst themselves the same principle of peas peasant peasant ant and ADd communal proprietorship of or orthe the land that exists hi m Russia and in Intile Inthe tile the Balkan states prevailed in Poland But Bat t by degrees Ute the Polish nobles had appropriated td all the land and the peasantry try of no political rights and subjected su ted to a R slavery far farmen mete men cruel that the serfs of 0 Russia previous to their liberation were even eYen worse wone ot titan than the beasts b of or the field their frequent risings rl against the op wore nI that is to say the Polish no 1 Dies W 1 merely mereb adding to the general chaos and confusion contusion o G 9 Russia has bas been Deen subjected to te fierce Beree abuse 10 t a e connection with her hr treatment of ot Pulsed Poland yet it nl t never be for forgotten fortea forgotten gotten tea that it was wag Russia Ruesta who not BOt only freed tree tile tb Polish Pol peasant from om the hor her horrors horrors roes of ol serfdom a but bat h likewise I endowed Mm him with a proprietary tary right tight I to le Ute tile land which he be tilled tUl and to th the sett which he cultivated Until taUt th 1 e rebellion re of ol isso the Russian por per port t wa of ci Poland was regarded ed as a con eon constitutional kingdom kIndom m subject to 10 the I CAI ee Poland was governed bj by b re responsible ministers with a senate and f legislative Uve chamber there thele was wag as a n lu tinsel army under Ulder a national nag flag and anda a separate te budget Polish was the tM of or language and personal liberty and freedom Dt of or the be press were guaran guaranteed guaranteed guaranteed teed This worked well until the Paris revolution OA o 0 of MB isso and its lu successful ful J issue led 14 J a lot of hotHeaded young Oung stu students students students dents at Warsaw to start a movement St at f the same lIle kind there t 1 Dy y a wild ild attempt at attempt attempt tempt to setae seine the oars csare czar e brother Drother and aDd viceroy the Ute Grand Duk Constantin who until that time h ii id ld been regard regarded ed eel J u s a the idol of the th Polish olish people and wk was married to a Polish lady Tt Tb r troops called an upon moo to suppress the tb riot Ire with the tb people peo which whick was not unnatural see seeIng Ing lag that h y to the same na nationality nationality That wax was the end of Polish autonomy iu NId nd d as soon as the Inane Insurrection I hart ha been Men suppressed ed by means m ans of t t Poland Foland was w s declared a Russian province From that time Gino forth the one on object I and avowed aim of the Muscovite MUi got gov go goI I crassest has kas been to the Polish provinces produces of the empire and andI I I to obliterate as far as possible every ever II I vestige ve l of nationalism With the ob object jert jett of accomplishing this the tM Russian i language was Substituted for Polish in m mali ali all schools choos l universities I ral ur uro and official communications At Att AtI t I tiDIes the Iii representation ot of 0 Pol j I plays PYS has hu b been n forbidden on the stage s sand and people peole were ere likewise prohibited 1 from singing any ny of or the national songs songs of or Poland in any public place The I Russian or official especially laity lall of or the lower grade is as a gen general general eral rule devoid of any breadth of view tact or sense en of justice added to which he Is imbued with that dispo disposition disposition toward despotism and tyranny peculiar to fo the Oriental races among i which it is necessary J to include the I Russians It stood therefore that the policy of or put into execution by instruments of this class quickly de developed developed developed into intolerable oppression which weighed far more heavily on ontie the tie traveler and enlightened Polish aristocracy than it Jt did upon the peas peasantry antry Indeed the latter would have yielded thereto had it not been for the clergy The Poles in Russia in Ger Germany German Germany many man and in Austria have hae always been fervent Roman Catholics The Tue clergy of that church were quick to appreciate appreciate ate the th fact fad that the substitution of the Russian language for Polish con constituted constituted a very Important step toward the substitution of or f the Rus Russian Russian Russian sian orthodox faith for tor the Roman Catholic church chuch the U e conversion of I Ithe the Catholic Poles to the national state church of Russia Ruei being in indeed Indeed Indeed deed an avowed feature of or the j scheme for Poland Ow OwIng j jing ing lag to this the Roman Ro Catholic clergy of Poland have bae for the t e past seventy j years Jears formed the most active and suc successful successful opponents of the Russian pol pal policy icy ily iu hi Poland and being ng in much closer touch and me m intimate com corn communion munion with Uh the peasantry than any an Russian official can ever hope to be behave behave behave have encouraged the masses to cling clink to their language and to resist all at attempts attempts attempts tempts to R them impressing impre si upon their minds that It was their spiritual welfare which was at stake and it was preferable to submit to the persecution entailed by the resistance to the Russian authorities than to im imperil Imperil peril their salvation by b making con concessions cessions the object of which was to bring about their abandonment of the church of Rome for the orthodox rite Hundreds of Roman Catholic bishops and priests in Poland have been boon im Jm imprisoned imprisoned and to Siberia But like their flocks they are ready to suffer sulfer martyrdom maro om for tor their faith faUb and it is 15 in this that must be sought ought one of the chief sources of discontent in to Russian Poland Po For materially the lot of the Polk peasant now an own on owner oner er or of or his land entitled to a share in inthe inthe inthe the communal property ned and a serf erf no DO longer Ion r Is per cent ceat superior it was in the days of Polands national Rational independence aad ad ad of Ute the oppression of the working classes by the nobility A Prussia is Js at t the present moment following in 11 lit footsteps of Russia and pursuing a similar policy that is isto isto Isto to say seeking to her bee Pol Polish PolIsh PolIsh ish provinces and to stamp out Polish nationalism Identically the t e same methods are employed as on tile the Rus Russian Russian Russian sian side of or Ute the border and whereas the Roman Catholic church is treated with the most distinguished consider consideration atlon a in the western w tern portion of the German empire it is subjected subject to every kind of restrictive measure in to the t east eastern ern era province of Pos Pecan n where as in inI I Russia RUS 8 the government sees in the theRoman theRoman theRoman I Roman Catholic clergy cl the e principal obstacle to its of German Germani i lung izing the Poles Catholic nobles are high in favor for at the tile court of Berlin BerHn and occupy the most t eminent peel positions positions in the imperial household in the army and in the t e various branches of I the government administration But ButI I outs only are e appointed to any allY I office oe in German Gerna PoIan aad and every everything everything thing is 1 done to induce tji U rising gen sen erat n to adopt the Lutheran faith i inot not on n religious grounds but for the purpose of or emancipating It from the tim I spiritual and incidentally the political influence of the Roman Catholic 1 which as stated above remains an obstacle to the of the 1 people As in Russia the German of officials officials officials of the lower loiser class are often bru bra brutal brutal tal tat in their methods devoid of judg judgment judgment ment meat and of tact and apt to regard disobedience to their behests as fur furnishing furniShing fishing an excuse for the employment of or measures of an altogether intolerable intolerable intolerable able character For it is impossible to describe in any other language their theft conduct at where Catholic Polish children were flogged by b their school teachers until they were crippled for life Ure for declining to learn German prayers and hymns the subsequent in their be behalf behalf behalf half by b their parents being visited upon the latter with terms of Imprison Imprisonment ment meat on charges of inciting to dis disobedience disobedience disobedience obedience of ot the authorities One old oW I woman widowed and ailing who was sent to prison for fo two years on this account exclaimed ex pathetically pathetical to the inquiry of the t e court as to what she had to say for herself All AU that we wea ask a k is that our children should be taught religion in Polish and not An AnGerman I German Gennan so that we may at least have havethe havethe havethe the satisfaction of being able to pray with them S 0 It is only during durin the past few years that this of or th Poles has been enforced with so much vigor and severity Old Em Emperor EmPeror Emperor William would never allow it his marked predilection for the Poles and the good will wUl which he entertained I Ifor for them being popularly ascribed to his romantic infatuation in early life ute for the lovely Princess Elsie Elsie a Polish noblewoman whom he be would have married even at the cost of his succession to the throne had it not been for lor his fathers prohibition Dur During During ing fag the first part of the present emperors em emperors emperors reign the Polish aristocracy played a great role at the court of Berlin especially the lovely Baroness Kosct el whose alleged influence with the kaiser constituted on one occasion the subject of a fierce public denunciation by the late Prince Prin Bismarck Shortly after this how however 00 however ever she vanished from the court of I Berlin and Polish influence ceased to tobe tobe tobe be a factor In to imperial and official ely cir circles cles cbs and today toda the kaiser is being I held heid up b the Russian press to the obloquy of the civilized world as the of oC the Poles Austria being a II Catholic power has of course found BO no foes but rather allies and friends among the Polish Roman Catholic clergy and thanks to this has been beeD enabled to accord to her Polish provinces a large amount of or autonomy as well as the permission to retain the use of or the Polish language in judicial did and administrative mat matters matters tees The result is that the Polish party In to the imperial parliament at Vienna is the one ODe upon whose support the government can always alWs rely and that the aristocracy the clergy nd the peasantry of aH aU alike hail haD Francis Joseph in Polish as their king I |
