OCR Text |
Show I , - NEW REPUBLIC , EXTENDTHANKS Esthonia Is Gratified to U. S. For Aid in Time By- WILLI AW L. MALLABAr! ' Correspondent. LONDON, April 10. "I am very glad to have tle .chance of sending this message of gratitude to the-American people: for the noble assistance they have rendered to our country, both economically and medically; for the most excellent work of the American Red Cross and Relief Administration in Esthonia; for the feeding of the philJn by thc Children's Relief This -was the opening statmcnt made to thc correspondent of the International News Service by Professor Profes-sor Antonius Piip, late Foreign Minister Minis-ter of Esthonia. in the course of a mes-seage mes-seage he desired shoulu be delivered to the American people. Professor Piip wos Foreign Minister last year and had personal charge of thc committee com-mittee which consulted -with LitvinolT the Bolshevist delegate. In explanation explana-tion of his work at that time, Professor Profes-sor Piip said: "When, on the collapse of the old Russian Empire, the Eolshcviki seized, the reins of government and concluded peace with Germany, Esthonia was never a party to this arrangement Russia fell to pieces and Esthonia declared de-clared her independence. Though invaded in-vaded by the German army Esthonia1 made no concessions to jubilant Ger man militarism, but sent represneta-tives represneta-tives to Allied countries to plead the cause of free and independent Esthonia. Estho-nia. ' It must not be forgotten that Inrstnonia raised national legions who 2, fought in the Allied armies against Germany. In the country itself re- sistance was organized, and although! many prominent Esthonian politicians! were arrested, imprisoned and banished, ban-ished, the plans matured to such an! extent that on thc very day of the gen-1 eral armistice November 11, 191S ' the Esthonian Government overdrew! German rule in the country and took' control into their own hands. ; "Following this Esthonia vas forced j to commence a heroic and despera'.e' fight for her existence. They Uulshe-' vists. started to invade the country. 1 The rirst detachment ESthonia sent against the Bolshevists consisted or 120 dollege students armed with rifles ' and with the one machine gun we had been-able to hide during the German, occunation. ! I "The Bolshevists invaded our country,: coun-try,: but we did not lose our hope or our courage. Esthonia started to advance ad-vance against the Bolshevists in the beginning of 1919, and in less than a month Esthonia was freed from the Bolsheviks. We were the first to inflict in-flict defeat on Bolshevist Russia. "The Esthonians, being an industrious industri-ous and hard-working people, have; - lost no time in entering upon commer- j cial relations with Russia. In thej peace treaty made at Dorpat, Esthoni-j 1 an ports are declared . free of trade ' with Soviet Russia, no licenses from j Esthonia being required and no im-j port or transit duties levied. j "On their part the Bolsheviks havei reorganized the independence of Es-. thonia in full, have granted large con-' cessions for the construction of the1 Reval-.Moscow railway and have given thc rights of exploiting one million: dessiantines (2,700,000 acres) of for-i est land, in which the Soviet Govern-! ment has already given its sanction for j the investment of American capital. This is a great opportunity and holds out the brighest prospects for Ameri-' can industrial genius. I , "For the present, and for the fu-' lure, Esthonia will play the role ot intermediary between Russian and the i rest of the world. Her stable and firm- Jy established government has been ef-j J fectivc in bringing tiie Internal life " back to almost pre-war level, thus af- J fording to foreign traders the oppor- tunity of establishing their headquar- ports for trade with Russia until such become 'normal which will, obviously, I take many years. "There still remains on thing to be said. It is that American recognition I of Esthonian independence should be! granted without delay. We cannot! forget that the principle of self deter-j mination wns laid down first of all by America. Thc Esthonian people so long as three years ago declared Es- j thonia to be an independent republic, following the election of their demo-j cratic National Council. I "Esthonia independence for all time! has already been fully recognized by! the present Russian Government 1 which is the most interested party.! Why then does the United States Government Gov-ernment the first to insist on the pol-i icy of self-determination, not grant! the same recognition? I hope, and be- j lievc, that il will noL be long before this is granted and that the band be- j tween the great democratic American nation and the small but galant little Esthonia Republic will thereby be strengthened.'.' |