Kazinirz Jaworowski, Manager Polish National Alliance, New York, Aug.
16.
The Poles are treated better in Russia now than they are in Germany.
Although Russia has done its best to Russianize Poland by crushing the
Polish national feeling, imprisoning Polish patriots, and attempting
even to suppress the Polish language, Germany has gone still further in
its efforts to Germanize its Polish territory.
Bismarck's idea was to force German civilization upon the world and the
most extreme measures have been taken to enforce this policy in German
Poland. Taking advantage of every possible pretext, the Germans have
dispossessed the Poles of their land and handed it over to Germans. The
Russians have not gone so far as this. They, as a general rule, have
allowed the Poles to keep their land.
For my own part, I would do anything to defeat Germany, and I think the
Poles of Germany and Austria for the most part wish to see France and
Russia successful The Poles are Slavs. The fight is between the Germans
and the Slavs.
I hope that if the Czar is successful, he carries out his promises to
reunite Poland and grant it autonomy. That would not mean Poland would
be free, but it would enjoy more freedom than now. The Czar would be the
King of Poland and the Government of Poland undoubtedly would be carried
on largely by men appointed by the Czar. However, if Poland got the
right to have a share in its Government, even if the Czar remained
supreme, the country would be greatly benefited.
Autonomy would mean that efforts to suppress the Polish language, the
Polish national spirit, and the Polish traditions would be at an end.
Under a despotic government in Russia and under more despotic
governments still in Germany and Austria, the Polish race has existed
under the most crushing of burdens. Reunited and granted partial liberty
and the right to live under fair conditions, it would flourish and again
take its place as a great race.
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