The White Eagle of PolandBenson, E. F. (Edward Frederic)
History
The White Eagle of Poland
Benson, E. F. (Edward Frederic)
Poland -- History -- German occupation, 1914-1918; Polish question
As we have already seen, England, France, Italy and America have
repeatedly declared, by the mouths of those officially pronouncing the
will of their respective governments, that the union and independence of
Poland are among the objects for which they are to-day waging war on the
Central Empires. Russia, though no longer a member of the Entente, since
her bastard government of the moment has torn up her treaty with her
allies and has signed a separate peace with Germany, has also in the
days before her collapse declared for the same policy, for the Grand
Duke Nicholas in August, 1914, proclaimed the unity of Poland implying
thereby the union of the Kingdom of Poland with Prussian and Austrian
Poland, while the revolutionary government announced the independence of
Russian Poland in March, 1917, thereby relinquishing Russia’s
sovereignty over the Kingdom. Since then Russia has ceased to exist as a
member of the Entente, and indeed, temporarily, as a nation at all, and
so we may take it, without provoking argument, that the Entente is
unanimous for Polish unity and independence.
Meantime, owing to the military situation none of the Entente powers
have been in a position to accomplish this aim, which necessarily
implies the total defeat of the Central Powers, without which neither
Germany will give up a yard of Prussian Poland, nor Austria of Austrian
Poland, nor either of them a yard of what once was Russian Poland
concerning the partitioning of which between them, irrespective of
Polish feeling on the subject, they have held and are still holding
prolonged debates, occupying it in the interval with Prussian
callousness. Whatever solution they intend to adopt, they will not
unless compelled to do so by force, whether of internal trouble or
military defeat or both, suffer their grip on any part of what was once
Polish territory to be relaxed. Till then, a starved and subject
country, sick with the deferred hope of autonomy which has been
repeatedly promised to it, is in their hands to misuse as they think
fit.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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