L5 L 9

LI T H UA NIA

D WH ITE RUT H ENIA

L I M I TS O F H I ST O R IC L IT HUAN IA

whi c h i s the name o f an old State , correspond s r ou hl a c tu a l g y to the six provin ces o f Gro dno , Kowno , Wilno , e M o h l ow Wit bsk , Minsk and y , and throughout thi s report the a si x name o f Lithu nia is us ed to indi cate these provinces . i t x 1 7 7 2 Historic Lithuania , as e iste d in b efore the p artition

o f , included b esides almo st the whole o f the provinc e o o f Suwalki (except one sixth o f the district of August w) , i a the district o f B la , one half o f the district of Wlod awa , one fourth o f the district of Konstantyn ow in the province o f

Siedlce , and the town of Pol aga with surroundings in the D b ur . n a province o f Kurland But the districts of y g , Lucyn , R z e Z c W y a in the province of iteb sk , and the districts o f o Gro dn o di d Bialystok Sok lka and Bielsk in the province of , not

b elong to the historical Grand Duchy of Lithuania , which

n . . W had a area o f sq km , hile the six provinces n usually identified with it cover a area of s q . km .

D I SCOVE R Y O F W H I TE R UT H E N I A N S

The name of was formerly applied only to ‘ VVit e b s k M oh low the present provinces o f and y , as inhabited

chiefly by White . In the ethno graphic atlas of W o s z cz nin 1 848 a are y , published in , White Rutheni ns indi

ca t e d . only in these two provinces In the atlas of Ekert , 1 863 a l s o published in , White Rutheni ans are found in the 1 889 provinces o f Minsk , Grodno and Wilno , and in Mitrofan Z a p ol s kij reco gnizes their exi stence also in the province o f lit e rat ure th e n Smolensk . In Polish fi ame o f White Ruthenia (Bi aloru s) i s usually applied to thos e p arts o f historic Lithu a n i a w c a re c hi e flv a W n o u hi h inh bited by hite Ruthenia s , a p p lation which ethnogr a phi c ally is intermedi a te between t h e ua Pol es a n d t h e Muscovites . The lang ge spoken by the

W e e a a th e hit Ruth ni ns is kin to Ruthenian , but p ermeated b y the in fluen c e o f Polish : it is ea sier understood by the b R a W a than y the ussi ns , while the hite Rutheni ns gen o a n d c a rally und erstand Polish , many o f them , esp e i lly the a r e Catholics , who numerous , speak it .

W H IT E RUT H E N IAN S A N D P OLAN D

The Wh ite Ruthenians have never formed a State of thei r o w n a s a r e a , they almo st exclusively a rur l population a W are p e sants) . The maj ority of the hite Ruthenian s c a me early und er Polish rule and only a sm a ll part b elonged

a a r e to Muscovy . The White Rutheni ns o f Lithuania nation a u n d e v e lo e d a n d lly p p , , unlike the Lithuanians , they had until the war s carcely any politic a l aspirations of their own a a r e Tho se mongst them who C atholics us e Polish prayer books , and they consid er their sp eech a s a di a lect fi t only for the u n m a i a n d educated , whilst Polish is to them the sy bol o f educ t on

higher so cial po sition . The few White Ruthenians who attain ed a higher educ tion b ecame generally Poles or Muscovites . The White Ruthenians have preserved their origin a l a n d tradi ti o n a l character chiefly within the limits o f the old Polish

c w a Republi , hilst the White Ruthenians who c me under the rule o f the T s a r o f Muscovy b efore the p a rtitions o f Poland a have been more or less assimil ted , and have become Musco

r i t e s a . , or as they are c lled now ,

ET H N OG R A P H I C L IT HUAN IA

The ethnogra phic territory o f Lithuania is much smalle r a n than the boundarie s o f histori c Lithu ia . It comprises the K r W province o f owno , a narrow strip o f the p ovince o f ilno ,

a e a the northern p rt o f the provinc o f Suw lki , and the north r e a stern corner o f E ast Prussia . The Lithuanians numbe l e ss th a n two millions a n d their ethno gr a phic area do es not reach e c t W ven the old api al o f their State , ilno , which is now chiefly t a Polish . This city has only two p er c e nt Li hu a ni ns a mo n g

a a n d c a a its inh bitants , the whole country around the old pit l

o f . Lithuania is completely outsid e the area in w hich the

Lithuanian language prevails .

P O LE S I N L IT HUAN I A

It i s evident that a n ethno gr a phi c Lithuania would b e to o small a State to maintain its politi c al a n d e conomi c ind e

e n d en c e e a p o f G rm a ny . Thu s the Lithu nians insist on a s w a their historic frontiers , they ish to fo rm a re lly w c indep end ent State . But ithin tho s e hi stori frontiers of a a a Lithu ni there are more th n three million Pole s , and the c belt which is hiefly Polish , extending from Bia lystok to Wi e a Gro dno , lno and b eyond Dyn burg , sep rate s Lithuania ’ p rop er from the predominantly W hite Rutheni a n part o f d a historic Lithuania . Mo re ov e r the Pole s are is semin ted in hi s t o ri c Li thu a ni a a n d w the whol e o f , here the y are numerically “ i n f e ri o r the o s 1 ti on s f or o , y o ccupy the mo st influential p , they f rm a 8 5 th e a p rincipally the educated cl sses , whil e o f Lithuani ns and 98 o f t h c White Ruthenians a r e unedu c ated p eas a nts . It is a gre a t mist a ke to believe that the Pol e s in Lithuania l a a s a are o nly the upper c sse s , l rge numb ers o f the mo st c a a r e a suc essful sm ll farmers Poles ls o , and without them t h e p ercent a ge o f Pole s could never b e a s considera ble as i t a c a tu lly is . UN I 'U E C O N D IT I ON S

T hi s mixture o f different ethno gra phic elements in the same c ountry is a res ult o f historic and natural conditions whi c h a r e a o t a b y unique o f their kind , and c nn b e e sily und erstoo d tho s e who are a c cus tomed to the c learl y c u t ethnographic n e c e s s a r v d elimitations prevailing in We stern . It is to g o i n t o many d e ta il s i n o rd cr t o g ra sp the unpre ced ented con d i t i o n s n o w in u a u th e exist g in Lith ani , and to j dge o f po ssible a ltern a tive s open fo r i ts po litic a l organiza ti o n in the future .

C ON FL ICT I NG C LA IMS

w a s u c a n d t Lithuania a part o f the Poli sh Rep bli , its his ory sinc e the X I Vth century is clo sely r e l a ted to the d est i n i es ’ W c l e a r o f Poland . ithout a conception of Poland s g e ogra hi ca l i n E uro e no p p osition and hi stori c mission , there is _ p possibility o f j udging the conflicting Polish and Lithuanian claims . It is therefore necessary here to state bri efly what s eems to b e the explanation o f the singular relation b etween

P oland and Europ e .

P O LAN D , E U RO P E , AN D AS IA

n en Geographically , the contine t o f Europ e is a large p insula with three smaller p eninsulas in the South . The chief body o f the Europ ean p eninsula has b een in history the fi eld of the growth of the German , which is sep arated from the pl ateau of Great by a very chara cteristic isthmus , cont aining the basin s o f seven great rivers the O der , the B Vistula , the Niemen , the Duna , the Dniester , the and the

D niep er . This i sthmus b etween Western and Eastern Europ e is one geographical whole , v ery different in every resp ect from i s i n the country farther east . There a smaller difference nd clim ate b etween Breslau and Kieff , than between Kieff a nd Mos cow , a also in every other resp ect the country west o f i the Dn ep er has b elonged for centuries to Western Europ e , while beyond the D niep er b egan already with its despotic oliti c l r v p a formations , whe e the subj ect populations ha e no i l a ctiv e parti c pation n the decisions o f their rulers .

O UTC OME O F WE ST E RN C IV IL ISAT IO N

i t “7 n T he p ecul ar d evelopmen o f estern civilisatio , which i o u o rig nated in Gree ce , c nsisted in m ltifarious internal struggles b etween different classes of the population in each l u w . e d co ntry , and b et een the neighbouring states It finally to the formation o f such well de fi ned nation a l states as

England , France , Spain , P ortugal , Italy , Switzerland , Holland ,

B el ium D enm a rk Sw e d e n a n d N orwa g , , , y , which at last gave up

aggressive warfare amongst each other , and devoted all the

energies of their national life to the p erfecting o f mutual. relations b etween individuals and classes within each national w w h St ate . The long histo ric gro th hich led to t is end ,

required safety from Asiatic invasions fo r Western Europ e , in order to ensure the p eaceful internal de velopment o f

Western nations . WATC HMAN O F E URO P E The enormous contrast between Western Europ e and Asia implied ine vitable conflicts if the isthmus situated between

the Oder , the Carp athian mountains , and the Dniester on one n side , and the Duna and D iep er on the other side was not firmly h eld by a nation thoroughly impregnated with W estern

political ideals , and able to stop the incursions of Asiatic

conquerors . M IS S I O N O F T HE P O LE S

c This was the p e uliar mission o f the Pole s . They united a a the other inh bitants o f the Polish i sthmus , the Lithuani ns , W i Letts , h te Ruthenians and Ruthenians into one common wealth which for nearly three centurie s extended from s e a to

sea , and ensured for its citizens a much higher degree o f poli a of tic l lib erty than wa s known east the basin o f the Dniep er ,

o r b etween the Oder and the Rhine .

RAP I D GROWT H O F P OLAN D AN D L IT HUAN IA

The actual uni ty of the territory situated b etw een Ge rmany t w and E astern Europ e can b e seen from o historical facts . Mi s z k 2 Po land under e o I in 96 had an are a of ab out sq . w km . , and under his son , Boles law I , it had gro n suddenly to 1 240 - 63 had sq . km . Lithuani a under M e n d o g ( ) l r 1 45- 7 7 . O i e d 8 sq . km and in the next century under g ( )

had rapidly grown to sq . km . Such rapid growth o f the two chief States o f the P olish i sthmus could not have b een p os sible if the geo graphical condi tions had not made one

natural whole o f the territory thus brought under one rule . The basin of the Vistula is in such clos e connexion wi th th e

b asins o f the Oder , the Niemen , the Dniep er and the Dniester , that there is no sep aration whatever b etw een these b asins t canals unite all Polish rivers , while here is no such communi cation b etween the Dniep er or the Duna and the g reat rivers th e flowing further east . The Polish isthmus from Baltic

to the Black sea , with its seven great rivers , forms one natural whole which has the e ssential co nditions for th e greatest ro s e rit i f n a tural unit o e conomic p p y , this y is not split by p litical

divisions . P OL I S H RE PUB L IC I ST HMU S STAT E

I t was this territori a l unity o f the Polish isthmus which led to the union b etw een Pol and a n d Lithuani a a n d to the for m a tion o f the Polish Republi c . It fulfilled for four centu

i 1 a a a ries , its m ss on o f d efending Europ e n liberty g inst the d c a n . E a stern despo tism o f Mus ovites , Ta rtars Turks The destruction o f this bulwark o f politi c a l liberty w a s due chiefly

c in a to the reation o f a centre o f Eastern despotism Prussi , w c a a di s- e hi h , in lli nce with Muscovy , soon plac d the fronti er

\Ve s t e rn a n d of Europ e from the Dniep er to the Rhine , since

1 87 1 b ey ond the Rhine .

AN I ST HMU S STAT E N E C E SSARY

Who ever investigates imparti a lly the facts o f history and e geography , must admit that even if Poland had not xisted , th e formation o f a strong an d free State filling the i sthmus b etween the Balti c a n d the Black Sea would rem a in a necessi ty fo r Europ ean politics as long a s the principles of W estern civilisation had n o t spre a d to th e whole of Eastern Europ e f “ e s t e rn and to Asia .

M ER IT O F T HE L IT HUAN IAN P R INC E S Towards the existence of such a State the Lithuanian a princes h v e contributed more ev en than the P oles , by unit ‘ ing under their rule all tho s e Ruthenian a n d White Ruthenian w th e w populations hi ch inhabited great isthmus , ithout being a Bu t Li thu able to form by themselves durable St tes . the a X I Vth a a nian State , in the century , was a despotic e stern St te and could not b e expected to defend European liberty ag ainst a e stern invasions . On the contrary it might have threatened

Europ e , if it had extended its conquests further East and a i incre sed its m litary power .

T RAN SF O RMAT I ON O F L IT HUAN IA

The union with Pol a nd in 1 386 tot a lly tra nsformed Li thu a b . a v nia This union was at first a dynastic union , cre ted _ 9 _

the marriage o f the Lithu a ni a n prince 'a giel lo w ith the Polish ' 1 4 a 'ueen adwiga . But already in 0 1 the Lithuani n to ok p a rt in the d elibera tions and de c isions w hich

purpo sed establishing a clo ser link b etw een the two States . a a 1 41 3 1 43 ? As further step s towards this go l were t ken , in ,

34 1 499 1 50 1 o f th e , , , the importance j b oyars increased , and one o f the chief motive s which linke d the Lithu a ni a ns with Pola n d was the wish to sh a re the greater liberties w o n by the

Poles from their Kings .

O R IG I NAL C HARACT E R O F L IT HUAN IA

B efo re the union with Pol a nd the Lithuani a ns had no p oliti w a s a a cal rights , and their prince as b solute a ruler , as a Kh n

. a of the Tartars , o r a o f Muscovy They had no p erson l

p rop erty in land , but received from the prince revocable grants o f land as rewards fo r military service a n d under the

e obligatio n o f continuing such service . They could b e depriv d -b y the prince o f the land they cultivated ; they had to give hi m to a part o f their harvests , and to supply wo rkmen d au h to the princely estates . They could not even give their g ’ ters in m arriage without the prince s consent .

SC HO O L O F L IB E RT Y

' u n d e r P o li s h i n fl ue n c e a n d All this was rapidly changed , the y g radually obt ained the same liberties as had been won by the ‘ P ole s . Mo st of them b ecame Poles in fact , and were proud N e mi ne m ca ti va bi mus n i s i ure Vi c o f it . The Polish law p j ' tum x a nd was so on e tended to Lithuania , gave to Lithuanians such a p ersonal indep end ence and securi ty as w a s tot a lly unknown east of the Dniep er in Mus covy , Tartaria or other hr n e wh ch e . t o i astern St ates The Lithuanian , was originally e t he a her ditary , became elective , and l st hereditary privileges o f 1 564 t e the kings were abolished in , before the d e fini iv w e union o f Lithuania with Poland , at the same time h n in Muscovy the absolute power o f the w a s mod ell e d on

T artarian stand ard s . 1 0

L IT H UAN IAN B OYARS AN D P EASA NT S

i B efore the union o f Lithuania with Poland , there were g eat differences of r a nk b etween the families of b o ya i s and various n w magnates . The clo s e unio ith Poland abolished thes e c n a a differences , and introdu ed i to Lithuani the s me demo cratic equality of a very numerous nobility which had b een the rip e i l fruit o f a long polit cal development in Poland . A s o the con dition of p easants in Lithuani a has gradually improv ed after

Polish patterns . This deep s ocial transformation of Lithuania led to the final union o f Lithuania and Poland in the act o f ' y 1 569 ul , with one common Diet , and the common election i o f on e king for b oth States . The d stinction of the high r e s erv e d a n d u offices in Lithuania and Poland was p , Lith ania w e ll had a separate Treasury , as as a separate Army , but the whole so cial and p o liti c al structure of Lithuania b ecame essentially Polish . All this happened quite sp ontaneou sly without any u s e o f force .

L IT HUAN IA B E C OM I NG A WE ST E RN C O UNT RY XVI th Until the middle of the century , elections wer e w r e r e s e nt a nti v e s the unkno n in Lithuania , and the p of 1 565 boyars were nominated to the Diet . Since Li thu a nia has obtained lo cal councils (s e j miki) which hav e elected

e r . delegat s to the C ent al Diet , as in Poland The Polish o ffices o f Woj ewo da and K a s z t el a n had already b een intro d u c e d XVth 1 569 into Lithuani a in the century , and from all the P olish offices had their equivalents in Lithuania . Since XV I th the end o f the century , in Lithuania as well as in

Pol and , the candidates to som e o ffices have been elected by the lo cal dietines , 'the King retaining the p rivilege of nomination from among the propo sed candidates . Also the administration o f j ustic e was t otally changed by the union

' i n old wi th Poland . While Lithuania many individuals o f 1 569 prominent families were above the law , from the Polish w a s conception of j ustice p revailed , and introduced into 1 566 1 589 Lithuania . The Lithuanian statutes o f and were p ermeated with the Polish spirit o f law . All the v estiges of oriental or byzantine influence gradually disapp eared in t the whole o f Li huania , and Lithuania b ecame a really West ern country . — 1 1

P O LO N I SAT I O N O F RUT H E N IA AN D L IT H UAN IA

The Ruthenian southern p art of Lithuania , corresponding Volh ni a to the present provinces of Po dolia , y and Kieff was

finally incorporated into Poland , so that the State o f Lithuania was reliev ed from the difficulties connected with the unruly p opulation o f the southern stepp es , and had only to defend the northern and northeastern frontiers o f the common

a. Republic . The spread rapidly in Lithuani

The cities first b ecame Polish , and then wide tracts o f M a s o v i a land were colonised by the Poles , chiefly from , so no w o ld that the capital o f Lithuania , Wilno , is one of the i t ch ef Polish towns , and i s surrounded by a predominan ly

Polish territory , p eopled to a great extent by small Polish farmers . The city of Wilno since its b eginnings has neve r b een Lithuanian . P O L I S H SC H OO LS AN D T R IB U NALS 1 568 ' W’ In the esuits founded a College in ilno , which in 1 80 P o l o c k 1 57 9 b ecame an Academy . In 5 a college at was founded . Many eminent Lithuanians went to the University o f

Cracow , where they received a Polish education and brought a b ck to Lithuania the Polish conception of public life , a pas i t S on a e lov e of p olitical lib erty and individu a l indep endence . XV I l th Towards the end o f the century , the Polish language i b ecame the official language o f the Lithuanian courts , and th s e did not happ en under official pr ssure o f any kind , but simply b ecause the j udges an d p artie s were accustomed to speak

i . Polish , and cons dered themselves as Poles The Lithuanian 1 588 R u statute , which had b een published in in the White th eni a n language , had many Polish editions , and since it

t ra ns l a t e d ~ i nt o 1 61 3 has b een Polish in , not a single White

Ruthenian edition , while it has never b een published in

Lithuanian . NAT URAL A N D A RT I F IC IAL GROWT H O F STAT E S

a The polonisation o f Lithuania was a spont neous pro cess , B i i ti s h o v c i e a i th like the extension o f the Empire the , l ti fi ci a l i o wth t i ov ci no t an a g , like the ex ension of Prussian ule i h e i i t Ge many . Lithuania at the time o f f rs union with i l a r e i t Poland was mo e than three times g i than Poland , and is something unique in history that such a l a rge d espoti c S a a t te , with a great milit ry past , could have b een so thoroughly a \Ve s t e rn o converted not only to Christi nity , but to civilisati n by a much sm a ller State whi ch in the pursuit of civic libe rty m had gre a tly neglected ilitary efficiency .

G R O\VT H O F P O L I S H I N FLUE NC E

The best pro o f of thi s intens e Polish in fluence is the p eaceful incorpor a tion of Ruthenia with Pol a nd in 1 569 by the will

i t s s a Li thu a o f repre ent tives , without any serious protest o f the ni a n s w h o i t , had conquered Ruthenia and could consider o w n as their . The intensity o f thi s P olish civilising wo rk in Lithu ania m a y b e a lso seen from the f a c t th a t b etween the XVth and X V l l l th c enturi es the popul a tion o f Lithu ania b 00 0 300 increased v 7 / o a n d th a t o f Poland prop e r onl y by which sho w s the enormous colo n izing movement from Poland into Lithuania .

V I OL E NT I NT E RRUP T I O N O F A NATU RA L P RO C E SS

w a t h e This historical pro cess , hich led gradu lly to creation o f a p owerful n ational State b etween the B a ltic. a n d the Bl a ck a a Sea , could no t b e brought to a similar n tur l conclusion as in the western national States for several re a sons l ' . a a a n d a The T s rs o f Mu scovy , help ed by Engl nd Germ ny X V I th X V I I I th since the century , by Prussia since the cen a \ l Xt h tury , and by Fr nce since the latter part of the century , a created an o rient l despotic empire , incompatible with the existence on its b o i d e r s of a free Poli sh R e publi

o 2 . The Prince s o f B 1 a nd e nb u i hav 1 1 1 g obtained from Pol a nd 1 6 1 8 u a a s a in their succession in Pr ssi , vass ls of the Polish b e t i a v th ei i a a e a n d King , ed So vereign on m ny o cc si ns created d 1 057 . a n i n e e n by treachery , with the help o f the Swede s in p c o f a dent despoti State Prussi , which has grown into another a w t h e might y Empire , equally incomp tible ith free Polish c Republi .

E ngl a nd si nc e the dis c ove ry of th e s e a w ay to A r ch a ng e l i n the XV I th c e n u u e M u c w e w me n un a nd un n s . t ry s p pli d s ovy ith skill d ork , g s m iti o I n va i n th e Polish Ki n g war ne d 'ue e n E l i z a b e th th a t s uc h h e lp give n to b a b a r a n w u m e l an r i s o ld i p ri E ur o p e c i vilis a tio n . 3 . The P oles having , after the death o f their king Sobieski 1 69 6 a c a c i n , gre tly negle ted the milit ry d efen e of the Republic , were unable in the X V I I I th C entury to uphold their l a w

' L e s z c z i i s ki fully ele cted king , y , an ally o f France , and tole o f u rated the reign two Germans , Aug stus o f Saxony and his who son , usurp ers o f the , Polish throne , were elected by a a minority with the ssistance o f Muscovy .

GE RMAN P ROM I SE S N E VE R KE PT The natural p ro cess of the polonisation o f Lithuania and

a i a Rutheni , very similar to the unif c tion o f Spain and France ,

as thus arrested by the violence o f an unprecedented crime , th e p artitioning o f P oland . The partitioning powers did no t n a d e y the Polish char cter o f the whole Polish Republic , includ a ing Lithu nia and Ruthenia , and in the Congress o f Vienna they promised an untrammelled n atio n a l life to all the i nha b i a t nts o f Lithu a nia and Poland . But they could not keep such p romises without imp erilling the existence of their own despo ti c States . RUSS I F IC AT I O N O F L IT H UAN IA

i ru s s i fi c a ti on And then b egan for Lithuan a a pro cess o f , x r t he i e y unlike the preceding polonisation . While polon w o a n s ation was quite voluntary and spontaneous , ith ut y o 0 11 ru s s i fi c a ti on vi lenc e b etrayal , the pro ceeded by violence an d f a l s i fi c a ti o n s treachery , by of history , misrepresentatio ns o f h truth and by every imagin a ble kind o f p ersecutio n . T is r u s s i fi ca ti on c o f a country in whi h the Poles were the brains , p aralyzed the whole economic life , subordinating the most o bvious needs o f the inhabitants to the absurd undertaking o f changing Lithuanian s and White Ruthenians into Musco t vi e s .

MUSCO V IT E SP I R IT O F D E ST RUCT I O N

c After the p artitions , the cruelty of Muscovite offi ials in Lith uania was even worse than in other parts of the old Repub l e 1 i . In 78 1 began in White Ruthenia the sale o f peasants as

1 7 93 f ~ ra w . slaves , a p ctic e unkno n in Poland Fro m the con is ’ c a tion 0 : Polish prop erty a n d th e expulsio n o f l oles from Lithuania began , and a succession o f arbitrary measures made

life very uns a fe in Lithuania for the Pole s . And the inha bi

tants o f Lithuania , despite this p ersecution , took such an t 1 83 1 a c ive share in the Polish revolution o f , th at after

that date estates were confiscated in Lithuania . The W K rz P olish University at ilno , the Polish lyceum at emi e n iec and the Polish agricultural scho ol at Ho rki (provinc e

o f M o hylow ) were clo sed . The Russian language was intro d u c d 1 840 e in in the courts o f j ustice and in the schools .

RE L IG I O U S P E RSE C UT I O N

A religious p ersecution also began . The catholic bishop s were forbidd en to co rre spond with the Pop e and mo st of them were exiled the prie sts were forbidden to travel and to preach

without submitting their sermons to the censor . Out o f 291 202 d monasteries , were clo sed and their prop erty confiscate .

Many churches were also clo sed and p arishe s were abolished .

Conversion to the Roman faith was treate d as a crime , and

punished with the utmo st s everity . Children o f mixed mar ri a g e s were condemned to b e brought up in the ortho do x

faith , and often educated by the State to b ecome enemies o f T their own families . hos e who could b e susp e cted of Polish

feelings w ere mostly exiled to Russia o r Sib eria . The religious union b etween the Greek and Roman churches was ab olished 1 839 a ll w in , and the Uniats considered as ortho do x ere obliged to go to Russian churches and to confess to Russian pop es und er

the greatest p enalties .

I N CRE AS IN G L O VE O F P O LAN D

This system did not succeed in eliminating the Polish i n 1 863 fluence from Lithuania , and in again great numb ers of Lithuanians and White Ruthenians particip ated in the r evol

. M oh low u ti o n against the Tsar Even in the province o f y , whi ch had not p articip ated in the rising of Ko sciuszko , de 1 863 t a chm e nt s were formed which fought for Poland in . The W M u ra v i e v b e blo o dthirsty governo r o f ilno , , knew it and condemned whole villages to b e exterminated , and the inhabitants to b e exiled to Sib eria . Thus were destroyed I Z z U Zu s u l U sz o l z bi a ny in mud , near Kowno , p near P oniewie , P o ki e rt a n d ' o y in the district o f Troki , awor wka in the district o f Bialystok . Such vengeances prov e the participation o f the p easants in Lithuania in the last great na tional movement o f the Poles . N E \V D E V IC E S O F T YRAN NY

t w The p ersecu ion increased . Great numb ers o f e state s ere a n 1 865 gain confiscated . I it was fo rbidd en for Pole s to buy

f a land , the confiscated estates being given to faith ul serv nts o f the T sar ; it was forbidd e n to pre a c h in churches other ser mons than tho se published in censured books ; the Polish language was forbid den no t only in s c ho ols and o ffices but c c c even in the streets , many hur he s were lo sed and catholic a p arishes abolished , an d a sp eci l income tax , amounting to ten o p er cent o f the estimated inc me was impo sed upon the Poles . The tot a l amount o f this t a x w a s fixed in 1 863 and divided a d e cre s mong the Polish landowners , without regard to their a ing numb ers . Arbitrary fines impo s ed o n the Poles under various pretexts increased the difficulty o f their economic c Lithu ondition , and everything has been done to make life in a nia intolerable to them . N owhere has there b een such an accumulation of measure s d ire cted a gainst the educated classes of a country by an external enemy . And this immense effort of the govern a a ment of the Tsar did not tt in its obj e ct , but had quite other s i w u n d e rt ak result , no t foreseen by the inst gators of the hole ing . D E C RE A SE O F E D UC AT I O N

Lithuania , which under Polish rule had a high standard o f popular education , has entirely lo st this sup eriority , since the Poles were forbidd en to teach and to sp eak their language 1 808 in this country . In the high s chools o f the curatorship o f Wilno had pupils and the other parts o f Russia only I n 1 86 1 pupils . there were only pupils of pub 30 1 1 868 lic s chools and among them 3 . Poles in only pupils and a mong them Poles . This decrease of the

c i o hib numb er o f pupils , the lo sing o f many s chools , the p iti Li tliu a ni a n o n of b ook s printe d in the Polish , and White Rutheni a n language s (except in Ru ssian char ct e r s a which the people could not read , b eing accustomed to t h e L a tin a lph a bet) redu c ed the population o f Lithu a nia to a condition o f gre a t helplessness in every I n v e a respect . the six pro inc s o f Lithu nia not even one fourth of th e c hild ren of s cho ol a g e went to elemen t ary schools I n a a a b e fore t h e w a r . the v st re o f Lithuania there was no

e e c a ny . univ rsity , no high r s hool of kind

C O ST O F P E RS ECUT I O N

This neglect o f e du c a tion had its rep ercussion on t h e eco a no mic life o f Lithuani a . The Russi n State has sp ent regu l a r ly 0 1 1 this province much more than the income dra wn i t a from , despite all extortions and speci l contributions . One i o f c th rd the area is overed by forests , one sixth is pastures , one sixth is entirely un c ultivated a n d only one third is under Th e c th e c ultivation . p rodu tion o f six provinces is a bout n d r e to ns of wheat a y , tons o f hamp and 05 000 o t a t o e s a n d 5 000 000 a 5 3 . fl x , of p , tons of hay This p ro duction is v ery inferior to that obtained on a much a r e a i n sm ller a Congre ss Poland , where more than half o f the a total area is cultivated . One hect re pro duces in Lithuania

quintals o f rye , while in Congress Poland the pro duction

a . is quintals , in Po snania quint ls In fact the pro duc tion is insufficient to maintain the population . The State ex 1 40 1 9 1 3 p enses in Lithuania amounted to million roubles in , while the Stat e income was 1 00 million roubles . Every year from 1 868 - 1 890 the State had to add a considerable sum to

a r its rev enue from Lithuania in order to p y the exp enses . F e quently the p opulati on suffered famines and was brought t o t h e greatest misery .

AN ORMAL C ON D IT I O N S

a r These results were inevit ble , as for centuries the Poles we e o the chief agents f production in Lithuania , and the Russian government was totally unable to replace them . The importation o f Russian officials brought no wealth t o a s the country , these o fficials could only liv e by the help o f the State , and had for their aim the destruction o f all free initiative . The Russian government did not understand that the normal life o f a nation requires the coop eration o f

—1 8

li s h Th P o a i i d . e are , the banking business is conducted by Poles short bills o f exchange payable a fter three months p r e v aif 66 8 5 in Lithuania ( of the ~ total of bills) , as in Poland ( while they are much less frequent in Russia (30 - 40 The av erage a mount for which such bills are drawn has b een 1 907 1 909 a 23 2 from to in Lithuani roubles , in Congress Poland 1 95 500 roubles , and in other provinces of Russia b etween and

roubles , in two provinces abov e roubles .

HE LPLE SSN E SS O F T HE RUSS IAN GOVE RNME NT

The Russian government , after having eliminated the Poles o from mo st offices , was often obliged to nominate P les in Lithuania fo r responsible po sts in the lo cal administration zi e m s t w o ut o f the , b ecause Russians fit to carry o the work

. a efficiently could not b e found Polish property , fter co n fi s c a ti o n s s th all the , despite all methods u ed to ruin e

landowners , remains a considerable asset in the whole of 0 0 Lithuania and the Poles remain about 5 0 / more numerous

a ‘ than the Lithuani ns , even if we distinguish them from the l White Ruth enians who mo stly understand Polish , use Po ish a prayer bo oks , and hav e assimilated in their di lect a great

number of P olish words .

L IB E RAT I O N O F L IT HUAN IA In 1 9 1 6 the Germans found in the district o f Wilno not less I n 1 9 1 4 than 7 5 o f Poles . the Poles owned in the pro Wi 60 vince of lno of the total cultivated area , in the pro vince of Kowno 63 in the province of Grodno 50 an d M oh low only in the provinces o f Min sk , y and Witeb sk less than 50 In the 6 provinces of Lithuania the number of Poles who owned prop erties entitling them to b e electors z i em s two a s 93 7 R u s s mn s to the lo cal was against . After all the efforts of the Russian government to destroy

Polish traditions in Lithuania , a great number o f Polish s chools were founded in 1 9 1 7 with 1 1 t any assistance from the

s o f a State , chiefly by the contribution sm ll Polish farmers and M - workmen . In the province of in sk alone in 1 91 7 1 8 243 an d n not l ess than P olish s chools were created , amo g ow B ob ru s k them high s chools in Min sk , Borys , Human , j , Si u ck s z M o z rz a n d . , Nie wie , y , Dokszyce The number of new Poli sh schools in Lithuania is estimated at and in this re t o number there a 36 higher schoo ls preparatory universities .

F RO NT I E R O F 1 7 7 2 ST I LL AL IVE The Great Russians who hav e settled in Lithuania at an

e eno rmous exp ens e to the State , have l ft the country in great

numb ers , and are not likely to return . The link b etween

the soil and its p ermanent inhabitants is not ac cidental , and arbitrary d ecisions o f orient al despots cannot change the e co urs e of history . As so on as the p eople o f Lithuania is fre

to d e cide on its fate , if the whole population of the six provin w ill a s ces vot e in full lib erty , there can b e no doubt to the s is ue , the P oles in Lithuania b eing the b est organized , the i mo st w d ely spread , and the mo st educated class o f the O e l population . Lithuani a was n who e when united with

Poland , and has remained one whole under Muscovite 1 7 7 2 oppression . The frontier o f is still alive in the con s ci ou s n e s s o f the inhabitants , and thos e White Ruthenians who s e ancestors hav e b een for four c enturi es in relation with or in dep endenc e up on Poland are different in their a language , in their tr ditions , in their customs fro m the

\Vhi t e Ruthenians of Musco vy .

P O L I S H I N F LA NT Y North of historic Lithuania there is a small country named I nfl ant P olish y , inhabited by C atholic Letts who call them L ett ali a ns t selves g , and ought to b e distinguished from Let s I nf l a nt and Lithuanians . Polish y compris es three districts t D na b ur of the actual province of Witebsk , the dis ricts of y g Rz e z c a a nd Lu c n whi ch w e r e wi th P o l a n d 1 561 b y , y , united in y the free decision o f the legitimate representatives o f the p e pu 1 62 1 lation o f Livonia . Aft er Poland lo st to Sweden the great I n fla nt est p art o f Livonia except this small country of y , a l colonised by Poles and inh bited chiefly by Lettga i a n s . There are about L e tt gali a n s in Infl a n ty and the neigh

he . uring districts , mixed with about Poles In the adj oining di strict of I l l uk s z t a (b elonging to the province of

Kurland) , south of the Duna , the Poles are a relativ e maj ority , b eing more numerous than any other nationality and number 3 2 w t h e L e t t a li a n s 28 ing of the population , hile g are a I n fla nt D r s s a On the e st of y in the district of y , north o f the

3 5 . Duna , there are of Pole s

P OL I S H RE V IVAL I N I N F LA N T Y

e a Thes e districts on b oth sid s o f the Dun , together with I n fl a nty form the fu rthe st extension o f Polish colonisation a n d toward s th e N orth , the P olish influence in these districts ma y b e measured by the fact that during the war a Polish a D n a b u r gymn sium was created in y g , a Polish progymnasium R z e Zv c a 60 I n f l a nt in , over Polish schools in y , besides twenty a a P olish organis tions for so ci l work o f all kinds . Though the small province of I n fl a nt y did not belong to historic a Lithuania , it has sh red all the de stinies o f Lithuania w t he during the four c enturie s of Polish rule , hen liberty o f w a s a n d the inhabitants growing , also during the century of a p ers ecution since the partitions of Pol nd . In recent times there is a movement among the L e tt ga li a n s for political union with the Letts , but neither o f these small p eoples can enj oy real freedom without a clo se union with Lithuani a a which means also union with Pol nd . P O L I S H P O LE S I E Lithuania is separated from Polish Ruthenia by a very a str nge named Polesie , the woo d country , extending o v M oh low er parts of the provinces of Gro dno , Min sk , y and V lh i M oh low o yn a . If we draw a line from Brest to y in a a north e sterly direction , and another line south east towards tw o Kieff , these lines would include nearly the whole marshes o f Polesie , which co mpris es chiefly the b asin of the Pripet a n d s ome neighbouring rivers . The population of Polesi e is intermediate b etween the White Ruthenians and the Ruthe ni a n s u , and is to a great extent of P olish origin , b eca s e the Mazurs o f M a s o vi a came in great numb ers into the wo ody marshes of Polesie as foresters , charco al burn ers and ll s pit chdi s ti e r . P OLE S I N P OLE S IE

Polesie has an area of more than sq . k km . , with a population o f les s than inha i t ant s , among whom the Poles , though numerically a c a ri cu l inferior , o ccupy the most important pl e in g ture , commerce , industry and in the lib eral profes sions .

The density o f the population in Polesie is extremely low , b eing 1 6- 25 mo stly inhabitants to a squ a re km . and rising in a few dis t ri ct s 40 a a c e abov e inhabit nts to a sq . km . The natur l in r ase v e r c o n s i d e r a bl e a n d o f the population is v , the excess o f births o ver d e a ths oscillates 1 1 1 diff erent districts b etween 1 5 and 25 0 a /o p er thous nd inhabitants .

W' AT E R ‘ WAYS I N P O L E S I E

Polesie in cro ssed by s everal important c an a ls built in 1 783- 84 a by the old Polish government , su ch as the Kings c nal conne cting the Prip et through th e Pina with the Bug a n d the

Vistula , and the canal o f O gin ski leading from the Prip et to the ’ a a Niemen . Thes e can ls , co nnecting P olesie with Pol nd are a n d a very imp ortant for the exportatio n o f woo d c ttle , the

. a r e chief pro ducts o f Polesi e , There no waterways from this 1 7 78—84 region to Rus sia , and wherea s Poland undertook in v to transform the extensi e swamps into cultivated land , Russi a has utterly neglected this vast area whi ch may b e transformed by skilful draining , according to the comp etent opinions o f experts , into a v ery fertile country . The only hop e o f agricultural i mprovement fo r Polesie i s i t s reunion with d ev e lo i n Poland , b ecaus e Russia has no interest in pp g this s w a m c o untr 11 0 11 py o y , doe s she pos sess the skilled experts to u carry out such vast improvements . Poland alone co ld fur nish Polesie with the necessary machine s and industrial w w c a n pro ducts , in exchange for o o d and cattle , hich be brought cheaply by water to Poland .

E C O N O M IC N E E D S O F L IT H UAN IA

a m a chi n e s che mi ca l Lithuania in general needs co l , , products a ll textile materials , agricultural and forestry experts , o f which can be furnished only by her old ally Poland . The exp ortation of Lithuania , consisting chiefly in agricultural pro ducts , cattle ,

a n d ki o e tu r ll t o t 1 9 1 1 s n s s n a a . woo d , , g y Poland We know tha in Poland imported from Lithuania about horses and near l a y pigs , but this trade will necessarily incre se when both countries are lib erated from the Russian officials , who extracte d their pay from Polish taxes and one o f who s e chi ef a ims was to p aralyze the economi c life in Lithu a nia by politi c a l oppression of the Poles . An industry which is likely to grow an d considerably in Lithuania and e sp ecially in Polesie , a t he which will find its chief consumption in Pol nd , i s fabri f cation o pap er from woo d .

IMP O RTANC E O F VVA T E R \V AY S I N L IT HUAN IA

a d e v e l o e d Lithuania has an exception lly pp net of waterways ,

1 i 1 00 . . 0 1 . amounting to km . km to sq km Th s c wealth of cheap ommunications lead s to Poland only , and e nowhere to Russia . If we take into account the extr me s c 2 1km s carcity of railway in Lithuania , whi h only amount to . 1 00 . . for sq km , and are p artly destroyed by the war , the w r importance o f thes e ate ways is so much the greater , as the chief exports are not heavy materials , but bulky wares , r r ' which are v ery exp ensive to t a n s p o t by r a il . And the fact that the ri ver system o f Lithu a nia i s connec ted with h a th e the b asin o f the Vistula , but not wit the rivers e st of ti Dniep er , explains why the chief commercial rela ons of n Lithuania were with Pola d and not with Russia , d espite all the efforts of the Russian gov ernment to the contrary .

COO P E RAT I O N OF P O LAN D AN D L IT HUAN IA

This argument for a clo se union 0 11 allianc e b etween Li thu a nia and Poland i s v ery decisive af ter a war w hich has ruined both countries . Their mutual interdep endence has incr e ased by the destruction o f forests in P oland by the Germans , and the d estruction o f houses and f a ctories in Lithuania b y G o f the bolshevi sts . reat intensity work i s need ed to restore f pro sp erity in both countries , and Lithuania cannot a ford any longer to b e deprived of the active coop eration o f the Poles l i in the d eve opment of t s agriculture and forestry . Even the Russian government reco gnized the industrial uni ty l t o f Po and and Lithuania , when it formed one industrial dis rict of both u nder one gener a l insp ection .

P OL I S H AN D L IT H U AN IAN A GR ICULTURE

f r How much Lithu a nia has to le a rn om P oli sh agri cultural . e xp erts can b e seen if w e c o mp are the area und er c ultivation in both countries , and the crops on the

s ame area . Thus in Congres s Pol and 1 7 and in Lithu a ° 1 0 o . nia only / o f the total area is under rye , but a hundred 1 07 hectares pro duced in Poland tons , and in Lithuania only

73 . tons A similar relation prevails for other pro ducts . Thus in Congres s Poland and in Lithuania only ° /o o f the total area pro duce s potato es , and the crop 1 00 970 644 from hectare s is tons in Poland , against only tons i Li i ff n thua n a . The di erence i s not due to any great difference w w in the fertility of the soil , b ut to exp ert kno ledge hich was artificially banished from Lithuania by the political

p ersecution o f the Poles . Agricultural lectures and associa w a s tions were forbidd en , land confiscated from Poles

given to Rus sians who did not stay in the country , and neglected

their to o easily acquired prop ertie s , and the government did

nothing to encourage agriculture , while every thing was e

to ruin the chief landowners who were Poles . B efore the war Lithuania had only about indus trial w 23 2 orkers , each earning on an average roubles yearly , while e Congress Poland had over workingmen , ach earning

' a o n n av era ge 303 roubles yearly . A clo ser p olitical con n e cti o n b etween a fre e Lithuania and a free Poland will

rais e the wages of the Lithuanian workingmen , j ust as the old union betwe en the two c o untri e s inc r eas ed the lib erty and e a ind ep nd enc e o f Lithu nian boyars .

L IT HUAN IA AN D P O LAN D

Under a free demo cratic Government which would not i a l the nterfere with the natur l movements of the popu ation , stream of emigration from the densely populated and industrial Congress Poland into the much less populated and les s indus tri ll d e v elo e d ~ a y pp Lithuania , will necessarily grow , as enter a n prising Poles are sure to start new undert kings in Lithua ia ,

which will require skilled workmen from Poland . Thus the same pro cess o f polonisa tion which went on for four cen a t ries in Lithuania , and which was incompletely interrupted by d o the p artitions of Polan , will go on , for reasons similar to th se w i f e h ch mad e the Transvaal a British colony , with the di f renc e

that P oland never use d force against Lithu ani a . O R GE RMAN I SAT I O N

a n The n tural u ity of historic Lithuania was not weakened , but streng then ed by t h e p erse c ution of Poles a nd C a tholic s

during the X I Xth century . There is no go o d reason now for a p a rtition o f Lithu a nia 1 1 1 the name o f the prin ciple o f — t a a a self de ermination of n tions , as the re l Lithuanians inh bit a a a u a a n d only sm ll p rt o f Lith nia , if purely ethnographic a a a a consider tions should prev il , the Lithu ni n State would b e 7 c a a “ 111 1 0 . d eprived of its pit l , the Polish city of Such a small a a St te could no t b e re lly indep endent und er present conditions , a n d a a . i f not llied to Pol nd would inevitably come under c n German influence , in reasing the G erma power which th e e a threatens p ceful d evelopment of democratic Europ e .

L IT HU A N IAN SE PARAT ISM N O T O NLY NAT I O NA L

The evid ence a s to the existence o f a Lithuania n n a tion a l movement w hich a pp a rently would make a continuation o f

_ w a the union ith Pol nd impossible , cannot b e fairly j ud ged a s n long as the Lithuanians remain under a foreign influe ce , a a a s a n This sep r ti sm , dvocated abroad by certain Lithua ians , who tot a lly misrepr e sent the histori c rel a tions b etween Poland

a n d u a , a u Lith nia , is not really a n tional t endency , and wo ld cert ainly n ev er b e supp orted by a legitimat e represent a th e a a n d m e tion of rural p opul tion , nor by the nobility id dl

a a e . cl sses in Lithu nia , which have be com comp letely Poli sh

i a a a A s mil r thing h pp ened in B ohemi . where the nobility a w a s b ec a me G erman . But in Bohemi the germanisation a b cked by force , whilst in Lithuania the polonisation of the a upp er cl a sses was spontaneous . The Lithu nian boyars became P olish nobles b ecause they liked Polish liberty and disliked

the traditional d espotism o f their princes .

AN OT HE R P OL I S H C O RR I D OR

i n o w a a a a As th ngs st nd , only a very sm ll p rt of the Lithuani n peopl e c a n jud ge f o r themselves w hat politic a l ind ependen c e d a a a a a n d means , how i t iffers from loc l n tion l utonomy , what

a dv a nt a ge s or d i s a v a n t a ge s m a y result. from th e sep a rate po li n t ti c al existen c e of e thnogra phic Lithu a ni a . The mo st a rd e

26

i o b er of off cials , professional men and skilled w rkme n , which is necessary for a modern State . Uneducate d p easants may b e elected to the Diet , but they cannot b e set up as heads d e a rtm en t s no r t of different government p , ev en as chiefs o f he lo cal administration in districts o f mixed population , where much knowledge and tact is needed in order to conciliate many conflicting interests and claims .

T HE I R H IGH E R E D UCAT I O N

As the Poles , as well as the Lithuanians and White Ruthe ni an s , were excluded for more than a century from any par ti ci a ti on p in the government of their country , there are no clear indications giv en in past exp erienc e which could allow us to j udge what proportion of each of these populations is v r able to fulfil responsible g o e n m e nt duties . But if we admit that a certain d egree o f general education is a necessary condi tion for the prop er discharge of such obligations , it b ecomes evi dent that a n indep endent State of Lithuania would need its Pole s a s very useful citizens , and that the pro sp erity of the country w r ould dep end 0 11 their activ e pa ticipation in its so cial life .

F O RE IGN IN FLUE NC E S

However much the Lithu a nian separatism may b e a natu I l i s l1 i B 1 it a in ral growth similar to the separat sm in Great , o i e s s e d (though the Pole s hav e never p p the Lithu anians) , the 1 e hav e b een so many activ e f 0 1 e 1 g11 influence s to encourage t a u d w e his growth , that we c nnot j ge impartially hat the r al w th e v Lithuanians want , and hat need , as long as these foreign influence s continue .

O LD AN D N E W’ L IN KS The union o f Lithuania with Poland was a natural outcome o f the i r hi s to r a n d an d m or e y , this union grew more intimate from 1 886 until 1 7 91 ; nor was the pro ces s entirely interrupted by the partitions of Poland , as the common p ersecutions endured by Poles and Lithuania n s fr om 1 793 until 1 91 8 have consolidated in many instances old links and have created new connexions which cannot be fully known nor understoo d by tho se emi grants who speak abroa d most loudly in the name of Lith m u a n i a n s cp a ra t i s . T HE W ILL O F T H E L IT HUAN IAN P E OP LE The will of the p eople remains a mystery in a land which

' h a s never had a ny p opular r e presentatio n nor free publi c s discussion of its national interests . This will remain conceal t he n c ed in depths o f the Lithua ian souls , whi h are known to a n d Aft e r s e v e ra l b e v ery unexpressiv e reserved . generations o f s l a v e ry it p ersecution amounting to , is necessary for the whole t erritory of the old Po lish Republic to enj oy freedom at least for one generation , b efore a real and genuine public opinion can arise among the diff eren t p opul a tions which enj oyed their u t h e lib erty und er Polish rule . D ring centuries of this commo n

, n n cv e r p ublic life Lithuania ev er complained , g revolted , and the last solemn public expression of the n ational will of Lithua nia was the unanimous acceptanc e by the legitimate rep re s e nt ati v e s o f Lithuania and Poland o f the constitution which in 1 791 abolished every s eparation b etween the two coun i tr es , and united them into one State .

IT S LAT E ST C O NF I RMAT I O N S This complete incorporatio n o f Li thuania into the Poli sh the t m a nv Republic , has b een confirmed by p ar icipation o f Lithuani ans and White Ruthenians in the Polish struggles 1 8 1 86 - 6 The for liberty in 3 1 and 3 5. sep aratist tendencies a l mong Lithuanians are o f a v ery recent origin , and a though they hav e b een v ery mu c h encour a ged by the Germans during the war , they hav e not prevented a powerful movement in u a fi favour of Polish schools in Lith ania , which gain con rms the old union o f both countrie s .

E URO P E N E E D S A P OW E RFU L P O LAN D The historic need o f one isthmus State b etween the B al tic a and the Black s ea , well understoo d by tho s e Lithuani ns who d on many solemn o ccasions confirmed their union with Polan , c r may now app ear as no longer essential , b e aus e Eu op e has u af i aid grown strong eno gh to defend herself , and is no longer e h a o f any yellow p eril . But the bolshevist revolution , p nc G n e w o n ting into Hungary and ermany , has thrown a li ght t h e historic mission of a Polish isthmus S tat e b etw e e n a f re e n Europ e and a u nsettled Russ ia . T O RE S I ST B O LS HE V ISM

This bolshevist revolution is t h e natur a l outcome of a sys

a nd a a w a s tem o f oppression d espotic centr lis tion , which com t o mon the three P owers which partitioned Poland . There is no other nation b etween t h e Rhine a n d the Dniep er with a s such old traditions o f liberty the Poles . The Poles have preserved E u rop e in olden times from the Asi a tic invasions

a a nd e x i s o f T tars , Turks Muscovites which threatened the

a r t e n c c o f Europ e n civilisation . Now they a e t h e bulw ark a a i n s t o ri e n t a l w c r r c o nt a g bol shevism , hi h is a ve y dange ous g i o n a nd t hre a tens a lso Europ e a n c ivilisation .

R H I N E O R D N I E P E R F RONT I E R It b ecomes a s erious question whether the Rhine or the

Dniep er will b e the frontier of . Without a n d a the Poles Lithuanians , the Russi n contagion will reach w a n d 0 11 a . the Rhine , d estroy the work of centuries its y ’ W a a ith strong Poland , united with Lithuani , the frontier W a of estern Europ e will again reach the Dniep er and the Dun , Li thu i i s i di s e n s abl e as was the case in p a st ce nturies . a n a an n p a a n d r e at p art of a strong isthmus St te b etween the two seas , G a a Russia has not b een bl e to t ke the plac e of this old State , d W as the defen er of e stern civilisation .

P O L I S H E X P E R I E NC E

i This miss on can b e fulfilled only by a highly civilised nation , v and tru e civilisation canno t b e improvised . The Poles ha e had their important share in the b uilding o f Europ ean lib erty , a nd they , if they are help ed and trusted by the Allies , can do as much tow a rds the conversion of Germ a ns to the

a a s a n . ideals o f western civilis tion , y of the western nations Th e y are the only nation between the Rhine and the a n a a n d Dniep er with old parli mentary tradition , with

' a wid e exp erience as to the means which lead many different populations to j oin in one free commonwe a lth without com a o a a n d pulsion , without arbitr ry excepti n l laws , without p ersecution o f any kind . P REC E D E NT 0 3 T H E L EAG UE O F NAT IO N S

The union of Poland with Lithuania , Ruthenia , Prussia and

Kurland , was the first great political exp eriment o f a mutual a a a insurance b etween several St tes gainst external ggression . In fact it was the only successful prec edent o f a great le a gue \Ve o f nations . may consider this experiment as successful a c despite its app rent failure , b e ause it secured internal p eace for several centuries to a vast area in Europ e , and limited c a onsider bly the po ssibility of external w a rs . This great undertaking o f a p acific isthmus State , has only b een arrested c e ntu rv a ha lf th for a and by three despotic neighbours , but e a partitions of Pol nd hav e not d estroyed the Polish nation , nor the links existing b etween this nation and the Li thu a ni an s W a a , the Letts , the hite Rutheni ns and the Rutheni ns .

UN E XP E CT E D R E SULT S

T he p arti tions o f Poland ha v e l e d indire c tly to the triumph

P o li s h i d e a l o f a l e a u e i n c r e s o f the g o f nations , b ecaus e they a ed the power o f oriental d espotism in Germany , Austria and Russia to such a n extent that a great Europ ean war c e d e ci d e wh e the r be ame inevitable , in ord er t the Polish ideals ' o f feder a tion a n d politi cal liberty should b e l eft anywhere in

Europe , o r whether German imp erialism , disguised as Pan

s l v i s m e d germ a nism o r P a n a should pr ominate everywhere .

M EAN ING O F T HE W O RLD W A R

The world war and the great alliance of free nations w e re spoilt in the b eginning by the p ar ticipation on the right sid e a s o f t h e auto cratic government o f the T sar . It looked if the w fi free nations ere ghting for the aggrandizement of Russia . It was forbidden by the censure in France and Engl a nd t o a t he t c sp e k o f the indep endence of Poland , or of great his ori a c ia mission of the old is thmus Sta te . But since the pl e o f Russ in the great alli a nc e has b een taken by the Unite d Stat e s

ha s the w a r a w a r f o r o f America , it b ecome evident that as

a t G r a n e the old Polish and Lithuani an ideals , ag ins e m d spo

o d s m to . ti , and that it must lead the reconstruction o f P lan M O D E RAT I O N O 3 T HE P OLE S

The Poles themselves did not claim all that was d u e d to them , and to the nations with whom they had been unite

“ since the X I Vth c entury . They were not supported even in their mo st legitimate claims at the Conference o f P eace .

They were deprived o f Elbing , and threatened to remain

a n d. s without Gdan sk and T eschen , the mouth source o f their national river .

T HEY D O N OT C LA IM L IT HUAN IA

1 How could they under these circumstances , clain the whole ? o f Lithuania They were obliged to compromise , and asked for an arbitrary frontier , leaving a great part o f White Ruthe nia to the enemy . But the sudden growth of bolshevism on w the ruins of the , has sho n that the Muscovites are not rip e for a lib eral and demo cratic government , and W while p eace has come to estern Europ e , the Poles are left alone in their struggle for “7estern civilization against a new form o f oriental despotism .

P OL IS H ARMY F IGHT S FO R L IT HUA N IA In this struggle the Poles are help ed by the Lithuanians a d e a c e ful i s thmu s n White Ruthenians , and the need for a p State becomes more and more evident to everybody who investi a - gates imp rtially the German mad e Ukrainian governments , and comp ares them with the Poli sh national government . The hop e for a full reconstitution of the Poli sh Republic is

..h e Li thu a growing , and this implies also hop e for a redeemed nia , for whi ch the Polish army is fighting in the marshes and th e i swamp s o f Polesie against B olshev st armies . The fact that this war had to cross the Polish ethnographi c frontiers

0 into Polesie , confirms onc e more the natural union b etween

a nd . Poland , Lithuania White Ruthenia C O N C L U S I O NS

I . The word Lithuania is us ed in s everal different senses

u 1 ) The historic Grand D chy of Lithuania , corresponding s i x ro vi n c e s roughly , but not exactly , to the actual p o f Wilno , M h l w o o . 1 569 Grod no , Kowno , Min sk , Witebsk , y Until it

included also Ruthenia , which actually forms the provinces

Volh ni a an d . o f Kieff , y Po dolia

s i x 2) The said provinces , as approximatively equivalent to

the historic Grand Duchy .

3) Ethnographic Lithuania , or the territory in which the

Lithuanian language prevails , namely the province of Kowno and small neighbouring districts in the provinces of Wilno

and Suwalki . 4 ) In recent times the three western provinces of Grodno , Li thu Kowno and Wilno , inhabited chiefly by Poles and a

' ni a ns , and deprived for that reason of lo cal autonomy , are

often called Lithuania , and distinguished from White e of M oh low Ruthenia , or the thre eastern provinces Min sk , y ‘ b s k o vVi t e . and , which have btained lo cal autonomy This distinction wa s artificially cre ated by the Russian Govern d n ei th er u stifi e d hi s t o r ment a n v . , was j by nor by ethnography

n I I . The conquest of White Ruthenia and Ruthe ia by X I Vth the Lithuanians in the century , as well as the extension X f th t o f Poland in the century over Ruthenian terri ory , was greatly favoured by geographical conditions . The b asins o f a seven great rivers , the Oder , the Vistul , the Niemen , the

Duna , the Dniester , the Boh and the Dniep er form one natural E a s t e i n whole , making a large isthmus b etween Western and c o untr Europ e . This v differs widely from the territories f t situated ar her east or north , and had to become one State i ts hi t 0 1 for the full utilization o f natural ressources . The s y of Poland was a succession o f efforts to form this is thmus t u t State , necessary for the protec ion of E rop e agains Asiatic

i invasions . Th s task o f the Polish nation was fulfilled from X I Vth XV I I I th o nl i nt e r ru te d the to the century , and was v p b v the a o a w a a p rtiti ns o f Pol nd , hich m d e E stern d espotism ’ m r ri l W t t e p o a v triumph a nt o ver es ern civilisation .

n o f a i a I I I The unio Poland with Lithu nia and Ruthen , 1 386 w a s e effectuated in , confirm d by many free d ecisions of i m r a 1 43 2 the legit at e rep esent tives of thes e countries , in , 50 1 I t 1 434 1 499 a n d 1 . t o c 1 569 , led the pa t o f Lublin in , in w t c c t o hich both coun ries de id ed to have one ommon Diet , and a r 1 11 1 7 91 ele c t o n e king . Fin ll y every s ep a ration between

w a s the Poland and Lithuania abolished , and the unity o f c w a s a Polish Republi solemnly re sserted . a a The particip tion o f numerous Lithuani ns , Ruthenians and “f lute Ruthenians in the Polish struggles for ind ependence in 1 794 1 830 - 3 1 1 863 - 65 ha s , , confirmed this histori c unity of

Lithuani a and Poland . The creation o f over Polish

r hi s t o ri c a w a r e schools th oughout Lithu nia during the , wh n the Russian Go vernment c ould no longer hinder th a t move ment , is the most recent confirmation of the Polish character o f histori c Li thu a ni a .

I \ w . The union ith Poland intro duced western liberty into the despotic State of Lithuania . It brought an increased freedom to the Lithuani a n boya rs who had no politic a l rights V w X I th . a n in the century They received , ithout y effort of a ll ri v il e e s whi ch the P o li s h n o bl e s their own , the p g had obtained from their kings after long struggles . Close economic rela tions b etween these countries will incre a se the wages o f the a nd W a Lithuanian hite Rutheni n working men , favour

r c a g icultural pro du tion , and develop the industry of Lithuania which needs the help of Po lish exper ts a nd the support of

Polish capital .

The waterways of Lithuania lead to Poland , and nowhere to

a . Russi As the railways have been to a great extent destroyed , the va s t net o f Lithuanian waterways acquires an increased

a . importance , and unites Lithuania closely with Pol nd

o f Li thu a V . The political and religious p ersecution Poles , ‘ ‘ s a n d vi a in X I Xth ni a n hite Rutheni ns the century, consolidated the links which were formed in the X I Vt h century b etween a t ha s a Lithuani a and Pol a nd . The Russi n administra ion gre t l e t un u s ti y impoverished the country , and d espit the mos j a fiable exactions , could not rais e revenue su fficient for its

C O NT E N T S

INT R OD UCT ION 1 -6 — — Limits of histori c Lithuani a its a re a dis c ove ry of W hite R uth e 3 ni a ns \Vo s zc zynin E k ert Z a p o l skj l a nguage of \Vhi te R u 4 th eni ans th e ir hi s tory and pres ent co nd itio n ethno gra phi c L i thua ~l ni a do es no t re a ch \Vil no P ol e s i n Lithua ni a th e ir num b er a nd 5 importanc e unique c onditio ns c onfl i cti ng cl ai ms 6

G EO G R AP H I C P OSIT ION A N D H IST O R I C M ISSION OF P OLAND 6 -8

T h e l and of s even rivers D ni e p e r a s b ound a ry form atio n of 6 na tional sta te s re quire s s af ety from i nva sions Pol ish commo nwe al th 6 c aus e s of th e ra pid growth of Pol and and Lithu ani a th e ir i nevi ta b l e 7 n n n e W e e n E e a c e e an n 8 u io fro ti rs of st r urop displ d m rit of Lithu i a s .

' L I T H U A N I A T R A N SF O R M E D B Y H E R UNION W IT H P OLAND 8 -1 2

D yn a sti c union l ed to union of p e opl es n e w lib erti es won Li 9 thuani ans proud to b e P ol e s d e mo cra ti c equa li ty o f no b l e s f a te of 1 0 th e pea sa nts Polish offi c es introduc e d a dministration o f j usti ce 1 0 Lithu ani a b e coming a W es tern c ountry i nc orpora tion of R uth eni a 1 1 i nto Pol and Po l ish colo nis atio n Pol ish s chool s a nd tribuna ls 1 1 Lithuani an Sta tute never pub l ish e d in Lithu ani an Polonisa tion of 1 1 — Lithu ani a a natura l pro cess unique i n history i ntensity of Pol ish 1 2 e nt nte t n n c e ts e n 1 2 c ivi l isi ng work viol i rrup io of a atura l pro ss i r aso s .

V AIN E FFO R T S T O R USSIF Y LIT H UANIA 1 3 1 9

G erm ans m a d e Pol ish ki ngs b y M us c ovy partitio ns of Pol and 1 3 G erm an promis e s giv en to Pol e s a nd Lithua ni ans diffe rence b etwe en 1 3 russifi c a tion and pol onisa tion an absurd und erta ki ng spirit of d es 1 3 — tructi on fi arbi trar e a s e c n c a n e a e cl o si n o f c 1 4 y m ur s o fis tio o f st t s , g s hoo ls — religious p erse cutio n Lithu ani ans j oi n th e Polish revolutions 1 5 e x te rmi nation of vill age s Pol ish l a nguage forb idd en d e cre a s e o f 1 6 educ atio n re p ercussion on e c o nomi c lif e Stat e e x p ens e s mis e ry 1 6 of popul ation importa tion o f R ussi a n offi ci a ls impoverish es L i thua 1 6 — ni a p ersista nce of P olish i nfluence a rtifi c i al rul es for e l e ctions 1 7 financ i a l c onditio ns lo c a l a u tonom y ne e ds Pol es lib eratio n o f Li 1 8 thu ani a Pol ish sc hool s found e d throughout Lithu ani a fro nti e r 1 9 e R en n 1 9 of 1 7 7 2 stil l a live Polish W hit uth i a s .

I N FL A NT Y A ND P OLE SI E 1 9 -2 1

Fre e unio n of I nf l anty with Pol a nd Pol es a nd L e ttg al i a ns P 0 1 9 l ish s chool s found e d d uri ng th e wa r P ol esi e c olonis e d b y Pol e s i ts 20 n 2 1 wa terwa ys l e a d to Pol and ne e d of agri cultura l improve m e t .

E CONOM I C NEED S OF LIT H UANIA : 2 1 -23 2 2 Polish imports f a b ri c ation of p a p e r in Lithuani a importance o f — 36 wa terwa ys c onne c te d with th e Vistul a i nterd e p end enc e of Pol and 2 2 and Lithu ani a re c o gni ze d b y th e R ussi an governm ent Lithuani an 2 2 c c e a n th e P e an an n 2 3 a gri ulture h a s mu h to l r from o l s Lithu i i dustry .

P R OSP E CT S OF LIT H UANIA 2 3 -2 7

Prob a b l e P olish e migra tio n to Lithuani a why T ra nsva al b e c a m e 2 3 a B ritish c olony d ang er of germ a nis a tio n Lithuani an s epara ti s m 2 4 no t a na tio nal move m ent Lithuan i a and B oh e mi a P olish c orridors 2 4 f a ir c l a im of th e Pol e s the ir ri ghts c annot b e i gnore d Li th ua 2 5 ni a ne e ds its Pol es fore ign i nfluenc e s spoil a natura l fri endship 2 6 ol d a nd ne w li nks b e twe en P ol and a nd Lithua ni a T rue wi ll o f th e 2 6 Lithu ani ans c onditions for a g enuine e x pre ssion of publi c opi nion 2 7 c ta ent an a c n e b n c Politi a l tes m of Lithu i o firm d y m a y f a ts . 2 7

E U R OP E NEED S A ST R ONG P OLAND 2 7 -30

B olsh evi s ts wors e th an any Asi ati c c onque rors onl y P ol and c an 2 7 resist this d ang erous c o ntagio n W hi c h ma y re a c h th e R hi ne and cross 2 8 it R us s i a h a s no t b e en a b l e to tak e th e pl a ce of P ol and E urop e c an 2 8 b e d e f end e d onl y b y a hi ghl y c ivil is e d na tion Pa rl i a m enta ry e x p e 2 8 ri enc e of th e Pol es pre c ed ent of th e L e ague of natio ns p a c ifi c 2 9 isthmus Sta t e c ons e quenc es of th e p a rtitions of Pol and m eaning 2 9 of th e world wa r L e gitim a te Polish c l a ims dis c a rd e d Pol es d o not 3 0 c l a im Lithu ani a th e y fight for we ste rn c ivil isation and a lso f or 30 th e l i b erty of Lithuani a th ey a re h el p ed b y th e Lithuani ans and 30 n n W hit e R uth e i a s . 30 CON CLUSIONS

an a n n th e na e t . I . D iff erent m e a i gs of m Li hu i

at n th e P s - t a n a n tate II . Form io of oli h Li hu i S

n a t n th e n n P a nd a nd t a n a III . Co firm io s of U io of ol Li hu i

n e ences t s n n . I V . Co s qu of hi U io

ns n e s of R s s a n e s e c t ns . V . Co eque c u i p r u io

ns n s t a n an s e a at s VI . Co eque ce of Li hu i p r i m

- h a n a n nd s n n e P s t e . VI I . Co s eque c s of o l i h Li u i fri hip

The a author , in writing the b ove rep ort , utiliz ed th e d i k . Cho n e c i p ap ers o f the follo wing scholars F y , g s i D ubi e c ki H a l e c ki I wfi i ewi cz i g qmk , , , , Kamieniecki , K u lwi e é K u t rz e h a 'a n Kami enski , Keller , , , Maliszewski ,

N a t a n s o n ' . , Romer , erzy Smolenski , and Sobolewski P roo fs H al e cki K o n o cz ns ki K u t rz e ha Ni t s ch were corrected by , p y , , , m e r and H o .

P A R I S . I M P R I M E R I E L E VE . R U E D E R E NN E S 7 1 , .