Second Edition The Poles’ Triumph

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXXI, Issue 70, 11 October 1920, Page 6

Second Edition The Poles’ Triumph

LEAGUE OF NATIONS FLOUTED. territorial AGGRANDISEMENT ► Press Association—Copyright, Australian mu! N.Z. Cable Association. 1 Received 12.35 p.m.) London, October 10. The Tim. s’ correspondent, at Kovno reports that morions appprehensiou has Been caused by the ue;vs that the Poles trill enter Yilna, this despite the Suwolki Conferepe© aud the intervention of the League of Nations. The Polc s are making Lithuania a subject nation. Iho correspondent, after declaring that the Polish armies are ignoring the armistice, quotes the case of the British Military Attache, Major Pargetsr, who motored to headquarters, and was detained by th© Poles until nightfall lest he betray their military movements. They told him th?y wer© repeating D’Annunzio’s trick,. crossing the Niemen without the Clovermne.it’s authority as an indepoudint army to occupy Yilna, and despite the League of Nations. It is understood the British urged th©, Lith-. unman Government to remain in Yilna at all costs, leaving th© issu e to th© League of Nations. Most of the Gov«Fumo t departments, however, had already tied to Kovno, A French Military Mission assumed the gover-nor-ship, of Yilna. Tho Lithuanian Army gav e the Poles the fital fight a*- I 'few miles from Yilna, temporarily repulsing them, and inflicting severe casualties. The Lithuania:! troops then retired. The residents of Yilna are terror-stricken, fleeing westward.

Mr Garvin writes ip. the Observer: The) Pel s’ triumph dazzling, but it is a most sinister omen that th ■ y have doubled tile territory awarded them at the Versailles Conference. They now* m! 0 non-Polish race a two hundred miles to the east. Their population is larger than that of Spain, and their lighting force s exceed Germany’s. Poland serins to have a fair chance of ranking as a great nation, yet nothing is hioi'e certain than that she will never retain her present space on'the map. They Ifive knocked the bottom out cf the League of Nations. The recovery of Russia and Germany is only a question of time, and it is certain those tty'o still make common cause against Poland. Huge revisions of th© rast;m map' must come. Will they bring another war, ,or can diplomacy prevail?