Jews Concerned over Formation of New Polish Party

Increasing concern is being manifested in Jewish circles here in connection with the plans to reorganize the pro-Government bloc into a strong political party.

This concern arises from the fact that Government forces recognize the fact that they do not have the support of anything like a majority of the electorate and that as a result of continued economic dissatisfaction and other causes, the nationalist, extremist forces have a greater hold on the population than have Pilsudski’s political heirs.

Since the death of Pilsudski, successive Polish Governments – all dominated by the “Colonels” who inherited Pulsudski’s power – have attempted to take the wind out of the sails of their chief rival, the National Democratic (Endek) Party and the other opposition groups by granting the country part of the opposition demands that attracted the electorate. To date, these tactics have not been successful.

As a result, leaders of the Government forces decided on a big new attempt to win over the country by creation of a new political entity, the “Sluzba Narodowa” (Party of National Service.) The reorganization of the Government forces was put in the hands of Colonel Adam Koc. The Colonel, one of Pilsudski’s legionnaires, has been a Cabinet under-secretary in several ministries and was head of the Polish delegation to the World Economic Conference.

Colonel Koc has been at work for several weeks attempting to draw up a party program with universal appeal. Some of the points in this program have leaked out and have been widely discussed in political circles. Their nature was such as to lead two of the leading Yiddish papers of Warsaw to label the new organization “a new edition of the Endek party.” Both papers were promptly confiscated.

The anti-Semitic trend of the Polish Government, revealed by such measures as the prohibition of schechita and administrative acts which have closed many fields of enterprise to Jews, is strongly emphasized in the platform of the new party which is strongly nationalistic and calls for the “Polonisation” of commerce – a euphemistic term for the ouster of the Jews.

The text of the declaration on the Jewish question which Colonel Koc has already submitted to leaders of the pro-Government forces includes a demand for the liberation of Poland from “Jewish influence.”

It is generally believed that once the organization of the new party is completed, it will form its own Government replacing the present ministry of General Skladkowski.