by Herman Bernstein Contributing Editor
Dr. Joshua Thon, president of the Jewish Deputies Club in the Polish Sejm, commenting on Poland’s repudiation of her treaty regarding the rights of minorities, declared:
“I do not wish to make a Jewish case out of this affair. So far the declaration (by Foreign Minister Beck) has not hurt us, since we derived no benefit from the minority treaties. Although the minority treaties were never fulfilled where we were concerned, we never sought the protection of the League and never contemplated submitting to it Jewish grievances based on the minority treaties. Nevertheless I consider Colonel Beck’s step a faulty infringement on untouchable international treaties. Furthermore this step is momentarily inappropriate and may have unexpected consequences. I fail to see an advantage from the Polish standpoint, either immediately or in the future.”
This is a correct estimate of Poland’s latest move.
Poland has committed a grave political blunder. It is reported that the Polish press is rejoicing, hailing the end of the minorities treaty, in the belief that by denouncing her moral obligation Poland has been transformed into a first-rate power. The only other country where Poland’s unfortunate political error is greeted with enthusiasm is Naziland. The representatives of Great Britain, France and Italy have rebuked Poland for repudiating her treaty obligations. The Little Entente has expressed its criticism of Poland’s ill-advised stand.
When the time will come for the Nazis to treat the German-Polish non-aggression pact as another scrap of paper, and the so-called Polish Corridor will be endangered, Poland will find herself appealing in vain for world sympathy and aid, basing her claims on the Treaty of Versailles. Poland herself has opened the door for those who seek a readjustment of the Polish Corridor boundaries.
It is deplorable that the Pilsudski government has permitted itself to be guided by militaristic expediency rather than by constructive statesmanship. The diplomacy of militarists is usually confined to what is regarded by them as immediate strategic advantages. The constructive statesman looks further ahead and strives to avoid pitfalls and momentary allurements for the sake of attaining durable material as well as moral advantages for the nation he represents.
The tactics of Colonel Beck were those of a militaristic diplomat. The former Polish Foreign Minister and representative in the League of Nations, M. Zaleski, would surely have cautioned his government against embarking upon this adventure which is so dangerous to Poland’s own interests.
As far as the minorities in Poland are concerned, the world will watch their plight with closer scrutiny now than before. Any ill treatment of the minorities within the borders of Poland will henceforth attract more public attention than before. Poland can still redeem herself, to a certain extent, by according to the minority groups full political, economic, educational equality with the other Polish nationals. Poland has an opportunity to demonstrate now that she is conscientiously determined to fulfill the terms of the treaty regarding the rights of the minorities which had not been fulfilled in many respects before the treaty was denounced.
It will take time for Poland to redeem her error, but this would be an honorable and sensible way of regaining her national prestige and the sympathetic cooperation of other civilized nations.
CORRECTION
An unfortunate typographical error crept into my editorial of yesterday, entitled “Poland’s Scrap of Paper.” A missing line made the end of the editorial unintelligible.
The last lines read thus:
“The Nazi influence of this repudiation of her moral obligations, she may find herself, like Naziland, isolated and alienated from her most powerful friends among the nationals.”
The last sentences should have been:
The Nazi influence has led Poland astray. As a result of this repudiation of her moral obligations, she may find herself, like Naziland, isolated and alienated from her most powerful friends among the nations.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
