Our Daily News Letter

(By Our Warsaw Correspondent)

The present Polish government rejects the policy of its predecessors of concluding secret agreements with the Jewish leaders and instead of that takes the position that the national constitution and the treaty obligations guaranteeing complete equality to the Jews must be openly and honorably fulfilled. This, and no less, was the statement made today by Premier Bartel in his first official address before a plenary session of the Polish parliament wherein he outlined the policy of the new government.

The Premier’s address, which is regarded with good reason, as heralding a new era for Polish Jewry, was replete with agreeable surprises. It was the first time that a Polish premier declared in no uncertain terms from the Sejm tribunal, that the Polish governments have hitherto conducted a definite anti-Semitic policy directed at the economic destruction of the Jews. It was the first time that a Polish premier admitted publicly that the obligations toward the national minorities have not been carried out, that the government officials have geen guided by religious and racial prejudice in their work and that the Government owed it as a duty to itself and to the country to rectify all these errors of the past.

Devoting the first half of his statement to the questions of relations with foreign governments, changes in the national constitution, unemployment, stabilization of the zloty and facilities for the acquiring of citizenship, the Premier in the second part of his address, discussed the national minorities problem and the Jewish question.

“The government will not permit,” Bartel declared, “the deprecation of the demands of the national minorities for this would be repugnant to the spirit of Poland. In its internal policy the Government will seek to adjust the religious and racial conflicts and to create conditions for harmonious relationships. While the Government is determined to oppose any activities aimed against the country, the living interests of the national minorities must be satisfied.

“Faithfully to carry out the provisions of the Constitution and the various treaties, to hasten the regulation of the citizenship question, to accelerate the realization of the agrarian reforms — these are the things the Government will undertake in the interests of the national minorities.”

Regarding the specific Jewish problem, Premier Bartel stated:

“In the matter of the Jewish question, taking the view that economic anti-Semitism is detrimental to the country, the Government considers it necessary to safeguard in all its activities the principles of impartiality and justice. The government will, namely, see to it that in respect to taxes and credits, as well as productive-credits, exclusively practical, but no racial or religious motives will be taken into consideration.

“No secret agreements will be concluded by the government with the Jewish population. But the government will stand firmly on the ground of fulfilling the provisions of the Constitution.

“The Government confirms that all restrictions against Jews which were promulgated by the occupation government and remained in force since, are abrogated and will no longer be applied in respect to the Jewish population.”