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Paderewski Held New Polish Labor Party’s Spiritual Leader; Haller Chairman

October 13, 1937
See Original Daily Bulletin From This Date
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SPIRITUAL LEADER OF THE NEW POLISH LABOR PARTY IS CONSIDERED TO BE IGNACE JAN PADEREWSKI, PIANIST-COMPOSER WHO TODAY WAS ANNOUNCED AS HAVING JOINED THE PARTY IN A LETTER FROM HIS HOME IN MORGES, SWITZERLAND.

THE LETTER, MADE PUBLIC BY THE PARTY, SHARPLY CRITICIZES WHAT M. PADEREWSKI TERMS “GOVERNMENT BY AN ELITE.” THE FORMER POLISH PREMIER, WHOSE RECENT MANIFESTO ASSAILING FASCISM WAS SUPPRESSED, CONTINUES:

“POLAND NEEDS A STRONG GOVERNMENT, BUT ONLY THROUGH THE PEOPLE AND BY THE PEOPLE. THE POLE WILL NEVER BE A SLAVE OF HIS RULERS. POLAND DOES NOT WANT DICTATORSHIP. THE POLES ARE A CHRISTIAN PEOPLE AND BASE THEIR POLITICAL FAITH AND HUMANITARIAN PRINCIPLES ON EQUAL RIGHTS AND EQUAL LAWS FOR ALL.”

ACCORDING TO THE NEW YORK TIMES, GENERAL JOSEF HALLER, WORLD WAR HERO, HAS BEEN ELECTED CHAIRMAN OF THE NEW PARTY, OF WHICH THE TIMES WARSAW CORRESPONDENT WRITES:

“THE NEW PARTY SHOULD NOT BE CONFUSED WITH LABOR PARTIES IN OTHER COUNTRIES. IT IS NOT SOCIALISTIC. ON THE CONTRARY, IT IS MILDLY NATIONALISTIC AND CATHOLIC, PRO-FRENCH HOSTILE TO GERMANY AND READY TO COOPERATE WITH SLAV MINORITIES IN POLAND. IT SEEKS IN EMIGRATION A SOLUTION OF THE JEWISH PROBLEM.”

GENERAL HALLER IS KNOWN FOR HIS OUTSPOKEN ANTI-SEMITISM.

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