Polish Government Prepares Bill Concerning National Minorities Without Consent of Parties Concerned

“The Hebrew language is dead, and Yiddish is a jargon and not a language,” was the statement of the Polish ex-Minister of the Interion Kiernik in explaining the attitude of the Polish Government in refusing to recognize Yiddish as one of the national minority languages, the use of which are to be permitted in communications with the Government in the eastern provinces of the Polish Republic.

The bill was prepared by the Polish Minister of the Interior, with the support of the Polish peasant parties, including the Radical Peasant Party, Wyzwolenie, and the Polish Socialist Party (P.P.S.), in an endeavor to solve the problems of the

national minorities in Poland.

At a meeting of the representatives of the national minorities, this new bill was discussed and it was unanimously decided to oppose its passage, it being unsatisfactory to the minorities concerned.

At a meeting of the Parliamnatary Committee of the Polish Diet, last Saturday, the new bill was also discussed. Deputy Chrustyzki, on behalf of the Ukrainians, Deputy Taraskiewicz, on behalf of the White Russians and Deputy Greenbaum and Deputy Reich, on behalf of the Jews, criticized sharply the provisions of the bill. At the conclusion, Deputy Taraskiewicz made the following statement on behalf of the national minorities:

“Whereas the Government did not find it necessary to invite the representatives of the national of the national minorities while it was preparing the bill concerning the national minorities, the representatives of the national minorities do not find it possible for them to participate in the work of the committee deliberating on the bill.”

The representatives of the aforementioned minorities then left the meeting.