The Daily Worker Newspaper, May 16, 1925, Page 9

2 ee Note to Poland on Murder of Exchange Prisoners — The followitig is the complete text of the note of protest addressed to the Polish envoy at Moscow by Georg Chitcherin, people’s commissar for foreign affairs of the Soviet Union, on April 2, 1925, with regard to the mur- der of two Communist prisoners by a Polish police sergeafit while they were being taken to the border to be exchanged for two Polish prisoners held by the Soviet government: T the instruction of the Soviet government I have the honor to bring the following to your knowl- edge: “On March 26 of the current year the Polish government gave its as- sent to the exchange of Messrs. Weic- zorkiewicz and Baginski, convicted in November, 1923, during the trial of a political organization, for Mr. Ussas, an expert attached to the Polish dele- gation on the mixed Russo-Polish re- evacuation commission, charged with crimes provided against in Articles 10, 157, part 2, 168 and 169a of the crim- inal code of the R. S. F. S. R., covering acts of sexual perversion and cruelty committed upon subordinates, and Mr, Laszkiewicz, sometime secretary of the former Polish consulate gener- al at Tiflis, indicted under Article 66 of the criminal code. “As was decided by both parties, the actual exchange was to take place on the 29th of March at the border station of Kolosovo, whither Messrs. Usas and Laszkiewicz, the individuals subject to exchange, were transferred in the custody of a representative of the people’s commissariat for foreign affairs. “At four o’clock on March 29, Mr. Kulikowski, the head of the Polish repatriation delegation, having up to that moment delayed carrying out the exchange for reasons not understood, of the people’s commissariat for for- eign affairs of the Union of S. S. R., that the exchange could not be ef- fected due to causes beyond his con- trol. “According to advices subsequently received from eye-witnesses, the de tails of which were confirmed by the Polish press, and likewise according to the oral report of Mr. Zelezinski, counselor on the Polish mission, Messrs. Baginski and Wieczorkiewicz were, in a situation precluding the possibility of supposing it a case of chance concurrence of circumstances or of individual criminal impulses, brutally murdered in the presence of representatives of the local and cen- tral Polish authorities and while in the custody of their convoy on the journey from Stolbtzy station to the place appointed for the exchange— Kolosovo statién. “In the name of the Soviet govern- ment I lodge the most vigorous pro- test against this crime committed by Polish authorities, a crime unheard of among civilized countries—the mur- der of Baginski and Wieczorkiewicz by an individual employed in the gov- ernment’s service almost at the mo- ment of their exchange and under the eyes of Polish officials specially as- signed in connection with this ex- change. “The indignation aroused among the broad masses of the Soviet Union’s population by the above-mentioned crime, is further intensified by the fact that an analogous murder occur- red in Poland on January 2, 1919, when a Russian Red Cross delegation, headed by Mr, Veselovsky and includ- ing M. Altman, Aivazova and the physician, Dr. Klotzman, was massa- cred while being deported across the frontier of Poland by base Polish au- thorities, “The Soviet pinepnias therefore had grounds to expect that on this occasion the Polish government would adopt all the necessary measures to prevent the repetition of a similar oc- currence and to deliver the persons to be exchanged, Messrs. Baginski and Wieczorkiewicz, to the exchange point woharmed, “In conclusion, expressing the con- fidence that the Polish government will arrange for a strict and thoro investigation of the murder of the ex- change prisoners, Messrs. Baginski and Wieczorkiewicz, and that the guilty will suffer penalties in propor- tion to the gravity of the crime com- mitted by them, I have the honor to notify you, Mr, Envoy, that the non- fulfillment of the conditions accepted by the Polish government for the per- sonal exchange gives the Soviet, gov- ernment, with respect to the individ- uals at present designated for extra- dition to Poland under an exchange arrangement, complete freedom of ac- tion within the bounds of the laws in force in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.” ee Note to Poland Regarding Abuse of immunity by Polish Consul * at Minsk, Screen O* April 1, 1925, tne people’s com- missariat for foreign affairs of the Soviet Union addressed a note to Poland concerning the unjustifiable action of the Polish consul at Minsk, who from March 30 to April 1, took the liberty of sheltering in the con- sular premises and refused to sur- render an individual summoned to ap- pear as a defendant before a criminal court. The note points out that it is con- trary to international law for the con- sul or diplomatic representatives of any nation to engage in active oppo- sition to the legal measures of organs functioning in the country which has received them. “Such a situation,” it goes on to state, “would threaten the entire institution of diplomatic and consular representation.” Far from giving him the right to conceal a refu- gee in his official premises, the privil- eges of diplomatic immunity accorded, to Mr. Karczewski, the Polish consul at Minsk, required him to refuse such shelter. Stress is laid upon the fact that the sport of Mr. Ussas, the refugee in prosecution under the Union’s crim- inal code for his offense and, further- more, that the accused had previously offered himself up voluntarialy for trial by the courts of the Russian So- cialist Federated Soviet Republics. Under the circumstances Mr. Karc- zewski’s refusal to surrender Mr. Ussas upon his taking refuge in the consulate constituted “an abuse of his official privileges which renders his further presénce in the post of consul or in any other capacity in the Soviet Union impossible.” The note concludes with a notice that Mr. Karczewski’s exequatur is considered to have lapsed and re quests the Polish diplomatic mission to instruct him to quit the territory of the Soviet Union without delay. SS, Soviet Government Withdraws Troops from Outer Mongolia. the following note to the Chinese min- ister of foreign. affairs for transmis- sion to his government: In the beginning of the year 1921 part of the white guard armies routed by the Red Army, retreated to Mongol- ian territory, where, having united with elements hostile ‘to the Soviet government, they created a base for new attacks upon the territory of the Soviet Republics with the aim of over- throwing the authority of the workers and peasants. Repeated requests ad- dressed to the Chinese government for the liquidation of the white guard bands of Seminov, Ungern and others freely operating and organizing on the territory of Mongolia, led to no posi- tive results, as the Chinese govern- ment was indifferent to these urgent appeals by the Soviet government. In view of this in the interests of the safety of its frontiers the Soviet gov- ernment was constrained to conduct part of the Red Army into Mongolian territory and liquidate all the white guard bands and organizations which, organized and supported by foreign imperialism, were preparing to invade the Soviet Republics once more from Mongolia, question, did not exempt himi from N March 6, Mr. Karakhan, Soviet ambassador to Pekin, delivered After the liquidation of the white guard armies part of the Red Army remained in Mongolia in the interest of the preservation of order and for the purpose of preventing the organiz- ation of white bands as a new menace to the safety of U. S. S. R. With the establishment of order and the organization of proper authority the Soviet government gradually de- creased the Red Army forces in Mon- golia. However, the absence of rela- tions between the Soviet government and China and the latter’s participa- tion in a coalition hostile to the Un- ion of S. S. R. blocked the settlement of the question of the Red Army’s presence on Mongolian territory, and only the agreement signed between the Union of S. S. R. and China on May 31, 1924, paved the way for the settlement of this question. Accord- ing to the treaty signed on May 31, 1924, it was stipulated that after the question of the withdrawal of the forces from Outer Mongolia, namely, the question of the term of the with- drawal of these forces and the meas- ures to be taken in the interest of the safety of the frontiers, had been de- cided at a conference, the Soviet gov- ernment would remove its forces from outer Mongolia. However, despite tne fact that the conference was to be opened within a month from the signing of the treaty, internal circumstances pre- vented the Chinese government from doing so in due time. Meanwhile the Soviet government, altho in virtue of the agreement with China it might not have removed its forces until the per- iod of their evacuation had been fixed at the conference and the requisite guarantees for the safety of the fron- tiers had been given by the Chinese Soviet Diplomacy Fights for Workers government, decided, nevertheless, to withdraw its forces immediately with- out awaiting the conference. I herewith have the honor to inform the Chinese government that the So- viet government has proceeded with the withdrawal of its forces from Outer Mongolia with the assent of the Mongolian government, and that at the present time the evacuation of the Red Army detachments from the ter- ritory of Mongolia is finished. In bringing this to the government’s knowledge I hope that the Chinese government will suitably appreciate this friendly step by the government of the Union of S. S. R. The govern- ment of the Union of S. S. R. also trusts that the circumstances which formerly constrained it to send the Red Army into Mongolian territory will not, in conjunction with altered conditions, recur in the future. At the same time I earnestly ex- press the confidence that the Chinese government will not neglect the hap- py occasion for settling the problem of the interrelations between two brother peoples by a peace-promoting arrangement with the Mongolian peo- ple. The government of the Union of S. S. R., while regarding the interre- lations in question as the exclusive affair of the Chinese and Mongolian peoples, will, nevertheress, be happy to witness the restoration of brother- ly association between the Chinese and Mongolian peoples according to principles of justice and on the basis of their national aspirations, which will assure the further economic prog- ress both of Outer Mongolia and of the northwestern region, and will like- wise promote the development of eco- nomic and other relations with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. These Subs Came in oie rs on May 14: NEW YORK, N. Y.—Harry Casten (3); Katterfeld (2); Louis Nie- brief, Isaac Brody, Eteenpain, Leo Margolis, J. Cohen, M. Horowitz, Rutman, Adele Jager, Sarah Pecker. CLEVELAND, 0.—J, A. Hamilton (3). » CHICAGO, ILL.—Clara Saffern (3); Nancy Markoff, Bertha Board- man, D. E. Earley, S. Hammersmark. DETROIT, MICH.—A. E. Goetz (4). ez S. BEND, IND.—Amos E. Kirk (2). GARY, IND.—M. J. Cunovich. BOSTON, MASS.—Elsie Pultur (2). HOLIDAYS COVE, W. VA.—F. Grasso. ST. LOUIS, MO—H. Stoltz. PITTSBURGH, PA.—Fred Merrick. SUPERIOR, WIS.—Tymoies. Do You Cover Union Meetings? Live Locals Do This. s In those units of the party where they have learned to “go to the masses”—going to union metings with literature, has been a system- atically organized procedure, In Chicago and other cities, this method is being developed to a high stage of efficiency with increasing results. The regular trade union meetings are apportioned off to branches in the district where they are held. The branch-agents in turn arrange to have a squad organized (preferably of girls!) to cover regularly a certain union meeting with the DAILY WORKER, Workers Monthly and occasionally other liter- ature. (The Little Red Library is well suited for this purpose.) This kind of systematic sale of literature is important work that plants the seed for future Communist growth, Is your local doing this? If not, then this matter should be taken up at the next meeting of the C. C. C. or your branch. In the field of organized labor is the material for future increase in the ranks of our party—why not work here? ~<- -