The Daily Worker Newspaper, July 31, 1926, Page 9

. isiteses 12. * Polish Revolutionists of 150 Years Ago | KOSCIUSKO AND PULASKI "By B. K. GEBERT Among others who came from the old world to help the American col- onies to fight for independence were two Polish officers, Tadeusz Kosciusko and Kazimierz Pulaski. Both were Polish aristocrats. Kosciusko was a _ nobleman (szlachtic), owner of a big ‘ estate, He came from a White-Russian * family which became Polonized, Kaz- of imierz Pulaski was a count, Kosciusko played a prominent role in the war for independence. He be- came especially useful thanks to his knowledge of military tactics. He had spent several years in the Corps of Cadets in Warsaw, and was later sent abroad by the government to com- plete his military education. He spent some time in Germany, Italy and France learning especially fortifica- tions and thus became a military en- gineer. After his return from abroad he could not find.a proper place for him- self in Poland and therefore decided to go again abroad. It was then that he learned of the American revolution and hence proceeded there, In 1776 he came to Philadelphia and joined the ranks of Washington’s army. In a short time Washington recog- nized Kosciusko’s abilities and attach- pea him to the divisions building fort- ‘ bY ‘yesses. Washington later promoted him to the position of colonel and made him his adjutant. The service of Kosciusko to the struggle for American independence was recognized by Congress in 1783 by passing a resolution of thanks, giv- ing him the privilege of becoming an American citizen and voting him a considerable annuity, a big grant of land and the title of brigadier-general, But Kosciusko did not stay in Amér- ica, In those days Poland was fighting for its existence. Czarist Russia, Prus- sia and Austria were making a united attempt to break up Poland and to divide it among themselves. Kosciusko joined the forces that were struggling to defend Poland from foreign invasion. At that time the peasants were the serfs of the land- lords (szlachta). Kosciusko saw that without the aid of the peasants it would be impossible to carry on the fight. He thén issued a proclamation releasing the peasants from half of the work they were obliged to do for the “szlachta,” permitting the peas- ants to move freely from one district to another and appealing to them to join his ranks, Kosciusko took no fur- ther steps to liberate the peasants from serfdom, nevertheless, because F OB DETROIT CALING the dingy red boxcar’s side with his large heavy black suitcase was laborious for Arthur Henry, who was going away forever. He was going into the Wide World, which was the recognized general name for somewhere else. Certain the long string of freight cars on the siding would soon be pull- ing out, Arthur Henry began climbing, suitcase bumping legs; rung by rung, laboriously upward. Father was working at Dodge Broth- ers. Mother was sleeping after scrub- bing First National Bank building floors all night. Sister Susan, Brother Merrill were bending over books in school. Nobody knew where he was. Teachers, parents, policemen were eliminated from life. He was alone, himself. If there were birds in rail- road yards they would be singing. For appropriately singing birds Arthur had to think of childhood in Logan county, W. Va.: brown thrashers, cat birds, robins, flickers, warbling, crying in . trees behind a striking miners’ tent colony on an open hillside. Clutching the top rung, head rising above car, face flushing with exertion, excitement, Arthur joined company with Keats on first looking into Chap- man’s Homer, Balboa glimpsing the Pacific over the summit of his peak in Darien, Arthur, looking out upon the surroundings the box car's top, was finding a new perspective. From that position leaning self-sufficiently on his suitcase he would soon be see- i, Detroit vanish behind him, smoky phere giving way to vivid blue —_ PRESENT DAY “SAVIORS” OF POLAND. of the little he did for them, the peas- ants considered Kosciusko their libe- rator and joined his ranks. Many im- portant battles against. the Russian army were won by Kosciusko beeause of the peasants, the famous “scythe men.” Cities were also joining Kosciusko. In Warsaw a-battalion of tradesmen and workers under the leadership .of the shoemaker, Jan Kilinski, took just- ice into their own hands and hung several traitors of Poland, Bishop Mas- salski, the aristocrats Czetwertynski, Lasopolski, Roguski and others. Kos- ciusko condemned thfs action as too severe in his opinion. He still thought Riding northward in stuffy day- coaches was no fun. It was as bad as being home, at school, excepting with strangers always around his father wasn’t beating him or swearing at him, This was the way to ride—atop a boxcar named in big white letters: Delaware, Lackawanna & Western! Only a half-mile and the train would be out of the yards heading westward into the Wide World. His car jerked, knocking his elbow from his suitcase. Arthur’s heart be- gan beating faster. Up ahead a sud- den blast in the engine shot black smoke in the air, A man was walking toward him atop the train. He was a brakeman, but Arthur wasn’t afraid, “Well, what do you think you're doing?” the brakeman said, standing over Arthur. “nothing” Arthur said. “What's the suitcase for?” “I've got some clothes and food in it.” The man laughed, saying: “You're a fine kind of a hobo, taking your trunk with you. How old are you, kid?” “sixteen last January.” - The brakeman picked up the. suit- case, testing its weight, laughing. “Why didn’t you ship this ahead?” he asked, “You'd be the hardest work- ing man on the. train lugging this around.” Arthur was blushing, embarrassed by the brakeman’s hearty joking. “When do we pull out?” Arthur that some of the aristocrats would join his ranks. After many battles Kosciusko lost the fight, Warsaw fell.inte the hands of the bloody Czarist General Suvorov who massacred the population. Kosciu- sko was taken prisoner and kept in the famous ‘Peter and Paul fortress in Petersburg. He was released by the Czar Paul ist, and come back to the United States in 1796. Soon afterwards he went back to Europe, Napoleons was quite anxious to en- gage Kosciusko for his army. But Kosciusko refused because Napoleon did not agree to free Poland. Kosciusko died on April .2, 1817, asked. “Ho-ho-ho!” the brakeman laughed. “Ha-ha-ha! O we’re starting in just a minute. You'll be on your way in a minute, Bub.” “What's the joke?” annoyed, “Ho-ho-ho!—-see yoy when we get there,” brakeman walking along next car toward caboose. Resting elbow on suitcase, Arthur sat looking ahead at the engine, pride hurt by brakeman laughing. Hissing steam was gushing from cylinders far out on both sides. The train jerked again, Arthur finding himself slowly moving. Excited, going at last, he gave surrounding train yards, facto- ries, warehouses a sweeping glance as in farewell. But hell! That was west, that way. The train was moving east, gathering momentum slowly, locomotive smoke- stack booming @owly beating time. Getting up, adjusting himself to the train’s motion, Arthur stepped across to the next car toward the brakeman standing six car-lengths away. “Where's this train going?” Arthur walking up to brakeman unsteadily. “Where do you suppose? Where do you want to go kid?” “I thought it was going west. Isn’t it?” “Hell, kid, you’re F, O. B. Detroit.” “What? Who do you mean?” “F. O. B. Detroit means freight on board, Detroit.” Brakeman looking over Arthur’s head at yard signals, “Why do you say that? Where are we going?” “This train stays here, youngster. Arthur growing having liberated his serfs shortly be- ~ fore his death. There are monuments in his memory in Washington, D, C. and in Chicago. Kosciusko was a consistent demo- crat and reformer at the time of the great bourgeois revolutions, “His par- ticipation in the American revolution shows him to have been oné who was willing to struggle for progress and freedom in the great revolutionary movements of his time. * * * Kazimierz Pulaski was a count and @ leading figure in the Polish aristo- cracy. He came to America in 1777 and joined the ranks of Washington's army. He distinguished himself in the battle of Brandywine and was made a Brigadier-General, He organized the cavalry:.the first revolutionary cavalry in the world wag the Pulaski legion. As the head of this legion he became well known for his operations on the southern front defending Charlestown in May, 1779. On October 9, 1779, he was wounded in an unsuecessful attack on Savyan- nah, Georgia, and died two days later. Following the loss of its, independ- ence by Poland, we see many Poles taking part prominently in every struggle for freedom in Europe. An incident of later years is the case of Wroblewski and Dombrowski who par- ticipated in the Paris Commune, the armed uprising of the French prole- tariat against the capitalists in 1871. Dombrowski was one of the generals of the Commune. Those were the days when Poland’s hopes for independence were closely bound up with the success of the re- volutionary movements in Europe. Now, however, it is quite different. The Polish ruling classes of today, who claim their origin from the re- volutionists of Kosciusko’s and Pu- laski’s time, are fighting most bitter- ly the revolutionary movements of the Pilsudsky, “the last of the mohicans Pilsudsky, “the last of the mohickans of Polish romanticism,” is jailing, per- secuting and murdering Polish work- seen « ers and peasants who are struggling © for a free and independent Workers’ Poland. The old fighters for independ- ance, who are now dominating Poland, are themselves oppressing millions of White-Russians, Ukrainians and other nationalities, Today the real champion of genuine freedom and independence, not only for the Poles but for all nationalities, is the workers’ and peasants’ revolu- tionary movement that ts led by the Communist International. By Stirling Bowen We're just getting into the yards now.” “It stays here?” “sure. We had to He out here for a while, that’s all.” “You're not going away at allt even after a while?” “You're on a fast freight bound east for Detroit, and you've just arrived, Bub.” “Gosh—” “Where did you think you were going?” brakeman looking down into Arthur’s face. “Why, I’m leaving home. Aad— Gosh!” “tough luck, kid.” “Gee whiz! I saw the engine up at that end of the train ami I thought sure you were going. Gee whiz—” “No, that’s only a switch engine. You'd better get your suitcase and hop off here if you live around here. You'll have trouble getting back if you don’t.” Arthur, turning, walking away atop the slowly moving train said: “I live around here, but I’m not going there. Didn’t you hear me say I'd left home?” “all right, kid—better think it over, though.” Not answering, Arthur continued forward toward his suitcase. Climb- ing down steel rungs, holding on finally with one hand, he held his sutt- case as far down as he could, dropping it to the ground, Continuing down the car’s side, he jumped, landing safely, walking slowly back to whore his suit- case was lying tilted across a rail on the next track.