new parliament to take the place of the present pro-

(): JANUARY 19 the. people of Poland will elect a

visional administration.

The proceedings are being

watched with great interest throughout the world. For the
Polish people, the elections are of historic consequence.

For the first time in their
history the Poles will partici-
pate in genuinely democratic
elections under conditiens that
are especially favorable. The
dominant class in Poland to-
day is the working class which
has forged close ties with the
poor peasantry. The elections
are one phase of the historic
struggle which the Polish mass-
@s are waging for a higher form
of economic and political democ-
racy.

The new Poland was born in
the fires of struggle against ,
Nazi oppression and for nation-
al liberation. Anti-Sovieteers
weep crocodile tears’on the al-
leged oppression of Poland by
the Red Army. They depict Po-
land as an occupied land, where
the Soviet Union is hated. The
Rea Army is supposed to be
an enemy occupation force.
Nothing is further from the
truth,

The truth is that in the com-
mon struggle against the Hitler-
ite foe, an eternal friendship,
sealed in blood, was cemented
between Poland and its mighty
neighbor, the Soviet Union.

The treacherous exile regime,
which deserted Poland as soon
as ,the Nazis fired their first
shot, consciously kept from the
world the facts about the tre-
mendous heroism of the Polish
masses whose partisan battle
against the Nazis is one of the
noblest chapters in the history
of the war for freedom and de-
mocracy.

This underground, anti-fascist
resistance movement arose in
the very first day of Nazi in-
vasion. It developed in battle and
became the motivating influence
in the life of the new, liberat-
ed Poland,

The gentlemen in London also
organized an ‘undeground’ move-
ment, But its only purpose was
to hamper the real one, to mur-
der freedom-fighters, dissemi-
nate anti-Semitism, soften the
tasks of the occupationists, and
organize forces which would
eventually join with the Ger
mans in a holy crusade against
‘Bolshevist Russia.’

History has already listed, and
will continue to list, the thous-
ands who fell as victims of this
‘bandit underground.’ Innumer-
able Jews were slain’ by per-
sons who now cluster for shel-
ter under the cloak of Mikolaj-
czyk’s party and are blessed by
the people’s enemies and war in-
cendiaries.

> Se Potish fighters fought si-

multaneously against the Hit-
lerites and against their own
quislings, From the start, theirs
was a positive fight. They not
only took arms up against the
occupationists, but they planned
also for a new Poland, free of
traitors, princes, rich landown-
ers and reactionaries who bear
the blame for Poland’s misfor-

- tunes.

Even now one sees the signs
of the bitter struggle that went
on. In Warsaw alone there are
thousands of monuments to mar-
tyrs who were hanged and shot.

The world has not yet justly
assessed the fact that, although
Poland was invaded and cap-
tured in a few days, 5,000,000
Poles died during the Nazi oc-

cupation (in addition to 3,000,-
000 Jews who were annihilated).
Hundreds of thousands of them
fell in the war against the oc-

gasseq to death in the cham-
bers of Maidanek and Ocwieci-
em,

No amount of oppression, how-
ever, could conquer the heroic
resistance of Poland’s freedom
warriors. Those who now lead

_ PACIFIC TRIBUNE — PAGE 12

Poland are not Moscow agents.
Each of them reach full matur-
ity in the battle for’ Poland’s
working class and for national
liberation, 2

W. Gomulka, a legendary fig-
ure of today’s Poland, present
leader of Poland’s Labor Party
—the Communists — became
known to every child and adult

as a result of his courageous
underground
Ochab, Kuszyk, Rola-Zimierski
and others earned unforgetable
gratitude for their valiant’ ach-

ievements.

Every drop of blood that soak-
ed Poland’s soil added another
brick to the foundation of the
Poland being erected today.

_I cannot forget the fierceness
with which W. Kushik, a leader
of the united trade unions in
Poland, spoke about the glowing
future of his beloved land. He
travelled with me from Warsaw
to Lublin and on the way he

“pointed out the scores of vil-
lages where the Nazis dared not’

enter, so strong were the par-

tisans there. ~

He told me how the Nazis, in
1943, refortified tenfold the
guard around Lublin because
they had heard that Bierut and
Rola-Zimierski (the chiefs of
the Polish liberation army) were
going to Moscow to establish
contact with the Union of Pol-
ish Patriots. But the partisans
brought their leaders through
the Nazi ranks and _ brought

“them back,. under the very noses

of the Hitlerites.

I remember how inspired the
workers of Lublin were, as they
heard Kushik speak about Po-
land future — the Poland for
which he fought, and which he
and millions of other Poles are
determined to establish.

Heroism in the war against
the Nazis laid the foundation
for the new Poland.

igo democracy goes to the

polls calmly and confidently.
This certainty and calmness is
a result of the great achieve-
ments made in the interests of

leadership. Bierut, .

Liimy
>

the Polish people. The hysteri-
cal wailings of Mikolajezyk and
and his henchmen indicate only
their failure and bankruptcy.

What are’ the achievements
with which the government-bloc
comes to the people?

Only a clear perspective, great
enthusiasm, and zeal for the
masses could have saved the
land; The new government suc-
ceeded in mobilizing the neces-
sary enthusiasm, not only with

words, but wtih practical, demo-

cratic mass means which evoked
full agreement from the major-
ity of the population. :

While still in Lublin, when

half of Poland still reposed in-

the Nazi maw, the new govern-
ment, on the initiative of the
PPR. (Polish Workers’ Party),
carried through, the agrarian re-
“forms which divided the big es-
tates and gave land to over 350,-
000 Polish peasants. That step
promptly put the most impor-
tant economic foundation of. Po-
landland—the agriculture—on a
sound footing. !

Mikolajezyk’s friends, who then
paraded as democrats and friends
of the people, sought even then
to impede the progressive mass
measures, In an indirect fashion
they sought to sabotage and ob-
struct the land reforms, But
their hopes were
Tens of thousands of tenants
and land slaves now own their

own land, and plow the fields.

for themselves and their peo-
ple’s welfare.

In December, 1945, the second
great reform measure, national-
ization of industry, was. effect-
ed. The state took over every

frustrated.

“‘government-bloc

@. The author, who is editor of
the Canadian Jewish Weekly,

enterprise employing more than
50 persons, Nationalization em-
braced over 2,000 factories em-

ploying more than 40 percent of ©

the land’s proletariat.

As a result of the speedy and
progressive steps taken by the
government, virtual wonders
were achieved in rehabilitation
and reconstruction. Poland today
is the biggest coal exporter in
Europe and the fourth largest
coal-producer in the world. Not-
withstanding the terrible devas-
tation, the capacity of Polish
production has. already reached
70 percent of the pre-war rate,
agriculture 40 percent, and the

- national income over 50 percent.

OTWITHSTANDING the bab-

lings of enemies, who prate
about violence and terror, the
entire apparatus of government
kas been democratized, Wide
masses of the population par-
ticipate in the actual adminis-
tration of their country’s destiny.

Instead of the small clique
of fascist-minded militarists, Po-
land is today governed by a
democratic people’s government.
This regime bears uppermost in
mind the people’s needs, not pro-
fits for a minority.

These are only a few of the
achievements secured by. the
which now
seeks reelection. The bloc con-
sists of four parties: PPR (Com-
munists), PPS (Socialists)

lajezyk,

SL.

was a member of the first

Canadian delegation to
visit post-war Polamd

My yyy

yy

(Progressive Peasant Party) and
the SD (Democratic Party).

Opposed to them is the PSL
—the Mikolajezyk party. :

More than once the four par-
ties, consisting the majority of
the government, proposed to
Mikolajezyk .a single. unified
election bloc. These proposals
were not advanced from fear
of Mikolajezyk’s influence, but
from a desire to create maxi-
mum unity and thus avoid a bit-
ter division-creating election
campaign.

The government was prepared
to come to a reasonable under-
standing, even offering the PSL
a proportionately greater num-
ber of election seats than it was’
entitled to receive. But Miko-
being motivated by
a frenzied desire to destroy the
government and restore the pre-
war conditions of rule, and in- ©
duced to greater opposition by
British and American reaction-
aries, refused, :

His current hysterical cries
about terror are only a means
to explain away the debacle
which awaits him in the elec-
tions. 5

The Polish people have had a
taste of the first fruits of demo-
cratic government. They heard
James Byrnes’ talk about Sile-
sia and they know that Miko-
lajezk’s friends are not their
friends. They see the activities
of .:the Anders desperadoes who
are encouraged by Bevin reac-
tionaries and are rallied around
Mikolajezyk, Just as they have
thrown into the ashcan of_his-
tory the conditions for which.
the ‘sanacja” and the feudalists
were responsible, so they will
repudiate them at the polls on

January 19.

Polish democracy is marching
forward, calmly and confidently.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 1947