Foreign Language Press Service

Here Is No Poland, You Polacks, but the United States of America

Ukraina, Oct. 18, 1919

The "Siege" movement which spread among the Ukrainians in Chicago, New York, and throughout the United States through natural irresistible force, restlessly excites the hot-headed Poles. Fortunately, this is not Poland here, but a free democratic country. Here they cannot establish and give a free hand to hoards of rootless Polish state detectives; they cannot establish the Polish "culture" of arson, gibbets and dungeons. But the Polish black hand is present even here. Where it is impossible for them to carry on their savage work with bayonet and dagger there they fight by spying and misinformation.

The United States federal authorities in New York raided the Siege locale in search for weapons and inciting literature - of course, they did not find anything of the sort, because the Siege members are not anarchists, but Ukrainian patriots who want Ukrainia to be an independent republic, established not on communism, but on a democratic foundation.

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The Ukrainians in the United States are grateful to the federal government for the freedom which they use to good advantage, and the best sign of their gratefulness is the fact that thousands of our boys fought in the World War under the Stars and Stripes of Uncle Sam.

The federal agent was showing translations from our newspapers Ukraina, Siege News, and other Ukrainian newspapers, which the Polacks purposely mistranslated in order to denounce us. Of course, in those reports the Polish translators twisted around many statements. It is a known fact that the Polack could not live without lying.

The federal agent visited Ukraina and inquired about the Siege movement among us. Both in Chicago and in New York he obtained the same answer, namely, that the Ukrainian movement is a national independence movement, and that "Sieges" are Ukrainian national athletic associations. He asked whether we drill with weapons. To this we replied that we do not have any permission for it, but that we shall apply for one.

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Without permission we do not have any weapon drill, because it is against the law, and the "Sieges" were, are, and will be loyal and law-abiding citizens of the United States.

Up to the present time inquiries ended, yet we are sure that it is the Polish black hand which will be restless and will invent something new in order to check the spread of the Siege movement.

This should only strengthen our work in that direction. It is evident that the Poles are afraid of the Sieges, since they want to stop this movement. Let, therefore, every enlightened Urkrainian, man and woman, join our ranks. Let all the Ukrainians of New York and Chicago and of the whole United States join the Siege association.

There should be nothing more advantageous to us than public litigation, if it only would come to pass. By the litigation the American public 4would find out who is Paderewski and his bourgeois - clerical clique which now rules Poland. The Americans would find out about all the savageries of the Hallor's (Polish) army, about the atrocities and barbarism of the Huns of the present age. There would come to true light the fake "knighthood" of the Polish bandits, who horribly raged at the defenseless Ukrainian inhabitants of the Eastern Galicia. The bandit stamp would be attached to the Poles once for all, and their so-called "culture" would show itself nothing more than ordinary savage animal brutality.

Therefore, to work, Siege members! Do not be afraid of the Polish threats in America. The Americans, and not the Poles, rule this country. Our movement when advertised will bring us sympathy from the freedom-loving Yankees.

The Americans warred for the ideal of freedom.

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The Americans went to the World War in order to free the whole world.

When the Americans learn about the fact that so many disadvantages came upon Ukrainia, how much the enemies press from all sides against Ukrainia, in order to enslave us, the Americans will be the first ones to say to our national enemies: "Get out of Ukrainia! Hands off from the Ukrainian possessions!"

Let our enemies rage in their powerless wrath.

With faith in our proper right to demand what is our own, let us stand under the Siege banner, under the flag of one undivided and independent Ukrainia!

N. Burlaka.

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