Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-06
PAYER DEFENDS IRON
HAND IN UKRA|N|A
Declares Plot to Kill German
Officers There Was
Uncovered.
scHEIDEMANN OPPOSES

AMSTERDAM. May S.-Tfe imperial
German vice chancellor. Friedrich Won
Payer. speaking before the main COM
mittee Of the reichstag Yesterday. at
tempting to Justify Gernany's use Of
the iron hand in Ckrainia in tho last
few days.. whore. he declared. prominent
Ukrainians. under the title Of the COM
mittes Of safety. had been caught PLAN
ming the assassination Of all German
officers. or. rs the vice chancellor
phrased It. "a sort Of Sicilian vespers."
C"sicilian vespers" is the term given
to the massacre Of the French In Sicily
Palermo. March 80, 1889: so-called from
its commencement at vespers on Easter
Monday. The populace ran through the
and 5000. without distinction OF rank.
age or sex, were killed)
Rendered Them Harmless.
Won Payer declared. according TO Ber.-
lin dispatches, that the membership OF
the COMMITTEES OF safety included sew
eral Ukrainian ministers. and that the
committee held It's meetings at tho
house Of the war minister. Tho Ger
mans. he added, therefore. took steps
to render them harmless"
The vice chancellor explained that
body was In session was . regrettable
blunder for which Immediate reparA-
ton was made and regret in writing
was expressed The German local COM
Immediately removed from once and
the legal investigation continues
The new Ukrainian government, the
vic9 chancellor said. was established
by the people themselves. namely. by
the peasants. who desired an orderly
nHAvfnnA
mont. These peasants. some 1000 In
number. he said. proclaimed the Ukrain-
ian general Skoropadski dictator and
hetmAn OF Ukraine. He accepted the
ing . new sovernmsnt which VIII be
q demooratio one. Distinguished from
the former government BY tto non
recognition OF oommuniDtio Theories
which deny any ownership OF the soil
schsidsmann Voices opposition.
In the discussion that followed the
vice chancellor's speech Philip Scheide-
mann. majority socialist leader. de-
scribed the whole procedure as related
by Herr Won Payer as incomprehensi-
sa and ssna the
now government. composed Of consti-
tuttonal democrats and federalists. "the
last people with whom We should
WORK.. In co0clu01Ou deTI SCuelo0-
mann declared that . supply Of grain
cannot be secured In this way.
Matthias Er1berger, socialist, urged
that the ahape taken by the eastern
question would be decisive for the en-
tire future IN modelling European at
fairs. He said that Ukraine was the
pivot in the east. and n . guiding line
for Germany's future policy there he
suggested that the political depart
ment of the German government should
be the sole deciding factor. The sup
ply Of grain promised in the peace
treaty could be expected only II Ger
many on her part delivered the goods
promised in exchange.
Baron Won Den Observation-Disclosures
en-, undersecretary for foreign affairs.
replying to criticisms. said that further
negotiations were proceeding at kiev.
He emphatically contradicted the as
sertion that Germany's policy was sup
ported by the big landowners OF Ukraine
According to . Berlin official state
mont, May 2, the Germans established
military rule in Kiev. the Ukraine.
and placed under arrest numerous on-
cials Of the government on the ground
that ''the government has proved too
weak to maintain law and order. The
Ukrafnian government omcials arrest
ed included the minister OF war, the
chief of the ministry OF the interior.
the wife Of tho minister Of the interior.
the chief of the foreign ministry and
the commander of the town militia