New-York tribune., 1918-12-05
German Uprising
Like Big Holiday,
With Rioting Rare
Papers Treated Harshly at
First; Few Persons Killed
in Berlin; but Authorities
Bowed Readily to Councils
Tribune Foreign Press Bureau

Tribune Foreign Press Bureau
hitherto unpublished details on the
German revolution are found in the
latest German newspapers to arrive in
this country. The papers of Saturday
and Sunday, November 8. and 10, are
filed with dispatches from nearly all
parts of Germany reporting the trans-
ton of city governments to the coun-
ellis. Mayors and police officials
everywhere announced their willing
ness to work in harmony with the
usurping soldiers and workmen. Cen
eral strikes of two or three days dura-
ton were ordered in not few of the
large centres to give emphasis to the
fact the revolution was distinctly one
of the working people.
Saturday appears to have been the
greatest day Of the revolution. The
newspapers of that day printed in their
afternoon editions Prince Max's decree
announcing the Kaiser har decided to
abdicate
SO far as these papers indicate there
was no great sorrow among the people
on the fall Of the Hohenzollerns. A
royaist paper like the "Koelnische
zeitung," dilated upon its wounded
feelings, and printed a long history of
the dynasty under the caption, "The
Hohenzollerns Through Five Cen
turies"
A sample of how the Socialists
greeted the abdication is found in a
speech made at Frankfort Saturday
night by Herr Wendell, member of the
Reichstag. Avoiding the question of
the Kaiser's guilt, ne went on: But
he was the symbol of the old authori-
tative state which has humbugged US
for decades; and for that reason he
had to disappear. We meant well with
the Kaiser; we said to him: will
helm, your time has come Wilhelm,
you must retirel' He did not follow
our advice, and this movement fol-
lowed"
The revolution struck Frankfort on
Friday, November 8, and finished its
work Saturday morning. A soldiers
council had been organized, which
placed power in the hands of two nom
commissioned officers.
A Socialist alderman was made chief
of police. All the local authorities.
including even the military district
commander, Immediately accepted the
situation.
The two non-coms issued orders clos
ing all places of amusement temporarily
and warning people to keep off the
streets after o'clock at night. They
threatcne rigorous punishment for
persons caught pillaging.
They also treated the newspapers
with severity at first In it's Saturday
evening edition the "Frankfurter lei
tung" printed this notice at the head
of its columns:
Last night soldiers council took
over the public authority in Frankfort.
1t caused the office Of the Frank
furter Zeitung' to be occupied In or
der to assist in maintaining order, the
editors are issuing this number pure Y
as a newssheet. They must abstain
from every expression of their own
views"
In its Sunday morning issue, how
ever, it was already able to announce
the censorship had been raised, and
the paper would continue to be edited
as usual
Order marked the revolution. In
very few places did rioting occur. The
councils appealed for order on the
ground that any turmoil would endan-
ger the movement of food supplies The
council at Bochum, in the great coal
region, announced that pillagers Of
shops would be shot.
At Berlin tn -re was considerable
machine gun and rifle firing on Satur-
day night, and few -ersons were
killed and wounded; but otherwise the
revolution there was like a great pop
ular holiday. The soldiers had or
ganized their council on Friday, and
the troops that had been sent there
to quell the anticipated outbreak went
over to the council.
A great strike was declared in the
big factories and on the street rail-
ways. Enormous crowds paraded the
streets. Soldiers kept order, the police
having been disarmed and superseded
on Friday. Officers automobiles filled
with armed soldiers hurried about the
streets. The soldiers had torn off
their cockades and other military in
sigma, and most of them carried red
HauS