The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-02-01

strike has been declared in Munich,
according to a Central News dispatch
from Amsterdam today.
Amsterdam, Feb. 1. All public
meetings in Germany were banned to-
day by order of the superior COM
mand, in an effort to suppress the
general strike, according to dispatches
from Berlin.
Martial Law Declared.
London, Thursday, Jan. 31.-Martial
law has been extended to the great
ports of Hamburg and Bremen and to
Hemelingen, a nearby town, according
to reports received here. The Vor-
waerts ef Berlin, in announcing it's,
suppression of the newspaper for
three days, says this step was taken
because it melted a mass to strike.
Strikes have broken out in two
more Dortmund mines. The strikers
at Nuremburg, Bavaria, have resumed
work after a two-day demonstration
strike.
Police and Strikers Clash.
Amsterdam, Feb. There was a
clash between strikers and the police
in the northwestern part of Berlin
Thursday One policeman was killed
and a dozen strikers injured. There
were minor disturbances in other sec
Receding in Berlin.
Tie German press generally agrees
that the outbreak has reached its
climax in Berlin and is now receding.
The demonstrations are said to show
lack of centralized control.
Reports from the chief Industrial
sections of Germany indicate that the
strike movement no where is finding
the support necessary to carry it along.
The social party committee met in.
Berlin on Wednesday evening to de-.
eide upon the attitude of the party
in view of the extension of the strike.
The committee considered a program
which the Vossische Zeitung says was
regarded as offering a suitable basis
for negotiations with the government.
The program was restricted to politi-
cal demands, affecting domestic af-
fairs omitting reference to the desires
in regard to the foreign policy ex-
pressed by the strikers. The commit
tee also considered measures to pre-
vent the incitement of a strike of
bakers.
The fighting yesterday in Berlin in
Which policeman was killed was
brought about by an attempt on the
part of a crowd of men and women to
interfere with the street car traffic
Another policeman was injured seri-
ously
Cut Down Newspapers.
Minor disturbances are reported in
other sections of Berlin and in the
outskirts of the city The afternoon
newspapers have been compelled to
reduce the number of their pages
Public utilities are being operated
without interruption. so far as The
latest advices show.
Estimate Number at 18O OoO
German newspapers generally esti-
mate the number of strikers at 1So =
ZOO They all say that the disinte-
grafton of the movement is proceedine
rapidly. The riots of yesterday are
sald TO nave been due to anger of the
strikers on realizing that the move
ment was doomed to early failure
The trades unions are declining to
pay out strike benefits. AS an indi-
cation of the lack of centralized di-
rection, it is said that only q few of
the big plants of Berlin were forced to
suspend operations completely. The
governing board of the social demo-
crat party announced yesterday that
| it had not taken over the manageinent
of the strike.
An Orphaned Strike.
The trades unions thru the general
commission also disclaimed respon-
! sibility, and the strike appears conse-
| quently to have been orphaned, so lar
as these two authoritative bodies are
| concerned. The part played by Phili PIP
| Scheid emann, Friedrich Ebert and
| Herr Braun. Socialist leaders, is ex-
, planned on the ground that they are
! anxious to prevent the strike from re-
sulting in disorganization and rioting.
| While the party as such endorses the
| political demands regarding domestic
! affairs which were made, by the strik
ers it is generally believed that it def
| initely disapproves the present strike
| as an instrument for forcing the gov
ernment to meet these demands
| Play to Trotzky's Hand
| the Tageblatt warns Scheidemann
and Ebert against playing Trotzky's S
game, and appeals to the radical lead
! ers TO bring the outbreak to a concilia-
| tory conclusion, on account of the eff
feet abroad and for the sake of the
future prospect for the internal re-
| (Continuesi Page TwoD