The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-05-06
FOOD DICTATES
UKRAINE RULE
Necessary Also to Save the
Army, Says German Vice.
Chancellor.
TELLS OF ALLEGED PLOT
Charges That Committee Of
Safety Plotted "a Sort Of
Sicilian Vcspers."
TELLS OF ALLEGED PLOT
Rn the AaAocidfed HreSs


AMSTERDAM, May 5.-Friederich Won
Payer. the Imperial German Vice-C Chan
cellor. speaking yesterday before the
Main Committee Of the Reichstag, at
tempted to Justify Gcrmany's use Of the
iron hand in Ckrainia in the last few
days where. he asserted, prominent
Ckrainians, under the title Of the COM
mittee Of safety. had been caught plan
ming the assassination OF all German
officers. or. as the Vice. Chancellor
phrascd it, "a sort Of Sicilian vespers, "
tSicilian vespers Is the term given
to the massacre OF The French in Sicily
by the Sicilians. which began at Palermo
on March 80. 1889 so called from its
commencement at vespefs on Easter
Monday. The populace ran through the
city crying out. Let the French die
and 5000. without distinction OF rank
age or sex. were killed.)
A Berlin official statement on May .
said the Germans established military
rule in Kiev. the Ckrainian capital. and
placed under arrest numerous officials
OF the Government on the ground that
the Government has proved too weak
cials were freed short time later.
Won Payer declared, according to Ber-
lin dispatches. that the membership
of the committee Of safety included sew
erai Ckrainian Ministers and that the
committee held its meetings at the house
! Of the War Minister. The Germans. he
added. thsi efore took steps to render
them harmless"
gnn EAUAuaeNv
THE Germans entered Ukraine said
| the Nice-Chancellor. 'at the express
wish OF the Ukrainian Government fol
the purpose Of restoring order. Bu
there were also other grounds. We haG
/ a lively interest in getting foodstuffs a.
speedily az possible The general idea
then was that great quantities of food
s.uffs could be procured In Ukraine and
the Ckrainians undertook to deliver al
least 5000 tons by August /. The
Rada. however. had no means Of in
sisting on the delivery of the grain b.
the population. The Germans therefore
had to roncern themselves with obtain.
ing deliveries in accordance with the
treaty.
our activity in this direction ha.
been 10 certain extent source OF
/ discomfort The recent reorganization
Of the Ckrainian Government has moth
ing to do with the decree issued h,
Gen. Won E.ichhorn Commander OF tn,
I German army group in Russia) relative
+ to the sowing Of crops, nor with tht
arrest Of members Of the Government.
This reorganization is purely =
Ckrainian affair. with which we are not
concerned. The Rada recently has los
ground to an increasing extent. II un
doubtedly had the merit of having ere
,t,,s
peace But stubborn adherence TO com
munistic theories that have gained NJ
sympathy among the peasant population
which is attached to the soil. seems 4
have been principally responsible fo
bringing about its end.
German Interests at stake.
The field sowing decree was issueC
because opposition to the proposed lane
exprOpriation created the danger that
great part of the soil would remain ur
/ cultivated and that Ukraine thereh,
would be unable to'fulfl her obligations
toward US.
"The interests Of our people, therefore
were at stake, The Tkrainian Govern
ment was powerless to fulfil its obliga
4 tons Moreover. the decree was not ad
dressed to the Tkranian people, hut Il
y
Measures have now been taken tha
in all affairs OF political Importance on
military commanders must only act Il
collaboration with the German MinSte'
AS regards the arrest OF members o
the Government in the Rada on tn
night Of April - Director Dohry OF tn
rkrainian Bank. and member of tn
delegation which conducted the iiuancia
negotiatons with US. was arrested h.
4 sl,A rpHn "A k,N
acted on the instructions Of the Commit
tee of rkrainian Salvation.
Army Was In DANGER.
This committee pursued an anti-Ger
man tendency, and several Ckrainiar
Ministers belonged to it, They went 8
far as to aim at driving the Germans OH
OF their country and met in the house q
the War Minister. where on one occasio
A sort Of Scilian Nespers, namely. tn
assassination of all German officers, wa
suggested.
"Nothing remained, therefore. eNcep
TO render harmless the foolish instigator
Of this plan. Our Minister, Baron vo
Mumm. demanded that the Premier i'm
mediately institute an Investigation. TIL
Premier promised to do so, but nothin
followed.
"There was thus undouhted danger (
the lives OF our officers and army. tn
only course open was to take legal ao
ton in the Ukrainian courts, which wa
mpracticable, or to insure our safet
by other means. Gen, Won Eichhorr
therefore. in accord with the Germa
Minister. decreed "A state OF enhance
protection under which all offence
against public peace ana order may b
Judged by field tribunals. Legal pro
ceedings thus were inaugurated under
new code and thus the arrests ordere
Of personalities already mentioned"
Regrets Arrests In RadR.
The Nice-Chancellor explained tina
the arrests made in the Rada while tina
body was in session was regrettabl
blunder for which imYedate reparatio
was made and regret in writing ea
pressed The German local commando
! reApOnsible for the blunder was i'm