Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-18
FREDERICK. EBERT !.
DEFINES POLICIES
German Socialist Premier
Declares Masses of People
Favor His Party.
FIRM STAND FOR ORDER
BY A. II. DECKER.

Chicago Daily News. Copyright, 1918.
BERLIN Germany, December 10
(dclayeO.-Before the Office of the
imperial chancellor in Wilhelmstrasse
today groups of soldiers and sailors
made Il demonstration calling upon
Friedrich Ebert to the the preSiden
of the German republic. Herr Ebert
refused. saying that it was for the
whole people to decide. Today
passed sailor sentinels guarding the
entrance and then entered the large
courtyard to the winged building
which was still flying the red flag of
the revolution. from the roof. In
the entrance hall were many visitors. in
Guiding soldiers from committees, politI-
cal personases and German journalists.
j heard the names of Haase. Barth
and of the other members of the
council of six. saw bald. thought
full man hurry across the corridor
with a bundle of papers under his
arm. That was Philip Scheidemann.
! waited a long time. for these men
were very busy trying to solve a sit
uation complex and entirely new
Finally ! was ushered into n large
room. the most conspicuous piece OF
furniture in which was an immense
fiat desk behind which sat dark,
heavy set. frank appearing man IN
ccre. meditative and idealistic., That
WAS Ebert. the man popularity desired
as president.
Ebert States Views.
He said TO me: THE council of six.
or peoples council has decided to
make firm stand. Tonight we pub
lsh u law which is Immediately zap
plIcah calling for the disarmament
of all who arc in the Illegal posses
sion Of arms. including the SpartacuS
group, with Kari Leibknecht at its
head. This group does not wish I'D
crty: it onIy expresses terror. We
have lcsaliZed the new army of the re-
public and will maintain order. Dur
ing the next few days the lmpossiple
situation in Nrukoln win he corrected
either of its own accord or by the ap-
plication of a new law.
Great Election Ahead.
''The great ma jority of the people are
with us. We wish to conserve liberty.
The approaching decisive phase of the
political situation is the meeting of the
soldiers and workmen's council on De-
ecmber l6. which will fix the exact
points in the constitution. From this
cay We will have the greatest election
struggle ever seen i'll Germany. 1t Will
prove, despite all vicissitudes, that the
desire for self government survives.
Simultaneous will be decided the long
disputed question as to the strength OF
the different parties. and especially the
three socialist parties. The votes Will
bring many disappointments. of which
the results of the elections in ChcmnitZ
md Dresden are significant. for there
my party-the moderate or ma jority So
cialiSts-receued overwhelming majori-
ties. without awaiting results. one can
st. Ia
ties namely. the Spartacus, is not
party but merely a group.
we do not consider calling the
reichstaS into session. In place OF the
old factors. the crown. the bundesrath
and the reichstag. We have the people s.
council and the workmen'S and soldiers
councils. and their representatives. We
could not keep part of the old regime
while discarding the rest. Besides. the
revolution showed that the reichstaS did
not at all answer to the wishes of the
people or else the revolution would not
have happened. The reichstag was weak
and irresolute, as was shown until No
Nember O.
Good Will to Russia.
i"You ask concerning our rela lions
with the Russian government. We
wish to live on good terms with all
nations and governments. We do not
want Moscow to NEEDLE in our in
tcrnal affairs. What we might have
expected from that source was shown
by Jofte's latest dispatch relating TO
arms funds and relief for Germany.
There is no doubt that under his
quality as amba ssador he carried on
propa gar da. That we must forbid in
the future. since although the German
republic possesses in common with
the Russian republic in name and
form. ii has nothing of the same
spirit We have nothing to do with
bolshevism and wish to have nothing
to do with it. BolShevism will thrive
with us only under the pressure of
hunger. and only through famine will
Russian bolSherism be model to be
copied in Germany. That is the con-
nection here between politics and
food. l cannot again tell our OPP
ponentS of the misery coming from
famine. Look and judge for your
self. if my word is not strong enough
10 tell the danger. Today we govern
without a parliament. but in our first
declaration we expressed wish for a
national assembly. Public opinion
asks for d national assembly. but.
first this general wish must be made
concrete before We can change from a
proviSory to permanent government.
Meanwhile we will do our best to
improve the food situation and bring
peace as well as to satisfy the wishes
of all the belliserents in trying TO fix