Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-16
'I'EUTONS GATHER
TO SELECT KINGS
German and Austrian Mon.
Srchs and Statesmen in
Important Conclave
POLISH QUESTION FIRST
BY GEORGE RENw1CK
sPec'af Gable TO Epcnins Public LEDGE,

S'0prf0hf 1918, bv Neto FORK Times Co.
Amsterdam, Aug. Is.
rhe masters Of the Central Empires
.ppear to be in a great hurry to make
more kings and Kingdoms. In GERMANY
mat is generally accepted as beins. a
ery considerable part of the task of o.,
i,pposihg .pg array Of high personalities
men was completed yesterday at Gov.
man imperial HEADQUARTERS by the a.
'Nai or Kaiser Charles
BESIDES the two Fmperors the IT,reigo
Nihisters OF both Central Empire- ,~rre
present. Won Hintze and Count P,.rfar
iae,ierich, fresh from the Bolshevik peril
anu chaos; the Austro- Hungarian am
passador At Berlin, Prince Hohenlohe,
ana the German ambassador in Vienna
count Wedel. are there. Poland is rep
resented by Prince Radziwill. who came
from warsaw and Count Adam Roniker.
Berlin. 80
II Is clear an effort is to be made TO
settle the Polish question. and in the
scramble Tor eastern thrones competition
rs greatest for that of Poland. There
are no fewer than four candidates Aus
trian, Bavar!an, Saxon and even Bulea-
rian PRICES all have ambitions to rule in
Warsaw.
cei DOlllC3t circles believe the
Polish question will not be settled "a the
austrian sense-by uniting the kingdom
OF Poland In personal union with the
DUAL Monarchy-but that Poland will be
set up as an Independent Kingdom"
fhat means, of course. that 1t will be
well under German authority. 1t would
also appear that all eastern countries
are to have their frontiers fixed for them.
And it is expected that. In addition to
g., N;,,l, ,.,tii
directly have kings chosen for them.
Little Enthusiasm in Germany
The prospect of such arrangements
without waiting for "a king-making VIC
tory'-rouses not very great enthusiasm
in Germany, not even among Pan-Ger-
mans. as c-a be seen from the Deutsch
Tages Zeitung's comment
1t has serious suspicion that the Ger
man prncelets might turn against Ger
NAM before long. Reventlow holds up
Run-- MIA as warning and. like other
Pan-German journals, plumps for annex
alton outright.
Vorwarta hits the nail on the head
swhen 1t declares that this king-making is
evidence of a desire OF the powers that
be in Germany and Austria Hungary for
military supremacy in the world. for
only by that supremacy can the pro-
jected new thrones be sustained.
Affairs in Russia. too. will be con-
sidered by this imposing gathering The
Weser Zeitung claims TO know that
Helfferich will not return to his post.
while the aglicherundschaud declares
that the German Government has re-
fused the request of the Bosheviki for
military aid.
Indeed, the news which comes from
Russia shows that the situation there
is demonstrated by the roundabout way
which Helfferlch's staff took to reach
Pskovk. In Moscow the latest news
is that a rising similar to that in
,Iaroslav in July is expected at any
time, while Soviet administrations are
falling all over the country.
Alarm over Russian Situation
The whole state of affairs is causing
great alarm In Berlin and something
like terror in Vienna. In political cir
cles the action Of the Czech h-Slovaks
: has naturally had a great repercusson
throughout Austria, and especially in
Bohemia. In Bohemia it Is anticipated
that things may. come to head much
earlier than most people think. and Pan
German papers in Germany are express
ing unbounded amazement that Austria
stands with folded arms while things
are rushing to crisis. The Tagliche
Runschau is amazed that despite all
war and treason laws, communication Is
still kept up between the C2echo-S Slovalt
army fighting on the side Of the En-
tente and the people at home in Bo-
1 hemia."
The conference at imperial headquar-
ters has therefore enough to think about
and discuss.
The whole German press is sending up
an urgent prayer to the Government
that It should abandon its policy Of ST.
lence regarding war aims and undertake
raging, tearing propaganda-otherwi ise
peace offensive-throughout the country,
SO the German people may know def
nitely what they are fighting for.
The Hamburger Nachrichten even
pleads for an announcement of change
in war aims. THE two reverses which
German arms have suffered" n says,
have produced a deep emotion in the
& German people. There is no use deny
ing that nor ought It be denied" It
wants Hertlng to follow up the initia-
tive Of courage" displayed by headquar-
ters. for, more than ever, it Is now
necessary to raise the spirits of the
German people" II actually thinks the
best policy for the Government Is to sup
port league OF nations ideal-indeed
strange attitude for such a oreposter-
ously imperialistic journal to take UP.
The Rheinische Westfalische Zeitune
supports the demand. but with a view OF
having such things as home rule in Ire
land. the evacuation of Egypt, and SO or
definitely placed on the German program
So Hertling will certainly have great
difficulty in pleasing all sections OF his
!. Pan-German friends should he agree tc
the fervent petitions for enlightenment
That he is most likely to do SO Is clear
from a statement by the inspired cor.
respondent of the Cologne Gazette who
writing obviously by dictation, shows
how near II is to have clarity regarding
tho situation and that those OF the Gov.
ernment who are good speakers" should
20 up and down the country makine
speeches and not merely wait till tn,
Reichstag opens
So the next German peace offensiv,
will probably take the form of a foot
OF German Government oratory.
A A