Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1919-06-09

Troops Left There Under
Armistice Execute Coup
d'Etat, Overthrowing
Government.
UNDED Won DER GOLTZ
Baltic Province Asks aid Of
England Against the
Usurpers.

London, May Z, Correspondence OF
The Associated Press. General Won
der GOItz. commander of the German
troops in Lettland, or Latvia. one OF
the former Russian Baltic provinces OF
which Libau and Riga are the chief
ports, has established virtual dictator
ship in that country under the pretence
that he is fighting the spread of Bolshe-
vism among the Let's, according to the
Reuter- correspondent at Libau.
About the middle af April Baltic
German troops which had been Operat-
ing in Lettsland against the Russian
Bolsleviki were Withdrawn from the
front back to Libau and, under the Iii
rection of the Baltic Baron Manteuffel,
executed Il coup IL ntat, OyerthrOWing
the Lettish provisional government and
arresting the Lettish cabinet. Premier
Ullmanis however. evaded arrest and
found asylum under the protection of
the British mission which was backed
by the presence of a British warship
in Libau.
Result of Intrigue.
The correspondent asserts that this
coup Il etat undoubtedly was carried
out with the connivance Of Won der
Goltz' 1T will be recalled that one
= Berlin newspaper has admitted that the
movement was the result of an intrigue
conducted by the German barons in
the Baltic provinces who, it said, had
supplied money to maintain German
troops at Libau.
Won der Goltz owes his presence in
Lettland ut the head of a large force of
purely Germans troops to an article OF
tle armistice in the world war which
provided that German troops should re-
main in Lettland until the allies gave
orders to the contrary, writes the cor
respondent. His close supporters are
Baltic barolls who are descendants of
~the old Teutonic knights. They hold
immense tracts of land and enjoy feud-
al privileges of kind that were abol-
ished even before the French revolution.
These wealthy land owners are ex-
tremely tenacious of their enormous
privileges which they fear to see cur
tailed under any democratic regime,
and, the correspondent says they now
have entered into a conspiracy with
Germany's occupying forces to over
throw democracy in Lettland and pre-
pare the way for annexation to Ger
many.
Germans Overbearing.
Tie Germans act as though they OWL
ed the country and they show not the
slightest consciousness of having been
defeated in the war, says the CORES
pondent. TO British mission which
protested against the disarming of the
Lettish troops in Libau, Won der GoltZ
replied that 1.-THE situation had been
reestablished" but the correspondent
this for arms were not restored to the
Let's.
1.-The British mission here" writes
the correspondent, has no power to
force the Germans into doing anything
and this can only be done through the
machinery Of the armistice commission
ut Spa. The German troops are
making no movement against tEe Boil
sheviki between whom and themselves
they keep the river Aa.
Won der Goltz pretends that the Let's
themselves are BolsheviEi against
whom he has to guard the county.
Ask British Help.
The Lettish Premier. NJ. Ullmanis,
a refugee in the house Of the British
military mission, told the correspond
ent that England should send ammuni-
ton, food and a loan to enable the
Let's raise an army, that Won der Goltz
should be removed and representative
of the Allies put in control. This, he
said, would break the conspiracy for
German dominion.
The correspondent says he was invited
by Colonel Warwick Greene, head of the
American mission to attend a confer
ence at the house with three of the Bal
tic German leaders who tried hard to
win the sympatlies of the Americans in
support of new cabinet which they
favored Colonel Greene informed them
that he could not recommend his gov
eminent to recognize the situation
created by the German coup d etat so
long as the Baltic troops exercised con-
straint and prevented the restoration of
the old government or the creation of
a new one by a free and fair agreement
Misses Bessie Brinnick and Irene
Duea of Jewell are visitors in Web
;t,, l.;. aft