Ashland weekly tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1919-1924, 1919-12-17


of prominent officials, draw lots and
then put away" the condemned;
(c) that, particularly in Munich,
plans were afoot for creation of red
"shock troops" to use against reg
ular military-particula against
monarchistic officers; (d) that in
cases of demonstrations, women and
children were to be put in the fore
ranks to shield the towards behind
from the machine guns Of the gov
ernment troops; (e) that the COM
munist government should ally itself
with the anarchist-syndicalist
groups.
All evidence at hand in the past
few weeks has shown quite conclu-
sively that the Spartacists and the
Independents were endeavoring to
prove conclusively to Germany and
to the world that they had moderat-
ed Certainly, in general, they
adopted a new course OF tactics from
that pursued last winter and spring
when riotng and bloodshed were the
order of the day. Their new course
appeared to consist in fermentation
of strikes and other internal troubles
with a view to so embarrassing the
government and hampering the ma
tional life that the existing regime
would be overthrown.
Now, however, the evidence OF the
government contained In documents
seized from imprisoned Spartacists
shows that whereas sabotage and
kindred weapons were probably ia
vored by the bulk of the communists,
there was another group that believed
in "direct action" of the worst sort.
The murder of Government Inspec.
tor Blau in August led the govern
ment to probe even more deeply than
before into the secret workings OF
the communist group This general
investigation led to number OF ar
rests, including the haul at Halle
wherein about dozen of the very
radical stripe were captured. It also
proved to the governments satisfac-
tion that Blau was killed by reds
who suspected him OF being a spy.
Munich continues to be a fruitful
source Of communist agitation. Some
of the reddest OF the reds have their
headquarters there. From these
headquarters issue secret orders
which every now and then fall into
government hands and prove that
not only are these agitators willing
TO harm, and even halt, the national
industrial life, but have no really
sincere desire to benefit the laboring
men. Instead, il has been shown,
the agitators are fattening on pro-
letarian funds. some OF which EN-
mate directly from Bolshevik Rus
ria, and others of which are collect
ed from the brethren" in Germany,
Austria and Czeko-Slovakia.
Part of the program of these ag-
itatOrs is to give their course an
air Of respectability by recruiting "in-
tellectuals."
One set of documents obtained re-
Gently shows that orders were out for
the radical press to cease making any
harsh attacks upon the government
lin order to lull the officials into a
sense OF security" The same set OF
orders declared that the intellect
uals" must be organized and that
their aid must be obtained in fur
thering the communist cause.
An intellectual is what in the
United States would be called a par
lor bolshevlk. Many of these people,
who honestly believe in the cause
they preach, are being used as tools
Of paid, professional agitators who
work with poison, guns, and propa-
ganda to upset the existing order
and to supplant It with a new regime,
according to government evidence.
How widespread the membership
N the murder centralo" was. is not
evident at this time. Com
nunist sources claim that these
groups did not represent the senti-
nent and the intentions of the rank
md file. The government, on the
'ther hand, contends that these
Sroups and their plans were certain
y sufficiently strong to plunge the
country into reign Of terror this
and perhaps to spread the
germ OF communism actively to the
est of Europe.