Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-10-17
REDS NOT BLAMED
+. FOR SAAR TROUBLE
Correspondent Learns That
Youths and Criminals Are
Held Responsible.
BY WILLIAM e. NASH.
BY Cable to The Star and CHICAGO
Daily News. Copyright, 1919.

Daily News. Copyright, 1919.
sAARBRUCKEN. Rhenish Prussia,
October III came to this valley Of
trouble to learn what actually hap
pened in the disturbances last week
and to discover If possible the under
lying causes 1t was here that four
civilians, one French officer and one
French soldier were killed in riots
resulting in the court-martial and
sentencing of one ring leader to
death, eight to twenty years and sew
en- to ten years Imprisonment at fore
ed labor
1 find that public opinion is that the
fighting was due to irresponsible
youths and criminals who had man.
aged to conceal revolvers on their
persons rather than to an organized
band led by bolsheviki. When the
troops interviewed. Underneath is the
ironic fact that though the Saar re-
gion IS one of the richest coal basins
in the world. the Inhabitants could
not buy enough coal to keep them
selves warm. 1 took much pains to
obtain the details of the consecutive
events and the story agreed upon by
well informed citizens is as follows
Strike Contributing Cause.
For many days prior to October Z the
railway men and miners throughout the
Saar valley had been on a strike. In
tie region of Saarbrucken all the labor
ers had quit. The grievances of the
strikers were: First, they received too
small a coal ration; second, potatoes and
ether food products were exploited for
the benefit of French cities; third, the
railway men were still under military
discipline, and. fourth, the colonial
troops upon whom the French relied for
garrison purposes were unfit to keep or
DER among civilized people. Naturally
with so many men idle the streets be-
came crowded. On October the strikers
ton and huge crowd marched up and
down the Bahnhofstrasse and other
main streets shouting their grievances.
The police were too weak to cope with
them. for the French had dissolved most
of the force at the time of the armistice.
Hoodlums, who are ever present on
such occasions, plundered a clothing
shop and soon the mob caught the
fever and Joined in the robberies.
Then the French troops interviewed.
Heretofore they had stood aloof as
they regarded it as 4 local affair, but
the 1ooting was too much, and they
tried to dispense the mob with clubs.
Who fired the first shot is not known.
but even the Germans admit that 1t
may have been done by the needless
ing. At any rate the fusillade grew
general The French colonials became
so excited that they lost all idea of
discipline. The soldiers ran up and
down the streets ordering the inhabi-
tants to close their windows and put
out the lights. Since most of them
knew little or no German, the orders
were generally disobeyed. AT one
place soldiers fired yolley into an
open lighted window and killed one
of their own officers. major stand
ing there reviewing the situation.
Takes Stern Measures.
On the next day the riots had ceased
and the French officials took stern
mea sures as a precaution. Martial law
was proclaimed. ALI public places had
TO close at pm. and civilians had
TO quit the streets before pm. One
hundred or more persons were ar
rested. Soon reports were spread that
six had been executed without trlai.
Neyertheless the strikers showed
Willingness to compromise and an
aereement.was reached between their
representatives and Gen. Andiauer,
the French commander. BY Octoper ~
ALI the railway men and the 1actory
hands had returned to work. In otner
narts of the valley. however. some
IF the miners are still out
Thouph the city Is OutWardiy Qule'
the situation evidently still is tense
The railway station is guarded py
French gendarmes who scrutinize an
passers. All soldiers wear , s,de e, arms
mations telling what cannot be done
under state of siege. While l was
in newspaper Office talking with the
editor numerous telephone inquiries
came concerning alleged atrocities by
colored soldiers. In view OF this
! tried to obtain an idea of the feeling
Of the inhabitants toward the French
The German race feeling was not as
| had as had expected. Almost every
one respects Gen. Andlauer. the gov
ernor general of Saar, and his firm
| action, it is believed, prevented terri
HE excuses. 1t is said that II he
would profit by past errors and act
little less like a master the relations
might even grow amiable. If he does
not do this the inhabitants say thai
new. troubles are bound to occur. II
| ia reported that other riots took place
in Voelttlingen and Neunkirchen. one
nerson said that the only general anti
French sentiment was among the
miners.