Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-04-29

gering. Put to maintain order the
present army is barely sufficient.
at is absolutely essential under the
circumstances, | could not consider
favorably the French proposal, trans
mitted through unofficial American
channels, that our army be reduced
to 100, 900. Lam war minister against
my will. | do not relish the job of
having to build up an army, or rather.
dismantling an army; but as things
stand our home army can only be re-
duced as rapidly as food and raw ma
terials come in to give food and EN-
pfuyment to the masses. l will be a
happy man when l can stick the last
German soldier into a polceman's I'M
form
Nor can the German army safely
be reduced until the eastern peril
passes, according to Noske, who said;
81 assume that peace will be con
Guided on the basis of President Will
sons League of Nations"
But he added: Can the league
guarantee to us that Russian hordes
will not swamp us if we reduce or
disband our army? We do not want
Germany to be the battle ground of
BOlsheVism. We must maintain the
army to protect the. eastern frontier
at least until Russia is taken into the
league of nations and disarms
Il have let President Wilson know
exactly how many troops we have on
the eastern front | would not want
ii to get into the newspapers with
how few troops we have been holding
Rolshevism at bay"
Herr Noskes position is that in
stead of reducing, Germany needs a
larger army, if anything, to cope with
the internal and external situation,
He brands the idea of independent
socialist leaders that the army will
prove a tool of a counter-revolution
as stuff and nonsense"
Il pledge myself ruthlessly to sup
press the slightest manifestation of
counter-revolution activity he said,
"but | fear none. l am thoroughly
informed of what is going on.
The number of persons in Ger
many interested in cOunter-revolu-
ton is relatively small.
The bulk of the German people do
not want the Hohenzollerns back and
is glad to he rid of them. The army
is thoroughly loyal to the democratic
Rank and File Aid Government.
our men as socialist and telling
them their duty is to maintain and
preserve the new democracy, and
from my talks with the men of the
volunteer army | am convinced that
they would not follow any officer who
tried to even sway them into a coun-
er-revolution,
For the most part the monarchists
too are Loyalty with me, feeling tina,
| and the army alone can keep Ger
many from slipping into Bolshevism |
Minister NoSke intimated that the !
socialist government had strong
hold too on all the officers corps, suf- !
fitient to insure their continued 10y |
atty and to prevent counter-revolu- |
tionary warnings In fact, the gov
continues to pay to them |
small Neutrality-suspicious. Just suff.- |
cient to exist on--but If the present |
stable government were overthrow |
Their income would automatically !
cease. Hence self-interest is keeping |
many devout monarchists supporting |
the socialist government. 1t is utterly !
impossible, too, according to Noske |
to organize a large counter revou-
tionary army secretly to rise at a sig |
nal.
me masses or the small people, |
he said and the workers who would |
have to furnish the bulk of such an |
army have no use for the HohenZbl- |
Tern monarchy, and, in the second |
place, it would have nothing to fight |
with. Through my confidential agents |
am keeping the sharpest control |
over all arms and ammunition given |
out for local protection in the prov
noes"
Asked whether the crown princes |
exported intended return to Germany |
after peace might give impetus to a |
counter revolution, Noske said en-
Dhatically:
NO! If he comes back, nobody |
would pay any attention to him We
nave got several Hohenzollern princes
living around here now, and nobody !
axes notice of them"