Evening star., 1919-02-25
GERMANS LAMENT
LOSS OF OLD ARMY
Numerical Strength of New
Organization for Defense
Is ProbIematicaI.
OBSTACLES IN ASSEMBLY
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
BERLIN, Monday, February 24.-The
conservative press lanents the passing
OF. the imperial army, which will be-
come thing of the past when the
Weifnar assembly, perhaps this week,
adopts the national defense measure.
This bill provides for the organi-
zation If national guard, which
will be composed of one brigade for
each former army corps. Conscrip-
tion will be abandoned, according to
the terms of the bill, and voluntary
recruiting will be conducted by
central bureau.
At present unofficial stations are
receiving soldiers, being supported
out of private funds. These organi-
cations will be incorporated in the
new army, which, it is declared, will
be built up on strictly democratic
lines" but with rigid discipline. As
voluntary enlistment is new ex-
perrin ert the numerical strength of
the national guard is preblematieaL
Conservatives Aid Radicals.
wEIMAR, Monday, February "a (by
the Associated Press) ss).-Censervatites
and Independent socialists were able
to unite for the first time this after
noon. When the national defense
section of the new constitution came
up for first reading Hugo HaaSe, in
dependent socialist, protested that
his party had not been given legal
advance notice that the measure was
10 be considered Konstantine Feb
1f
that the first reading might go on,
but that there might not be any de-
bate. Then, noticing only eleven in
dependent socialists in their seats he
attempted parliamentary strategy and
asked IL fifteen members, the requisite
number to prevent consideration,
would vote against the measure.
Enough conservatives came forward
to aid the independent socialists in
deferring.
l. Deries It Is patchwork"
Hugo Preuss, who framed the tenta-
tive draft of the new constitution.
spoke during the day. He told of the
differences of opinion which had to be
overcome before the document could
be, brought to the form in which It
was presented before the assembly,
He said that the work had been done
in forty-eight hours, but denied that
it was a patchwork"
"phe new colors of black, red and
gold typify new Germany he said.
germany will be sponsor for the
league of nations II received on equal
terms. she will not be a minority
member"
Br. otto Bauer, foreign minister of
German Austria, will arrive tomorrow
10 conduct negotiations for a union of
Germany and German Austria.
Propose Provisional Guard.
BASEL. February 2+.-Delegates
Joeb. PAYER, Roemer and Risser to-
day moved the following resolution
in the German national assembly at
weimar -
sThe president of the state is au-
tbarized to dissolve the present army
and 10 constitute q. provisional ma
tional guard, which, until the consti-
tion ~ }he new military force under
The law protecting the frontiers of
the country. shall maintain order in
the interior of the country and en-
force respect 4fof the- aecrees OF the
government.
.aThe new army OF national defense
must be founded upon a democratic
basis and must comprise the associa-
tions of volunteers already existing,
and also new volunteers.
The Christian socialists of Ger
man Austria have agreed to a union
of their part of the former Austrian
empire with Germany on condition
that the capital of the united coun-
tries be in central Germany. accord
ing to a dispatch from Vienna quot
tng the Reichspost of that city
immense demonstrations in favor of
a union with Germany were held at
I;enna today and resolutions were
passed asking that the weimar as
sembly realize immediately a union
between German Austria and Ger
many. German deputies and Aus
trian ministers made addresses dur
ing the demonstrations.
Il matters littie what it is that you