Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1919-01-03

The German democratic party In
assembly at Coblenz, adopted a plat
form on which it will stand in the ma
tional assembly. Combating both the
reactionaries and the socialists, it
calls for q united Germany, including
German Austria; equality of all citi-
zens, male and female; freedom of
thought, religion, press and speech.I
officials of the Rhenish province have\
suggested another plan of r~eorganiza-
ton, the formation of seven minor
republics, which shall be united under
a central government.
In all their planning and scheming
the Germans of all shades of opinion
and sincerity are counting more and
more on the influence of President
Wilson and of Americans generally to
obtain easier terms from their con-
querors. Their words and actions
make this evident, Notwithstanding the
fact that there is little on which they
have any right to base such hopes.
Our army of occupation, according to
reports, is having an elaborate exposi-
ton Of the German policy of spread
ing soft soap, and the Boches there
took full advantage of the Christmas
spirit that ~pervaded the troops.
Charles r. Crane of Chicago, just
returned from Siberia, says: mo one
knows anything about Russia. 1t is
a tragedy" That sums up the stu
alton in the distracted, starving
try that spreads from the Baltic to
the Pacific. No one knows just what
Is happening there, still less what is
likely to happen. The stories of those
who claim to have accurate information
are utterly conflicting and confusing.
One says the bolsheyiki are gaining in
strength and are the only force that
can be counted on to restore order and
save the country from absolute disas-
ter. Another aver that the bolshevik
movement is waning and that the gov
eminent at Omsk must be relied or.
Yet others call loudly for Intervention
In force by allies, and they are opposed
by those who declare the allied troops
must be withdrawn and the Russians
left to work out their own salvation.
In the Baltic provinces the b~olsheviki
continue to push back their opponents,
including such Germans as remain
there, and both Prussia and Poland
are becoming anxious concerning their
borders. On the A%rchangel front the
Lenine forces are said to be numerous
and we'll organized and the position of
the allied expedition in that region is
none too comfortable.
General Semenoff, the anti-bolshevik
leader who refused to recognize the au-
thority of Admiral Kolchak, dictator
in the Omsk government, is said to
have consented to give his recognition
provided Kolchak retires in favor of
General Denikine, hetman of the Cos
sacks, as soon as a junction of the
eastern and western forces is effected.
The Russian statesmen who are in
Paris, headed by Prince Lvoff, are re-
lying largely on Kolchak and Denikine,
but they are also urging that an allied
expedition of at least 100000 be sent.
They have not received much encour-
agement of their plea for Intervention.
Here is one of the many instances
that made it impossible for the out
slider to understand what is going on
in Russia: Last summer SkOropadski,
hetman of the Ukraine, was deposed
and driven out because he was notori-
days ago a dispatch from Warsaw said
Skoropadski and the French troops
were advancing from Odessa to bring
the Ukrainian situation under control.
Italy and the Jugo-Slavs are no near
err agreement concerning the western
coast of the Adriatic than they were
a week ago, and their dispute undoubt-
eddy must be settled by the interallied
conference. Jugo-Slavia has not yet
been recognized as a nation and it's
leaders want to know who will repre-
sent its component parts, Serbia, Mon
tenegro and large parts of the former
Austrian empire, in the peace congress.
Ia
The senate passed, without a roll
call, the largest tax measure in the
worlds history. 1t is designed to raise
$4,000. 100000 in 1919 and $4,OOQ,O0O,OO0
in 1920. Among the amendments ac-
cepted was one making the District of
Columbia bone dry and another levy
ing a 100 per cent tax on all campaign
contributions in excess of $500. The
latter, it is supposed, will weaken the