Evening star., 1920-03-13

tional law" were Incorporated in the
new instrument. Ebert took the oath
or office on August % and two Gays
later the national assembly ceased to
exist, 1T being superseded by The new
reichstag.
Ebert's First Cabinet.
Phillip Scheidemann was the first
premier of Germany under Ebert
Gustave Noske, formerly minister Of
d rehabilitation and before that Gov
ernor of kiel. was named the first
! mn mister of army and navy. Ely rea-
son of his drastic enforcement OF new
regulations he became known as a
dictator"
! Other members of the first Ebert
| cabinet follow:
! Minister of interior, Herr preus;
minister OF justice. Herr Serdsberg
, min lister of commerce, Herr Muller.
minister of labor. Herr Bauer: min
lster Of foreign affairs, Count Won
! Brockdorf-Ran former German
minister to Denmark. under foreign
| minister, Won Richthofen: minister of
finance. Herr Schiller; minister of
| postal and telegraphS Herr Geisberc.
| ministers without portfolio, Or. Ma
| thtas Erzberger; armistice commits
| sioner. former state secretary and
leader or the centrist party. Eduard
David. president of the national as
1 SSN1UiS, anu f1tff w iSSel.
| The Ebert government unIsrWe [
many changes by reason of poll cal.
economic and popular demands.
! Crisis Over Treaty.
The first real crisis TO threaten tn.
question of accepting the peace treaty
u. rms. Ebert. Scheidemann and other
leaders were opposed to yielding TO
the entente demands. Sche idemaan
resigned and q pro o-treaty cabinet In
"'f',inp pr. August Mueller and ex-
Labor Secretary Bauer. former soci:i :
lat member OF the rcichStag, was or
t"HIZet. Rau"r, III speech at Wei
mar before the national assembly. de-
nouncrd the treaty IN strong terms,
but announced the governments de-
cision 10 sign.
For weeks before the revolution
broke ont IN Herlln there was a steady
lun on German banks Ebert shen
chancellor. had u conference in Der
lin ON november 20. 1918. with sew
enty delegates from various parts OF
Germany, and said: Everything was i.1
Iuin when we took charge Now
however. a SocialiStic republic has re
placed the monarchy and power has
been put in the hands of the work
men and soldiers The first aim tc
be achieved. he said. was peace and
the security of an economic basis
Liberty. he maintained. was worthless
without food and employment. and i,
was as result of this con fere nee tina,
the national aSSe mbly met last .pring
: to devise 4 constitutional form o1
| government
Ministers Come and Go.
Meanwhile the provisional govern.
| rlent had been in an almost constant
state of fuX. Ministers came ant
went owing to scarcity OF food
clothing and fuel. conditions IN many
parts Of Germany were reported deS,
p@r&te and there were many ruroi:
, | that soviet government would super
, stIc IL" Ebert regime.
President Ebert had the backing o
the mouerates of Germany al.nos
from the beginning. One reason 70
: this WAS that when he sucrecde,
: Prince MaxJmilian he announced tha
property rights would be respected
that no banks would be seiz-d am
. that the government would uphol,
: the German war losses and pay al
: ! claims or the state.
The president in IL New Year ma i
Z | fosto said that 1920 would decid
. | whether Germany would maintain
f | herself as Il nation. A week later II
| was threatened by IA mob in Stutt
/ | CART. On the preceding December
: the Ebert cabinets fau WAS reporte,