Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1920-03-15
YANKTR00PS'
ON RHINE IN.
STRANGE FIX.
What Would Happen in
Case of Trouble Puz-
zles Leaders.

Washington. March 15.-(By the
Associated Press. While technic-
ally still under the direction of
Marshall Foch. American troops on
the Rhine would not participate in
any allied advance into Germany
without specific directions from
President Wilson. it was said to-
day at the war department.
Not Party to Treaty.
Officials said the situation so far
as the American forces were con-
cerned was complex one. The
United States is the only nation
having troops on the Rhine which
has not become a party to the
treaty of Versailles, it was explain
ed, and consequently the American
detachment still is governed by the
terms of the armistice. Under those
terms they still were subject tech
nically to the orders of Marshal
Foch as the supreme allied COM
mander.
Watch Military Steps.
Steps being taken overseas for
possible military action against
Germany as a result of the revolu-
ton were being closely followed
here. Interest centered in Marshal
Foch's conference today with the
allied commanders at Mayence and
in the report from Paris that after
this conference he would call a
meeting Of the supreme war coun-
Gil. The United States is not now
represented on that council.
The American forces on the
Rhine consist OF about Is, 600 troops
under Major General Henry T. Al
len.
French Plan Reinforcements.
Paris, March Is. - (Havas. y
France contemplates sending three
more army corps to Wiesbaden,
Neustadt and Bonn, thus bolster
ing her forces along the Rhine, ac-
cording to the Petit Parisien. Mar
shall Foch will call a meeting of
the supreme war council as soon as
he returns from Mayence, where he
will confer today with allied COM
manders. Reports reaching this
city state that every step has been
taken to maintain order in occu-
pied districts Of Germany and that
! the inter-allied commission for the
Rhennish province has received the
German high commissioner after
having conferred with allied mill
tary leaders.
Information received here would
seem to indicate the utmost calm
is prevailing in Germany. although
the severe censorship in Berlin
may be responsible for lack of
detailed news from that city. Tel
egraphic communication with Ber-
! lin is interrupted, the last tele-
gram from the French charge
d'affaires there having been receiv-
! ed at the foreign Office in this city
at l o'clock Sunday morning.
LOoting Berlin Stores.
Advices from other sources, how
ever, indicate the reactionary move
! ment begun on Sunday morning is
confined to Berlin, and that mobs
are busy looting stores in some
quarters of the city. A general
strike affecting transportation. elec-
| trio power and the water supply
of Berlin has been declared, and
railroad workers are said to have
asked DR.. Wolfgang kapp, the new
chancellor. to leave Berlin.
, A general strike affecting all
public services has also been call.
ed at Kiel. Bremen, Hamburg and
Regensburg, while public senti-
ment in those localities favorable
to the regime of the Ebert govern
ment is declared to be increasing ir
Cologne. Essen, Dusseldorf. Boch'
um, Duisburg. Spandau and Frank
fort. In these cities a genera
strike is expected today. Bread is
said to be already scarce and ex-
pensiye in Berlin. and there are
fears the supply may fail complete
ly.
Military forces at Leipsig appear
to favor the new regime, while {
contrary view of the situation il
taken by the people generally, i
lis reported. At Munich, the Bavar
ian government has handed owe
control to a general who is in ia
vor of the Ebert government.
The German national assembl.
has been summoned to meet a
Stuttgart on Tuesday.