The Washington herald., 1920-09-15
RIVAL FACTIONS
SPLIT SILESIA
Hopes for Fair Plebiscite
Abandoned by Allied
Observers.
BATTLE PLANS LAID
Poles and Germans Strive
To Gain Upper Hand.
Before Voting.
BATTLE PLANS LAID
Washington Herald-Public Ledger
Service. Special Cable Dispateh.)

washington Herald-PubIic Ledger
Service. Special Cable DIspateh.)
oppeln, Upper Silesia. Sept. IA
Hooligan warfare and unscrupu-
lous propaganda have turned Upper
Silesia into such a babel of dissen-
tion that no vote taken today would
be fair and Legitimate expression
of the desires of the inhabitants.
Compromise Fails.
No efforts on the part of the in
terallied commission toward a COM
promise between Polish and German
leaders seemed to have prevailed.
Gen. Lerond, French president OF
the interallied governing commits
sion. finally succeeded in getting
the leaders to sign an agreement
to keep order in the province. But
both German and the Polish party
chiefs continue to go ahead with
preparations for actual battle.
The British representatives de-
sPair of peace.
They are helpless without a
single battalion to back un. their
demands. London having refused TO
send more than a handful of OIL
GERS. Maj. Ottley, British plebiscite
controller at Beathen. and cousin
OF Lloyd George, maintains the
plebiscite will be taken unfairly.
French Oppose British.
The French characterize him as
an "aiarmist." Gen. Lerond in an
interview with your correspondent,
| deplored the small forces and in
sisted uB~H the need of America n
troops. Gen. Lerond was Foch's
, representative at y. +. r. head
/ quarters.
rials, former price $3.50. now at
The Germans have been regarded
by great section Of the non-Ger-
man Inhabitants as the best fitted
administrators OF Upper Silesia
I The Poles outnumber the Germans,
but that would not have proved q
drawback to tho balloting in Ger
many's favor. A great many Poles
comparatively in recent arrivals in
Upper Silesis. have been imported
/ from Poland by pioneers Of German
industry themselves. Unconscious
antipathy Of these immigrarts tow.
ard the Germans continued under
1 the Prussian regime Of repression
! until aided by vicious Polish propa-
/ ganda directed from Warsaw. the
/ Poles succeeded in obtaininG the
/ upper hand. chasing German minor.
! tiles from the small towns and in
! shutting their regime Of terror.
Germans Terrorized.
Even in the larger cities like
! kattOwitZ, of 700 inha bitants and
| almost exclusively German. terror
: has succeeded in implanting ma,-
! eVolent fear in the hearts OF the
! population so that here even the
( outcome Of the vote becomes uncer-
tain. The Germans say nearly
5000 Upper Silesians. who under
| the treaty are required to re-enter
| the province to vote. fear to re-
! turn. thus losing for Germany a
! considerable block OF votes In the
| recent communal elections they
| claim the German candidates were
! elected by a ma ajority everywhere
| The Poles, on the other hand. hav.
| Ing organized the rural Polish pop
| ulation, numbering nearly 10000
! arc already claiming Upper Silesia
as their own. and NJ. Korfanty. the
Polish plebiscite controller. actu-
ally explained to your correspond
| ent his plan for substituting a Po-
lish for the German regime.
| Another phase of the Upper
Silesian ferment is the movement
| for an autonomous state Of Upper
| Silesia. Although not yet very
| powerful. this movement appears
| to embody a compromise where
! upon the Poles and Germans alike
may eventually be obliged to fall
| back upon.
Copyright. 1920. hy Public L,dgsr Coz