Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-04-07

, al present., anu, dNSoIiiuS " ii Stdtt-
ment current in some quarters. the
british government feels itself placed
in an awkward position by the French
occupation Of German cities.
! When such move was discussed
recently at the meeting of the am
bassadors' council. it is said, Great
rate. strongly urged the necessity Of
| careful consideration before taking
any definite steps Consequently 1t
! was not expected that France would
| proceed to occupy the neutral zone
without their formal approval Such
| approval. it is said, certainly has
never been given. and when the
! British government was faced with
the accomplished fact it was consider
| ably surprised.
OF these reports there is no official
! confirmation. but they are accepted in
| some usually well informed quarters.
Editorial Opinion.
Editorial opinion in this mornings
| newspapers is divided. The Daily
| News sees very strong reasons for re-
| garding the action of France as a
| mistake, but expresses the belief the
matter will not lead to any grave
| cleavage between France and Great
| Britain and Italy.
| 1T is very doubtful wisdom for
! France to add deliberately to the not
| inconsiderable list of questions on
-, which Great Britain and Italy find ii
necessary to differ with her. the
newspaper remarks.
| While clearly criticising Germanys
technical breach of the Versailles
treaty. the Telegraph admits the al
hes of France will not go all the way
with her in the policy she has mi
tiated
The British government" the news
paper continues. would have pre-
ferred to take the German plea of
Justification at its face value and
G"fer action until palmer evidence OF
bad faith was forthcoming. We be
llcNe. nevertheless. British opinion is
more nearly unanimous in approving
, the action of France than upon almos,
any other question"
Regarding Americn's Protest.
, Regarding Americas reported Wig
orouS protest to France, the Tele-
! graph remarks:
! The United States is in unique
position. still being at war with
i Germany, and her governments opin-
ion regarding the right method of Sc
| curing observance of the peace treaty
| viii not we fear, be considered by
the French as better than their own"
The Chronicle. which assumes the
French step was taken with the assent
of Great Britain and Italy. withho!ds
any expression of opinion as to whether
| occupation of Frankfort was the bes;
remedy for Germanys violation of the
| treaty, but urges that nothing should be
done by 'ill-considered criticism OF
! France to help Germany dis!ntegratc
the entente"
The Morning Post and some other
morning papers give entire approval to
the French policy, the Herald. organ Of
labor. cries: "A plague on both your
houses. 1t says labor neither supports
Chancellor Mueller against Marshal
Foch nor Marshal F'och against Chan
cellor Mueller. "as both are agents Of
capitalism and Imperialism.
Have Taken Right Course.
LONDON. April 6.--"The French have
TAX n the only right course after such
! warnings AS they had given the Ger
mans says the London Times today
discussing the French advance into Ger
many.
The sharp surprise" the newspaper
continues, which the step caused
among the inhabitants of Berlin is very
wholesome. We trust ii also will be
felt by the German militarists and their
|accomplices in Wilhelmstrasse.'
Hope is expressed by the news
paper that it will not be necessary
for others of the allies to advance
into the Ruhr district. But, should
the conduct of the German govern
ment or its inability 10 control gem
eral matters make it necessary. pub
\ ~ opiiioi III I-uS ldHu, we are COLI
WINGED. will insist that our French
friends shall receive the fullest and
heartiest of support from their Brit
ish comrades in arms"
America Still "IsoIated.,
The Times says it notices with ex-
| IRENE wonder statements from Wash
ington and Rome that the British.
American and Italian governments are
! standing aside, and that they had no
objection to the German advance.
provided the troops were to be with
drawn when order was restored.
I'VE do not know what the Italian
government may or may not have
know that unhappily America Is re-
verting more and more to her old
attitude of isolation until, at any rate.
| the elections are over. But in the
be no standing aside for England
from her French ally"
! View in Berlin.
BERLIN, April 6.-The newspaper
! comment on the French advance into
the Ruhr district includes a good deal
of criticism of the government. es-
pecially as the papers say they were
officially informed last night that the
| German legation at Paris did not
! view the situation pessimistically.
Opposition papers are bitter. charg-
8
in handling the whole situation. The
| reactionary journals. like the Kreuz
Zeitung and the Taeglische Rund-
schau. attack Chancellor Mueller not
only for "misleading the country re-
| garding Frances attitude" but for
permitting continuous official mis-
representation of the Ruhr situation
as improved, thereby creating the I'M
preston abroad that German troops
were needed less there than they &C
tually were.
The Kreuz Zeitung regreats that the
question of pacifying the Ruhr dis
trict was not submitted to the su-
preme council, instead of dealing with
| France alone.
The Tageblatt is unable to under
| stand why France could not have
waited a week. which length of time
the German government mentioned as
| necessary for the restoration OF ORDER
and says: Frances coercive meas
ures create unnecessary friction.
Republic Endangered.
The Lokal Anzeiger believes the
German republic has been endangered
and that it's inner development will
be retarded for months.
George Bernhard. the political
| writer while condemning the French
action in the Vossische Zeitung. ad-
| mits a technical breach Of the treaty
by Germany so far as the number of
,German army units in the neutral zone
are concerned: He says the govern
ment has placed itself in an equivoca1
nosition, and concludes:
"Germanys fate lies in Frances
hands. but Germany's fate is also Eu-
rone's fate, and in Europe's ruin
france will also find her grave"
The Freiheit declares that it is in
consequences of the German govern
| rzzHct, and freeman sihla