The New York herald., 1920-12-31
INVASION OF RUHR
FEARED IN BERLIN;
BAVARIA BLAMED
Critical Situation Follows
Germany's Failure to
Disarm Guards.
FRANCE FOR ADVANCE
Southern Country Insists 1t
Must Guard Against
Bolshevik Peril.
DANGER IN EAST PRUSSIA
Teutons See Allies Demand as
Move to Cloak Drastic Policy
Of Reprisals.
DANGER IN EAST PRUSSIA
by RAYMOND SWING.


by RAYMOND SWING.
Special Cable to TIE New York HzRALp.
| CopuIohs, 1890, oy THE NEW Yosx HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau.
Berlin, Dec. 30.
An ultimatum setting a day for the
| occupation by the Allies of the Ruhr
| district is reported in Entente circles
here as likely to be the answer tc the
last German note declining to disarTn
the civil guards Of Bavaria and East
Prussia. It was admitted at the Ger
man Foreign Office that the situation
was very critical, and in political cir
cles 1t was confessed that the German
note gave the Entente the right. as
defined by the Spa agreement. to In
wade Germany's most important indus
trial region.
The German note, 1t was explained,
was not In defiance Of the Entente, but
was confession of impotence against
| Bavarian "particularism." National
leaders exhausted every means of per-
suasion in their power to bring about
the disarmament OF these guards. but
they were not in a position to back up
their arguments with force. They
could not send the Reichswehr to dis
arm Dr. Escherich's followers, because
the Reichswehr Is small and, with re-
dictionary officers, is not qualified for
such a task.
Furthermore. It was believed that
such a move might provoke Bavaria
into secession. Indeed, some doubt Is
expressed In Berlin whether the En-
tente can induce Bavaria to yield vol
unfairly.
See Peril TO Republic.
For the first time since the war the
guidance of the German nation has been
swept from the control Of the national
Government, and the fate Of even the re-
public itself may now rest In the meas
ure Of Bavarian stubbornness. The Ber-
| lin view Is that DIR. Won Kahr, the Ba-
vartan Premier, cannot make concessions
without his government being over
thrown. and that. should he be forced
out. he would be replaced by a Premier
even more obstinate than he is.
The Bavarian attitude is attributed to
! two reasons. They are. first. the belief
on the part of the Bavarians that there
exists Communist danger, and that no
price is too high to pay for protection
against another experience with Sovie,
| hot ylAlu uI,a,- fuf
peril really exists In Germany. and that
Prussia is powerless to cope with radi-
cal uprising.
The Bayarians regard themselves as
the one stable element in a nation which
| Is i'll. and, therefore, they hold they alone
are competent to save bourgeois Ger
many from a Communist revolution.
Labor Acts as Check.
The New YoRK HERALD correspondent
here was informed by telephone from
Munich to-day that while II was true
Premier Won Kahr probably would re-
sign II the Entente presented to him de.
mands he could rot consistently meet, II
was not certain ne would not be replaced
by an even more reactionary Premier
II might be that the revolutionary ele-
ment In Bavaria might try to set up a
government. bu. should they succeed in
this s1ch a government would. by its
very nature. be a dictatorship. and, as
such. would find Itself at war with labor
| 1t is hoped IN Bavaria, however, that
the Entente will not drive Germany TO
civil war over the matter Of few hun
"dred Thousand rifles In the hands OF the
Bavarians. Three weeks ago a compro-
mise acceptable to the Bavarians was
expected. THE NEW YoRK HERALD cor
respondent learned from a high Entente
official that time probably would be
granted the Bavarians 10 disarn their
guards and for few months TO keep
about the same number Of rifles as was
estimated the Communists possessed.
Both the French and British military
officers. dealing directly with the situa-
tion were known to have favored this
solution. which was regarded as the one
way out OF the difficulty for Premier
Won Kahr But after direct NEGOTIATIONS
/ between Gen. Nolet, president of the
Inter-Aliied Commission, and Gen. NAL
colin. British representative, with the
/ Bavarian leaders on the disarmament
situation, this settlement was wrecked.
| France Ready to Act.
When the German Government for
mally pleaded Bavaria's case and asked
time for disarmament curt reply was
/ delivered at the Foreign ONCE In Berlin
soon after, II not before the German
note reached Paris and London.
The assumption here Is that the
French Government. unable to bear the
onus in France OF making further con-
cessions to Germany, is now prepared to
venture occupation OF the Ruhr region
In the interest of It's own policy.
The Germans do not count on British
support In obtaining concessions from
France In connection with disarmament
and the consensus Is that II the French
decide on complete disarmament of Ger
many the British must join In the de-
mand.
Also the British were said TO have
been moved by the argument that the
| -
Continued on Fourth Page.
|