The Washington herald., 1920-03-14
BOLSHEVIST GAIN
SEEN IN OVERIURN
OF EBERT REGIME
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.
Of criticism. allied diplomatists here
saying that the Dutch government
had 'dynastic. as we'll as racial and
cultural sympathy. for the old Ger
many.
The German revolution has given
new Significance to various news
items which have come to America
from Europe during the past few
weeks. Ludendroffs alleged jour-
ney to Moscow with offers of peace
to Lenine Is suddenly recalled and
seen in a new light. Germany also
has possibly been touching the cleo
trio buttons setting into movement
the nationalistic agitations In Tur-
key, and even the Armenian massa-'
cres for the purpose of distracting
allied attention from Middle Europe.
The latest German move likewise
clears up the clouds OF vagueness
surrounding the recent resignation
of the willy Erzberger. Center lead
er, from the Ebert government. Be-
sides, the why and wherefore of the
extraordinary abandonment of the
Bavarian minister Of foreign affairs
for GENERALIZATION of German gov
ernment at Berlin Is suddenly ex-
planned.
Germany's sulIen Spirit.
Everything confirms the growing
belief that Germany at bottom was
never militarily defeated, but only
demoralized. Certain neutral cir
cles here even predict that Germany
even now could muster a fighting
force of 1.5oo. 900 trained soldiers, II
not more. in little or no time. How
ever, IL Is admitted that the food
situation in Germany would be a
mighty handicap to the effective op-
erations of such an army.
American troops in German terri
tory are relatively few, and even
the Anglo-French forces there
would not be adequate to cope with
the possibilities in the present stu
alton. Fresh French and probably
British reinforcements are already
pouring into those parts of Germany
held by the allies under the armis-
tice. IL is believed here. Reports in
dicate that Gen. Foch has called
meeting of the supreme military
council and is himself very much on
the job. officials here think that
he has proposed the extension of al
lied occupation to both banks of the
Rhine as a precautionary measure.
The attacks upon French and
British officers on missions in Ger
many during the past few days are
indicative of Germany's increasing
sullenness. They show the nature
Of the popular strata upon which
Prussian propagandists would work,
Z hA nll
Rhineland as a preparation against
emergencies. In fact, everything
indicates that the present German
revolution and it's allied reactions
are tending to set up an extreme
conservative current and an ex-
treme radical counter current in
Germany. These, II is repeated, are
Prussian conservatism and German
Bolshevism and on each ones sur
face visibly floats the possibility
either of civil strifes or ihterna-
tional wars. or both.
Democratic Conception DESTROYED.
Notwithstanding the boast that
America entered the war to make
the world safe for democracy, Ger
many apparently has become un-
safer for democracy than ever be-
corpuscles in the body polite of
Ebert's social democratic republic,
up until forty-eight hours ago the
German government had clements
OF kinship with the American de-
mocracy. The revolution, however,
has evaporated temporarily, at
least. the whole democratic concep-
tion Of the new world. which Presi-
dent Wilson was supposed to per-
sonify and the Treaty of Versailles
to represent.
What the new German govern
ment will do IN the beginning and
what the direction of It's policy will
mean in the end are speculations,
suddenly appearing in the diplo-
matte fields of the allies and the
United States like giant scare crows
The present German government, of
course, had nothing to do with the
signing of the Treaty of Versailles
and at least. certain elements in IL
openly opposed many provisions of
that treaty. Should the new gov
ernment repudiate that treaty and
insist upon a new conference of
peace the allies would be face to
face with a dilemma, either horn of
which would be pregnant with men,
acing possibilities.
The out and out reputation of
the treaty, however, is not expected
here and Berlin itself denies any
such prospective decision. But II is
by no means impossible that the
new government will press for ter
ritorial and economic revisions of
the Versailles document, material
and numerous enough to nullify il
automatically. That the allies
might grant some of these indicated
requests Is probable, but that they
will grant all of them seems now a