The Washington herald., 1921-02-01
Impression of CHASTITY
Joke 0verhangs Land
Of Late Foes.
FOREIGN MINISTER
SEEKS TO RESIGN
Nation Banding Together
In Common Spirit
OF Defiance.
b, KARL H. Won wIEGLAND.

. ny NhhL NJ NON "AEtHlAANls
Special Cable piEptteb 70
The WEEhiRgtoH HerLld.)
/ BERLIN. Jan. 3l-The S2GOou.-
100000 gold mark bomb wbfsh the
supreme council in PsFfs hred-r-
Z Berlin set the Ger. -an cabinet rock
1 ing when II landed.
am informed reliably from par
/ liamentary sources that when For
eign Minister Simons finished read
ing the translated document this
morning, he left the foreign office
/ and went to the adjoining building
1 to the office Of the President and
I expressed his earnest desire TO re-
tire from his post.
ResiEnHtiOn Refused
President Ebert, ] am informed,
declined 10 consider the wish Of
Minister Simons. He prevailed up
on his patriotism in the interest OF
Germany.
Simons. who as secretary general
Of the German peace delegation
headed by RantzaU at Versailles, re-
fused TO sign the treaty and re-
signed with Rantzau at the time.
He later took UP the titanic task
as foreign minister 70 carry out
the very treaty he had refused to
sign
Simons according TO his intimate
friends, took the cabinet place upon
his shoulders as a patriotic duty
and in the firm belief that certain
measure OF sanity and reason would
govern the allies
Loses Illusions.
The allied note signed by Premirr
| BRAND, his iutimates declare. has
I dIsillusioned him and convinced him
! that England and France arc MAJ
( ing it impossible 10 carry out the
7 treaty with that loyalty and good
/ faith with which he took Office
The cabinet convened for a short
! session at noon The meeting was
I ] eEarted as so Important JhaJ Ebert
/ himself attended which is very Ua-
I usual for the President.
At o'clock the cabinet entered
a second session which is still on
' Word has come out q the cabinet
I room that the question of the entire
! cabinet resigninE was touched upon
! The government is today in con
I tact with specialists in financial and
! industrial circles all OF whom are
| said TO have reported that the al
| lied demnds are beyond all possibu-
/ ity OF compliance.
Opinion Of COuntry.
The above is the cDusensus OF
opinion in governmental. TarIiamen-
tary. press. fnanclal and lndus,r. e.
circles here today following tho o.
/ fcial confirmation Of the reports r.
Ceived from Paris
/ The idea that Germany has end
denly become an Aladdin lamp far
/ England and France which Their
premiers need only to rub % ha.e
/ their wjllest dreams Of wealth ror1e
I true, has stirred the El0 m - tav
Germans into a spirit ~ lcvrJy
| Outside OF government circles
! there is no ono who really take
] the Paris reports seriously as yCt-
| They seem to b, love that the altos
are trying to "perPe'rate 4 contin-
uation OF IN Versailles joke" on
Germany and ,NN world
People United.
The allied demands that the Ger
mans shall be virtual slaves to them
for generation and half has SUD
denly brought back son,ethinE like
| the old unity, which has not OK
listed since Lloyd George gave in 70
the unity which refused to deliver
up to the allies the list nt war
| criminals.
! In WiIhenst "a $50 the voey small
! pro-American ErsuP which. has
! hitherto been the butt or MUCH lar
| ger pro-Briush sect on. is havinEfcS
/ inning today
! Although America Is still at war
! with Germany, and England ami
France have been at peace with hC-
/ for almost two years. IL is to-7ths
{ United states that Germany IS again
/ turning. America must provide tho
/ restraining influence upon Paris
and London that will avert he
/ economic catastrophe in Germany
and Europe. they say
Think Terms Rushed.
There is a suspicion in govern
ment, financial and industrial cir
Cles that. after all the delay Eng
land and Franco are now disposed
TO rush the 'repsration matter in
order TO force Germany to sign up
before the Harding administration
takes Office carrying with II the pos
sibility OF a separate peace.
1t is believed that II such \ peace
were concluded. England and France
would consider il practically impos-
sible to bring Germany to accept
such demands as are now presented.
In the German government itself
the old fight Is breaking out as II
did before signing the Versailles
treaty, as TO whether Germany
should simply conhne herself to the
short word No" or make counter
proposals. The latter, in all prob
ability. will be the line Of action
followed.
A member OF the cabinet said to-
day that IL the present government
should be overthrown by the allies.
not even a radical government could
be gotten together who would as
sumo responsibility toward the Ger
man wOrkmen OF signing them
away TO foreign exploitation and
slavery for a generation and a half
The gigantic sum OF the repars-
tions as agreed upon by the allie
as compared with the 1000. 900 900
gold marks that victorious Ger
many levied upon France IN 1870.
| together with the economic consc-
quences, so Overshadows everything
I else in the allied note, that the al
7 lied decisions regarding further
disarmament have not a. yet at
tracted much sttentioRs