Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1921-05-19

guards, Offering to place these under
the control Of French authorities.
AS for the reparutions. Germany can
pay, and she will pay if she is co:l-
PEELED to pay. But if there is any
way of wriggling cut of paying, Ger
many may be depended on to try it.
Only i'll informed sentimentalists now
take any stock in the German walls of
poverty and threatened. bankruptcy; !;
and mighty few people have any re-
naming confidence in German good
faith.
Before the end Of May, it is be-
ieved, the allied supreme council will
meet again, either in Belgium or Italy,
to discuss the modalities for securing
the reparations payments and to take
up the problems Of Upper Silesia At
that session Of the council the United
States will be represented. probably by
Ambassador Harvey. who has arrived
in England with promises of the close
cooperation Of this country in the
task of readjusting the. affairs of
Europe so far as they affect America,
at least. This is in accord with the
policy adopted by President Harding,
policy which probably will not be
changed by the attacks on it already
being made by certain elements~in the
senate. The fight in, that body was
opened by La Toilette Of Wisconsin,
who introduced resolution declaring
it to be the sense Of the senate that the
United States should take no part in
European affairs under the Versailles
treaty, denouncing the pact and point
ing out that it has been repudiated by
the senate and the American people.
Ambassador Wallace in Paris last
week resumed his place in the ambas-
sadors' council which is trying to set
tie the Upper Silesia embroglio; and
r Roland Boyden again took his old
place on the reparations commission,
under instructions from Washington.
At this writing the situation in Up
per Silesia appears more serious than
ever, despite reports of an armistice
and statements by kOrfanty, leader of
the Polish insurgents, that an agree
ment with the allies had been reached.
The Germans in the region and near
by, forbidden by the French to make
actual war on the Poles, are making
full use of their armed civilian forces
there and are reported to have defeat
ed the Poles in the COSel district, east
of the Oder river At RatibOr and
Rosenberg, also, there was severe
fighting. The Poles were using heavy
artillery and other guns they had cap
tured from the Italian plebiscite force,
and the Germans had batteries pro-
vided by the Italians for defensive
use. Ii was fairly evident that the
French were at least tacitly supporting
the Poles, and there was reason to be-
lieve that if the British and Italians
could restrain the German civilian
forces temporary truce could be ar
ranged pending the settlement of the
entire controversy by the supreme
council or the League of Nations. The
Poles feel they have been double
crossed by the allies, about Teschen,
about the Ukraine, about Danzig, and
now about Upper Silesia; and their
patience was exhausted. Those who
are Informed concerning the treatment
Poland has received are inclined to
sympathize with her in this instance.
Others look on her action at this time
as another example of the impetuouS
and unruly behavior that has been
characteristic of Poland in the past.
The allies are about to emphasize
their aloofness from the struggle be-
tween the Greeks and the Turkish Ma
tionaliSts in Asia Minor. Dispatches
from COnstantinople say the allied
high commissioners. generals and ad-
mirals there have decided to proclaim
the neutrality of that city and of the
Bosporus and the Dardanelles while
the warfare between the Greeks and
Turks continues Greece will be asked
to remove her warsh ps from territorial
waters and will not longer be able to
use the city as base. Her forces on
the Brusa and Ismid fronts must be
supplied by way of ROdosto
The difficulty in understanding the
situation in the Near East is illustrat-
ed by the news that the Russian soviet
authorities, who were supposed to be
supporting Kemal Pasha, leader of the
Turkish Nationalists. have been plot
ting against hial with the object of
establishing a soviet republic in An
CORA. The scheme was uncovered in
time and many arrests of Bolsheviki
were made.