Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1921-05-13

It member of congress.
holding futile sessions trying to frame
a new offer, and on Wednesday Chan
cellor F~ehrenbach, Foreign Minister
Simons and their colleagues gave up
and resigned. At this writing 1t Is
understood Doctor Stresemann, leader
of the peoples party, will be nance
lor, and DR.. Mayer-Kaufbeuren, German
ambassador to France, will be foreign
minister. The collapse of the German
cabinet had no effect on the plans OF
the allies.
The United States doubtless Will
take no part in the military occupation
of the Ruhr district, but it may soon
be a party to the enforcement OF the
reparations terms. The supreme coun-
ell has invited President Harding to
name representatives in the councll
and the reparations commission, ana
there is reason to believe the invita-
ton will be accepted. The ~administra-
ton, it is said in Washington. desires
t o participate In the work of h COM
mission to promote American interest
In a permanent settlement.
Enraged by reports that the allies
pleblsclte commission had recommend
ed that only the Rybnik and Pless re-
gions in Upper Silesia be awarded to
Poland and that the rest of the terri
tory be given to Germany, some 10000
Poles, well organized and armed, in
vaded Upper Silesia, seized a number
of important cities, cut the communi-
cations with Germany and at latest
reports were advancing on Oppeln,
north of the Oder river. The French,
British and Italian 'Ontrol officers and
their small bodies of troops were I'M
able to cope with the situation and
the whole region was overrun, the
peasants there siding with the Polish
invaders. At Gross Strehlitz Italian
forces commanded by Colonel Bond,
an E~nglishman, resisted the Poles who
sought to occupy the city and an artll-
lery engagement ensued.
The German government, of course,
formally protested against this action
of the Poles to the allied governments,
and. the latter took immediate steps to
regain control Of the situation, declar-
ing martial law in the plebiScite zone
and sending troops against the in
Yaders. It was admitted that 1t would
be hard to oust the Poles, and the al
legged fact that their course was tacitly
approved by the French authorities
there created considerable ill feeling
between the British and the French.
Premier BRAND, however, asked Prince
Sapieha, Polish foreign minister, now
in Paris, to transmit to the Polish gov
eminent a request to end the disturb
ances In Upper Silesia. When the al
lied supreme council adjourned its
London session it was said it would
soon meet again in Ostend to take up
the Upper Silesia question.
Now that the senate has adopted the
Knox peace resolution, it is up to some
one to devise our further procedure in
the matter of restoring our relations
with Germany. In the final debate on
the resolution Senator Lodge admitted
the Versailles treaty could not be so
amended as to meet the requirements
of the United States, as President
Harding hoped, and that a new treaty
must be negotiated. This, Of course,
is pleasing to the "irreconcilables,"
who now believe the Versailles pact
never will be resubmitted to the SEN
ate. And, as has been said before in
this review, it is difficult to see how
that treaty can be separated from the
League of Nations covenant. The sit
uation is not satisfactory to the ma
jority Of Americans, nor to our associ-
ates in the war. German oficialdom
was glad to hear of the adoption of the
Knox resolution, though there is no
hope there of an early resumption Of
diplomatic and commercial relations
with America.
The little republic Of Panama is
going around with a chip on her Shout
der and is talking back to Uncle Sam.
Secretary Hughes warned Panama
that unless she acts voluntarily in a
reasonable time the United States will
take steps to compel her to transfer
Jurisdiction of the disputed Coto terri
tory to Costa Rica and to abide by the
White award. President Porras asserts
that Mr.. Hughes note has not changed
the attitude Of Panama and that she
feels backed In her right In refusing
The White award" her position being
supported by the opinion of Doctor
Bustamente of the University of Ha-
vana, an authority on international
aw. Porras concludes: