The Washington herald., 1921-03-21
Allied Commission Orders
All News Cut OFF for
Thirty-six Hours.
FREQUENT CLASHES
STIR UP PLEBISCITE
Germans Lead in Cities,
But Poles Strong in
Country.
Especial cabls to The Washington Herald
and New York rribune.)

(speciai cabis to The Washington Herald
and New York Tribuns.)
BERLIN, March 20.-Communica-
tion between the plebiscite zone in
Upper SiIesia and the outside world
was cut of at midnight last night
by the order of the allied plebiscite
commission. No telephone or tele-
graph dispatches can come out until
Monday noon.
Advices sent over the border late
last night by German correspondents
assert that automobiles carrying
foreign newspapermen were fired on
and stoned yesterday in villages in
the southern part of the province.
Representations were made to the
plebiscite commission regarding
lawless conditions and the need OF
troops there to maintain order. but
Gen. Leorond refused to distribute
his troops. These were being held
in reserve in concentration camps
mobilized for immediate dispatch by
auto-truck to zones of unrest.
Collisions Sure.
Collisions between the Poles and
Germans were regarded as inevita'
BILE. The German correspondents re-
port that the Polish peasants have
been using force to prevent the
nonresident German voters. from
the province. Several schools In
which II had been intended to lodge
the nonresident voters have been
demolished. Inns have been burned
in several places.
The nonresidents, organizing fol
their own defense, decided to march
to the polling places in groups es-
corted by military guards. The in.
fiux of nonresident voters is re-
garded here as giving Germany ar
advantage in the voting. In the
cities the Germans are believed &C
control between 20 and 30 per cen,
of the votes. In the country dis.
tricts, which are peopled almost
entirely by Poles, the German pros.
poets are bad.
Copyright, 1891, New York Tribune. Inc.)
Both Sides Confident.
KATOWITZ. Upper Silesia, March
20.-Both sides were confident OF
victory today as polls opened fol
voting in the plebiscite provided BY
the treaty of Versailles under which
the population Of Upper Silesia will
decide whether that territory is u
be Polish or German.
Germans Favored.
Definite trend OF the voting wa.
difficult to determine from early re.
| turns, but observers believed the
balance was in favor of the terri.
tory going to Germany. Polish
sources were confident they would
| poll the larger vote, and MANY
Poles were of the belief that wher
the counting of votes had\ gone a
| few hours the trend would be
shown to be in favor Of Poland.
Watched Closely.
Meanwhile. allied officials watched
closely in an effort to learn how
the voters would decide. Especial
interest was taken>in the plebiscite
by French Officials. as France has
been counting on Poland to defea,
| Germany in the voting. At the
| same time, a strong Polish buffer
state between Russia and German,
would be a tremendous tactical ad.
vantage for France in event of fu.
ture war in Europe, in view Of the
friendship between Poland and the
French republic, so clearly demon.
strated within the last few years
Upper Silesia comprises 5000
square miles. in which there are
100000 Inhabitants. The value OF
the territory lies in its minerals.