Evening star., 1923-12-01
TO FIX
RH|NELAND'S FATE
Meeting of NotabIes Called at
Cologne to Take Over Gov
ernment Functions.
BY WILLIAM E. NASH
By Radio to The Star and Chicago Daily Ne
Copyright 1923.


Copyright. 1928.
BERLIN, December 1.-Negotiations
over the fate of the Rhineland, which
have been going on feverishly for weeks
In Coblenz and Berlin. are expected to
come to a head next week In meeting
of a body of notables at Cologne for
the purpose of appointing q directory,
or executive. committee. to take over
the functions Of government in West
mark
Such action means official German
record of separatisn. There are three
parties to the fateful negotiations-the
French. Rhinelanders and Berliners-
the Rhinelanders consisting mostly Of
Cologne citizens because loyalist lead
elsewhere have been expelled en- masse
by France and Belgium. Theoretically.
the British. Belgians and Italians should
also have a voice therein, on account OF
their participation in the interallied
Rhineland high commission, but prac-
tically 1t seems to be only the French
influence which counts.
Demands Of France.
When the Rhinelanders come to
Coblenz to negotiate they see only Paul
Tirard. the French president Of the
interallied commission, and never the
other delegates. the correspondent is
told.
On the basis Of edifying activities
already undertaken by Dorten, Mat
thes and company, France demands
the creation Of an autonomous Rhine
| land state within or without the bor-
| ders Of the reich on the following
drastic conditions: One. the creation
of a separate currency system: two,
| the nomination of Rhenish diplomatic
agents in entente capitals; three. the
exclusion of Rhenish deputies from
| the retchstag (but inclusion in the
reichsraD: four, the formation of an
International holding company to al
minister the Rhenish railways. and
1--WE. maintenance of French garrisons
for an indefinite period.
These conditions have been subject
ed to thorough debate within the
last ten days in Berlin between the
aforementioned committee OF fifteen
end the federal German government
Too drastic for acceptance by the
reich under the terms OF the Wein,ar
constitution. they were passed on to
the Rhinelanders themselves for q
decision.
Cologne rs Capital.
Attempts doubtless will be made to
establish Cologne rather than Cob
lenz as the capital Of the new state
-
because freedom of speech exists only
in the British zone; otherwise the
Rhenish leaders apparently will be
forced to accept integrally most Of
the French terms as above stated.
Negotiations already are well ad-
vanced at Bonn for the foundation
of a special Rhineland specie bank.
Practically everybody of note admits
that some form of separatism must
come.
Pressure from within and without
has grown too strong for us to bear"
said a member of the committee OF
fifteen to the writer today Deserted
by the reich and threatened with
economic ruin and political persecu-
tion by the French, we are forced to
employment is worse in Westmark
than in any other part Of Germany.
Industry is dead. and starvation is
imminent. Exile, prison sentences
and other forms of punishment have
broken the spirit Of the people. Free
dom Of the press has ceased to exist.
Adventures with French backing
are threatening to expel $4,000 people
from the palatinate. 1t is impossible
to imagine the extent to which per-
plexity and despair have gone in
some parts of the Rhineland. The
body Of notables scheduled to meet
inent personalities from all walks of
life. not exclusively politicians. and
may be considered as the forerunner
of the future Rhenish parliament,
though 1t cannot be recognized as
such in public. Painful preliminaries
of this kind are always veiled in
obscurity."