The Holly chieftain., 1923-12-06
NEWS REVIEW OF
CURRENT EVENTS
Great Britain Is Disturbed by
Information That Germany
Is Arming for War.
JoHNsuN's KEYNOTE SPEECH
BY EDWARD W. PickARD

BY EDWARD W. PickARD
- REAT Britain is just realizing
~ the truth of what France has
been asserting for months, namely,
that Germany is rapidly and sys-
tematically preparing for war of
revenge. The British government,
press and public are viewing the stua-
tion with considerable alarm. Seem
ingly authentic reports state that
since October, 1922. three months be-
fore the occupation of the Ruhr, the
Germans have been recruiting, train
ing and rnarming large numbers of
men far In excess of the stipuiations
0r the Versailles treaty. France is
Informed that Germany already has
enough cannon to equip from forty to
sixty divisions, and that her factories
are working overtime turning out more
armaments. For long time the Ber-
lin government has kept the allies
from checking up on the strength of
the German forces. and the allied
military commission has been unable
to function. A Reuters dispatch says: !:
British officials, however, feel that
Germany Is not able at present to arm
the large number of men she is tr,tin-
ing. In the event of mobilization, with
the necessary artillery, owing to the
French being In possession of her
principal industrial and munitions
urea In the Ruhr."
1t may well be that the rest OF the
world Will yet admit that the French
occupation Of the Ruhr was wise.
expsdient and justified.
1t has just been revealed that the
Germans on Jan. 10 arrested French
captain ten yards beyond the Swiss
German frontier on charges of espion-
age, and Berlin has determined to put
him on trial in Leipzig next January
The French are arres.ing Germans as
hostages.
Tor the time being the German gov
4 eminent is in the hands of the vari-
nus nationalistic parties, and the So
rialists and Communists are in eclipse
President Ebert first gave the vacant
rhancellorship to Dr. Heinrich Albert.
whom Americans remember as the OBJ
noxious chief Of propaganda connected
with the German embassy in Washing
ton during the early years of the war
It was evident he was to hold the place
only until Stresemann could return.
and he found It impossible to form u
ministry that would be acceptable
Ebert tentatively decided to dissolve the
reichstag, but changed his mind and
appointed Adam Stegerwaid chancellor.
This former premier OF Prussia began
to get together a cabinet based on a
coalition Of all the right wing parties.
but he, too, failed. and the job was
given to DR.. Wilhelm Marx, leader OF
the Catholic party and national head
of the Catholic School association
DR.. Stresemann agreed to take the
portfolio # foreign minister and the
new cabiret was to be backed by n
coalition of the Catholics, the German
Peoples party and the Bavarian Peo-
pies party, with the Socialists prom
Using benevolent neutrality.
1t was predicted that the new gov
ernment would follow rather closely
the foreign and finance policies OF
Stresemann and would treat the Com.
munists and Socialists with severity
Already General Won Seeckt had or.
hered the Communist organizations in
Germany to disband. Longer hours OF
work will be instituted and the indus,
trial nagnntes will be helped to re,
open their plants in unoccupied Ger
many.
Berlin's Communists, under alleged
orders from Moscow, undertook to holt
hunger demonstrations" in severa
parts of the city, and even tried t'
build barricades tust back OF Kaiser
Williams old palace. The police at
tackled them In force, vita tanks, ar
mored cars and machine guns, am
soon put them to rout.
Oficial announcement is made II