Evening star., 1923-01-20
8 ARRESTS IN "a HOURS.
Official Class Living In Fear of
Seizure.
By WILLIAM e. NASH.

By WILLIAM e. NASH.
By Cable to The Star and Chicago Daily News.
Copyright, 1923.
DUSSELDORF, January 20.-Eight
arrests by the French within twenty
four hours may we'll cause reflection
by other Germans who stand under
the sword of Damocles. Following
its threat to adopt sterner tactics
in case of necessity, the French
showed their teeth today by throwing
into prison Dr. Reiffeisen, director of
the German state mines in the Ruhr
district, and another official and five
mine directors who had refused to
obey orders after the mines had been
seized by French soldiers.
Leading bankers and prominent
railway men in Dusseldorf told the
writer this afternoon that they, too,
feared the visit of the military po-
lice. Without eXaggeration it can
be said that the whole official class
in the Ruhr valley lives in fear of
arrest.
Reichsbank Big Question.
Outside of the arrests the big ques-
tion of the hour Is the status of the
reichsbank. The German deny that
the branch in Mayence or any other
branch ever closed It's doors of its
own free will. The German and
French accounts of the situation con-
tradict each other absolutely with
the weight of evidence in favor OF
the Germans, according to the most
unbiased observers. 1t was French
soldiers and not orders from Berlin
which made the reichsbank in Dussel-
dorf close it's doors, says a director
of that bank here. 1t was a normal
transfer of money to the Deutsche-
bank for the payment of wages of
workingmen and not secret ship
ment of marks to Munster which
caused the trouble.
Tried to Import Marks.
I'VE have never had the intention of
shutting the Reichsbank branches any
| where in the Rhineland or westphalia, .
continued the director. because we
know that such steps would play di-
rectly into the hands of the French.
The issue Of local script, which would
follow closure, would serve as excellent
propaganda to separatist leaders like
DR.. Dorten, who want to proclaim an
Independent republic In the Rhineland.
Likewise. it would cause untold suffer-
ing to the local population.
Not only have we not ATTEMPTED
to remove any paper marks from the
| occupied territory, but actually we have
attempted to import more from Berlin.
Late yesterday we received an impor-
| tant consignment by rail from unoccu-
pied Germany. What seems to have
happened is that the French have lost
their heads and took an ordinary COM
merctal transaction for an extraordinary
flight of capital
Cash Sealed I'm Vaults.
Hereupon the overwrought man
burst into tears at the memory of
the alleged wrongs heaped upon his
head that day. For a time all the
banks of Dusseldorf were said to be
on the point of closing and the wild
est reports ran about the city con-
corning the impossibility of chang
ing foreign money. Foreign soldi srs
now keep guard at the doors
of the Reichsbank branch. The cash
is sealed in the vaults and the ac-
counts have been considerably de-
ranged by the inquisition. but 1t is
expected that business will be re-
sumed today as usual. The same
prediction Is made for the branches
in Mayence, Wiesbaden and Bonn,
which also underwent military in
spection.