The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-08-24
FRANCE READY. TOGOFARTHER
 INTO GERMANY
Paris, Confident Of Great
 Military Power, Feels She
 Can Solve Preparations With
 out Aid Of Former Allies LATEST NOTE MEETS NO FAVOR IN GREAT BRITAIN Independent RhineIand State
 Would Be Pleasing To French
 But Officials Deny They
 Are Sponsoring Movement
By CARL VICTOR LITTLE (By Leased Wire to The AGe-Herald)

By CARL VICTOR LITTLE (By Leased Wire to The AGe-Herald)
 PARIS, August 2S.-While Europe marks time on reparations certain definite ideas are crystalizing in the public mind.
 The first is that France can and will solve the Ruhr problem single handed if abandoned by Britain.
 The latest French note has met cool reception in London. Premier Poincare evinced no change of front but did offer in the note what he hoped would be a working agreement. English dispatches report that 1t IS rot so regarded
 This fact was considered at a cab met meeting Thursday, which ap- proved Poincares note and discussed the next step.
 The occupation of the main valley looms as a strong possibility if France Is forced to act alone. Thls occupation would, it Is believed, crip- ple Germany in one swift blow. French Strength Obvious.
 The strength of the French mili- tary position is daily more obvious Already al the gates of FrankIoIt' t' her troops command this vital dls- trief. They are dominant in the Ruhr. They are in a position 10 re- main or. if necessary, advance along the whole Rhineland frontier
 Public feeling also is reahzlng tne importance of the Rhineland separ aftst movement. Germany charges tbat France is behind this Rhineland nrons ganda to make the entire Rhine ,a1iev an autonomous repupIiC- 17reneb officials, emphatically deny ine the charge that the movement ls instigated by France, admit thae psris vvot1d not look unkindly on an al nd while. Joseph Sheets, leaoer oL 'lio sanaratist movement, has become al tr.,ortant figure in the. slluatioh 5,1rroi,nded by a heavy body guasa 70 ,,srd off the attacks of Pan. Germans he is directing the separatist lioF nent from his hone 1n OoAoS ny separatist Movement. onar,t,st
 hmonr the steps that the separatlSl leader has taken are: ,.o,,irant
 Sent out feelerS to ploAlAnen' advocates of the League oL to imploring tho inter !So 'itsi1i iPbineisnd an take steps to make the
 autoirgt,,g pIasteTed the Rhineland with ,o nosters declaring that Prus- rIe was always the enemy ot +,e pbineland and that 1t IS ho" to throw off the yoke. "1ree
 Started a newspaper, r,t;neIsnd." which is campalgnlng' daY & by day. for freedom of the prov ince. ~ oI,taa indirectly,
 +ba Rhineland, if 1t gains mae ,landence. is willing to pay apor1loi s IA German separations account sirhough the province had nothlhs 'o Sn with provoking the war, (.
 rbs free Rhineland movement IS not new growth. soron.a
 During the peace conLeienee, l os ,.oorf,as C1emenceau, then premier or tbs republic, declared that the torma- sla- tion of the Rhineland Into q pulIer stotA between France and Germah9, y,as necessary for the future security of France.
 Promised Security .oa ,+hsr allied representatives, prom sssd +he famous security pact-whlch tbe limited States and Britain later SnIod "a ratify-if Clemenceau would withdraw his demand -
 T.ol,is Loucheur, tae richest man f., France. who is prominently men tioned as the successor or Folheare' has come out openly h 1&Tor or the separatist movement .,,4
 Poincare, although ciscreetly sllenS r,ovg made it known at the time or ,ba neace barley that he was In tavor of cutting Germany's power +o inc extent suggested by Clemen- ceau and there is no indication that tEe nremier has changed hs mind now that Sheets has starten hls or
 Sheets takes the position that the Rhineland does not rightfuliy neions to the Reich, because Prussia an- nexed 1t in 1915.