The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1923-02-02

lsed many deaths there this year.
mines, smelling works and postal serv-
ices to hold themselves at the disposal
of the French government.
DOLAND has assured the German
L foreign Office that it is preserving
the strictest neutrality regarding the
Ruhr occupation, that it has no belli-
cose intentions and that a recent move
ment of troops from the Lithuanian
frontier has no significance Great
Britain seems somewhat at loss on
what attitude to take. She has no in
tention of abandoning her ally but is
sleptical of Frances success. Some.
public men and some newspapers there.
are demanding that the British army
of occupation be Withdrawn, and it
was decided that cabinet meeting
should be held to discuss this question.
Italy is still hoping that the whole
affair can be settled by mediation and
it was reported in Rome that Premier
to issue call for a world conference.
Premier Branting Of Sweden notified
France that he would suggest to the
League Of Nations that it intervene,
at the meeting OF the league council on
January %. So far Germany has con-
sistently refused to take part in any
mediation parley so long as French
troops are in the Ruhr
THAT the United States Will inter-
1 fere in the embroglio in any way is
said in Washington to be quite inn
probable, at least for the present. I'm.
der the situation that has now devel-
oped the administration believes that
If 1t does anything, it must do some
thug t4Aat viii be helpful and not
harmful, and up to the present mo-
ment officials hold that there is no OPP
portunity for anything more than has
been done without making the situa-
ton worse.
It the United States should make
gesture toward France, the French
would claim that the Germans had
thereby been stiffened In their resist
ance and if the Ruhr expedition fails,
they would blame the United States
for its failure. On the other hand, if
the United States should assume
course which the French could inter-
pref as encouragement. the feeling of
evaporation in Germany would be
heightened. Either way no good would
be done and the United States would
be incapacitated for helpfulness in the
future.
EnN WEDNESDAY, with simple, dig
" nified ceremony, the American flag
which had been flying over Ehrenbreit-
stein for four years was lowered as
American and French bands played
1.-THE Star Spangled Banner; Major
General Allen turned the old fortress
over to the French, and the little Amer
lean army of occupation, with tears
in its eyes, took train for Antwerp
where it was given rousing welcome
by the Belgians. Then the boys board
ed the transport st. Mihiel and sailed
for home, In the Rhineland there re-
mains only small detachment to COM
plete the details of the evacuation.
Secretary of War Weeks has ordered
that there shall be no American Off
GERS with the French or Belgian forces
of occupation as observers.
DISPATCHES from the Near East
- and from Lausanne were not so
reassuring last week. 1t seems the
Mosul question was not settled outside
Of the peace conference and yet re-
mains the chief obstacle in the way of
an amicable settlement. Great Brit
ain insists that the dispute must be
referred to the League of Nations, and
the Turks are equally insistent that
the matter be settled by plebiscite.
Lord Curz0n gave the world good
laugh by stating that England was not
interested in Mosul because of its al
legged Oil richness, but only in keeping
her pledge to the Arabs Of Irak that
they should not again be placed under
Turkish rule. Most of the other ques-
lions arising at Lausanne have been
settled and the conference. 1t Is said,
will go ahead with the drafting of the
treaty. In this will be clause. re-
ferring the Mosnl matter TO the league.
This will give the Turks an excuse to
refuse to sign, and then, according to
Curzon, there may be renewal of war
Il
that France and Italy would not asso-
ciate with Great Britain in forcing
Turkey to accept the treaty.
The Angora government, after pro-
testing to the allied high commission
ers against the concentration of Greek