The Monmouth inquirer., 1923-12-06
GERMANY AIMING,
LONDON is TOLD
Government DiscIaims Official
Authority for Agency Report,
But Does Not Deny 1t.
PEACE TREATY VIOLATED
Armaments Exceed Stipulated Limit
Military Societies Constitute
Forces-clause on Armed
Forces Violated.

London.-A considerable stir has
been caused in London by an article
sent out to the newspapers by Reuters
News Agency setting forth that the
British Government is concerned over
military preparations in Germany.
at is known" says the article in
part, chat rapid military training OF
large numbers Of men in excess of the
Versailles Treaty stipulations has been
progressing. This, it is declared, is
more than ever the case since the
allied military control ceased nearly
a year ago. Recruiting has been espe-
cialy active in Bavaria, where the Sc
curity police have been engaged in
maneuvers with the army. The train
ing of students also is in constant
progress At the Foreign Office 1t
was said that no official authority
should be attributed to the statement.
Though hardly any of the informa-
tion conveyed in it was new, says
The London Times, sit was so pre-
sented as to create the impression
that the breaches were widespread,
fragrant and increasing. The esti-
mate itself is probably not very wide
of the mark, though the ornaments
and equipment of Germany are wholly
inadequate for the conduct of modern
foreign warfare.
"There are, of course, large num-
bers of temporary officers on active
service since the war who have been
disbanded only quite recently and
have resumed their former habits
armed with military information
which period of peaceful work on a
mission abroad has given them. Who
ever was the originator of the infor-
nation published yesterday had clear
~ an intimate knowledge of facts
and made skillful use Of them"
After agreeing that it is probable
Germany has more small arms and
guns thai are allowed by the treaty,
the London Times proceeds:
More palpable is the violation ~
Germany of Article 1T of the Treaty
of Versailles, which lays down that
educational establishments. UNIVERSE
ties and, generally speaking, associa-
lions of every description must not
occupy themselves with any military
matters. The FFatherland Associa-
ton, Hitler's men, The War Com
rades,' The Steel Helmets and hun
dred other such organizations have
paraded in very successful imitation
of military exercises.
But what gave an appearance OF
importa; ce to the announcement,
apart from the meretricious advertise
ment of headlines, was the fact that
the information was described as ema-
mating from well-informed quarters.
This is phrase which, as every journ-
alist knows, is often intended to indi-
cate an official source.
$50 strong an accusation Of German
military misdemeanor, if officially i'm
parted, would amount almost to 20
litical act 1t will undoubtedly so be
interpreted by a large proportion Of
the foreign and American press to
whom the apparent communique
I
doubtless has been telegraphed textu-
ally by it's London representatives.
Yet we fancy that War Office no more
than Foreign Office would admit par
entage Of this freak offspring From
whom, then, can it have sprung?
''If the army is reduced to the stipu-
lated figure of 100000, the number Of
more or less trained men is infinitely
greater. Although Napoleon l was
/ able to limit the Prussian army to
$4,000 men in 1903, he was unable to
| prevent their having six times that
number Of trained men five years later
and, in spite of explicit conditions laid
down n the disarmament clauses Of
the Versailles Treaty, it must be adj
! mitted that complete control Of the
manhood of one ion by another is
likely again to be proved an imprac-
ticable aspiration"