The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-02-28
GUIDED NATION
IN HARD TIMES
AFTER THE WAR

Continued from page one)
highly by the people generally and
in his own country at least, was Civ
en- the major portion of the credit
for bringing order out Of the chaos
that followed the abdication Of En-
peror William.
When the upheaval came on Nov
8, 1918, Ebert assumed leading
role, becoming chancellor in success
sion to Prince Macmillan of Baden
who had been instrumental in nego-
tiating the armistice. He was in Of
flee only 3G hours, being forced out
when control of the government was
taken over by the peoples commits
saries. 1t was Ebert, it was said
who by skillful maneuvers at that
time, prevented the radicals from
gaining the upper hand in the tur-
mol created by the revolution.
A few weeks later Ebert became
one of the six commissaries who ar
| ranged for the first meeting of the
German National Assembly at Wei
mar to form 4 provisional govern
ment of the republic. On Feb. IL,
1919, he was elected provisional pre-
sident, receiving 277 out of the 379
votes cast in the assembly. The con-
stitution adopted by the National As
sembly provided that 1.-The executive
power lies with the people"
The provisional government func-
/ toned until August 90, when Ebert
took the oath as Imperial President
and two. days later the National AS
sembly ceased to exist, being super
coded by the new Reichstag. Upon
taking the oath President Ebert said
"The essence of our constitution
shall, above all, be freedom, but free
dom must have law. This you have
| now established. We will jointly
hold it. 1t will give us strength to
testify for the new vital principle of
the German nation, freedom and
right"
First Month
During the first few months of the
provisional government it's founda-
ton was threatened by the crisis
which arose over the question OF
signing the peace treaty. President
| Ebert and his first premier, Philip
Scheidemann were opposed to yield
ing to the demands of the Allies
With no other course left but to &C.
cept, Scheidemann and his cabinet re-
| signed and prO-treaty government
was formed, which included some of
the ministers of the previous cabinet
The new government, while denounc-
| ing the terms of the treaty, decided
to accept it and in July, 1919, Presi-
| dent Ebert signed the bill ratifyine
the treaty.
With this phase of the treaty cri.
sis over the Ebert government was
confronted with the problem of get.
ting delegates to go to Paris and
shoulder the responsibility Of sign.
ing the treaty. These were obtained
after many declined what they re.
garded as an empty honor, because
the opinion was, practically unani.
nous in Germany that the terms OF
the treaty were unjust and sought
to disrupt Germany as nation.
| Internal Troubles
| Internal troubles were bobbing uI
nearly every day in all parts of the
country, but President Ebert vigor
ously opposed the varied movements
of Spartacists and Communists. HI
handled his difficult job so we'll that
when it came time for the scheduled
presidential election in 1922 he wa:
requested by coalition of severa
parties to remain in office until June
1925, which he agreed to do. Tn,
election of 1922 was postponed be
cause of the dangers of Bolshevis
agitation and the general. unsettle,
conditions and hard times that pre-
vailed throughout Germany.
After the new government ha,
been transferred to Berlin one of TIL
first announcements of Presiden
Ebert was that he did not intend t.
live in the palaces of the former kai
ser. These, he characterized, a
museums of dead epoch"
| 1t was no easy task to hold to
gether the new republic because o
the conditions that existed when
vas born. And even after it wa
formed and function;ng the new gov
eminent of the people was confront
ed with one danger after another
Scarcity of food, clothing and fue
riots In various parts of the countr!
requent agitations and movement
designed to overthrow the republi
and re-establish the monarchy an
finally the crash of the country's fir
ancial and monetary systems, fwhic
became the joke of the bushes
world and which caused its pape
3 money. to depreciats until it's none
value was. less than the paper an
ink Of which it was made. Pres
dent Ebert. however, weathered on
storm after another and finally sa'
the dawn Of q new day for German!