Evening star., 1926-03-28

received a vote of confidence. 259 to
141.
The following observations by
Luther seem to me of particular sig
niflcance: THE point is to develop
Locarno further. Locarno has be-
come the corner stone of our policy.
In the Rhineland we see develop
ments to our advantage which would
not be except for the Locarno set
tlement. We must not withdraw our
application for membership in the
league. for such withdrawal would
be equivalent to declaring German
policy to be against Locarno. 10
carno must represent for us po-
litical accomplished fact. 1t is self
evident that we are justified in de-
manding further advantages from
Locarno. The entire military octu
patton is incompatible with Locarno."
Twelve and a half million names
have been subscribed to a petition
calling for a referendum on the ques-
ton whether the holdings of the
members Of the former ruling families
of Germany shall be completely ex-
propriated. Under the Weimar con-
Stitution only 1900, 600 signatures to
such a petition are required to make
it obligatory TO hold the referendum;
obligatory, that is. unless the meas
ure contemplated by the petition is
forthwith enacted by the Reichstag.
The referendum is void if half of
the qualified votes are not cast.
* i = <
ItaIy.-Today. the seventh ami.
versary of the birth of Fascismo. is
being celebrated throughout Italy. The
Natteotti trial ended on Wednesday
with the acquittal of two of the ac-
cused and the sentencing of three to
Imprisonment of five years, eleven
months and twenty days each. AS the
recent political amnesty decree RENTS
four years of the above sentence, and,
as the gentlemen found guilty have
already spent year and nine months
in prison awaiting trial. they have be-
fore them only two-and-a-half months
of prison life. They We're found guilty
of kidnapping and of "unintentipnal
murder"
Perhaps the less said of the episode
thus ended the better.
Rumania.-The domestic situation
of Rumania, including the dynastic
situation. is in a phase of high crisis.
| lack the space required to a lucid
exposition of that situation, so COM
plicated and SO bizarre.
Uneasy lies the head that wears a
CROWN" always true. is particularly
true in these, our days of a royal
headpiece that fails sufficiently to take
account of the spirit of the age: and
of that sort seems to be the head
piece of King Ferdinand Of Rumania.
Since the great war the population
of Bucharest has increased from
400 600 to about a million.
China.-Tientsin was evacuated on
March % by the Kuominchun forces
and occupied by forces of Gen. Chang
Tsung Chang, Tuchun of Shantung,
and Gen. Itching Ling. These gem
tlemen are supporters of Chang Tso
Lin. 1t will be recalled that some
months ago Gen. Lii was ousted from
the Tuchunship of Chill Province by
Gen. Feng Yu Hsiang. One hears
from Tients1n fed precipitately to
Peking. and that an army of Chang
Tso Lin, having defeated other Kuo-
minchun forces, is moving southwest
from Manchuria upon Peking.
Apparently the Kuominchun will
make an effort to hold Peking.
Chang's fleet of transports and con-
voying warships. which figured in the
recent Taku episode, has proceeded up
the Pei Ho to Tientsin. and has
landed it's cargo of warriors, Chinese
and white" Russians. Thus 1t would
seem that literal enforcement by the
five protocol powers of the terms Of
the 1901 protocol has operated very
partially in favor of a faction in op-
position to the (more or less) estab-
IiSbed central government
One awaits further advices on this
head.
A significant detail of the Taku
episode is that Chang's convoy cap
tured a Russian vessel from Vladi-
vostolS loaded with war material for
the Kuominchun.
X X x X
United States of America.-The debt
settlement with Italy is before the
Senate. Senator Smoot sounded the
opening blast in its favor on Thurs
day.
The Senate judiciary committee has
voted (only one member dissenting)
that for IL days. commencing April 8,