Evening star., 1936-10-10

By the Associated Press.
STRASBOURG, France, october 10
Frances Communist party, yield
ing to stiff government dictates
cut its scheduled weekend mass meet
ings in Alsace-Lorraine to 10 today
but the concession failed to end a
state If feverish tension in'the closely
guarded 'lost provinces
With unconfirmed reports stating
German frontier guards in some Sec
tions had been doubled, with scores
of souadrons of French mobile guards
pouring into the sector, with rumors
of marching peasants and a united
Rightist plan to break up even the IL
"authorized" Communist meetings
general apprehension ran higher
hourly.
The first test comes tonight when
Communist meetings, authorized by
the government, are scheduled to be
held at Metz, Waldhambach and
Bischwiller.
Doubling in Guard Reported.
Reports reaching authorities here
that Adolf Hitler's black-clad "Schutz
Staffel" men had reinforced the Ger
man frontier guard were followed by
word from Metz that the Lorraine
guard on the German side had been
doubled.
Berlin denied that "S s" men had
been sent to the Alsace-Lorraine from
tier as border reinforcements, saying
the increased members of the forma-
ton seen there were merely trafhc
police)
The Communist capitulation, re-
ducing the number of planned gath
erings from So to 10. came after bor-
der province authorities had backed
their ban on the AZ unauthorized
meetings with armed force.
In announcing they would hold the
meetings to 10, the Communists, never
theless, protested the ban on the larger
number as contrary to the principles
of democracy and the program of the
Peoples Front"
Reds Reported With Arms.
Embattled Rightists. peasants and
Catholics Joined in determined move
to keep their political foes from even
reaching the 10 authorized meeting
places.
In Metz, with a Communist meeting
scheduled for tonight there were re-
ports that Communists had received
arms and that thousands Of Rightist
peasants were planning to march on
the city, swinging pitchforks and
scythes.
The peasants planned a counter
demonstration for tomorrow.
The front of True Alsace," union
of Rightist parties, rushed orders TO
peasants in the fields to rally for mass
counter-attacks, planned even against
the authorized" Communist gather
ings.
With more than $500 French mobile
guards being poured into the disturbed
regions from other sectors, the
Rightists were represented as promIs-
ing not to fight the guardsmen, but to
concentrate on breaking up any meet
ing of the Communists.
Won't Withdraw Own Units.
Along with the reports of German
frontier reinforcements, French au-
thorities said they had no intention Of
withdrawing their own augmented
armed units from Alsace-Lorraine.
At Metz the French Social party
of Col. Francois de la ROGUE dis
tributed handbills appealing to the
people to join in the projected counter
demonstrations against the Com
munists.
The regional Communist Commit
tee. simultaneously, appealed for
discipline and order"
Metz, on the eve of one of the
scheduled Communist meetings, was
tense but calm. with mobile guards,
brought up to guard against disorders,
held in their barracks.
"The peasant population is deter
mined to prevent the meetings" the
/co~ UyD rAINII uoon A0N