THE GERMAN CRISIS!

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 67, 13 December 1918, Page 5

THE GERMAN CRISIS!

REACTIONARY ACTIVITY i

INTRIGUE TO SECURE DIC-

TATORSHIP

London, December 11. ,' A correspondent at. .Rotterdam eiiys | that the situation in Berlin shows uu- j usual reactionary activity. The reaction-' aries havo formed a National Party,! which the Junkers and other Conserva-j tive elements have joined. The party, pretends to support llerr Ebert, but is! really striving to regain power. Menu j bers of it profess to favour a republic, but' really, hope io prevent the firm efitab-j lishment of Republican principles. Thej party is becoming.daring, and it 6 jour-j nals openly declare j that It will only i support Herr Ebert''until the National! Assembly is convoked. Similarly, bour-! geois parties have formed a People's i Party, mainly the old Centre Party. It! lias also begun open attacks on Herr! Ebert. The majority of the returning! troops are genuinely striving to maintain 1 a Constitutional Government. They pro-! fess friendship to Herr Ebert iand urges tho, i early summoning of the Constituent! Assembly, but there is daily evidence! that a largo proportion, led by their' officers, are really reactionary, and thi&] element was responsible for tho blood-) shed in Berlin at (he week-end. Mean-) whilo the Berlin Soldiers and Workmen's, Council considers itself to be the su-; preme authority, for which Herr Ebert; is merely the administrative functionary.! Thus Berlin provides almost an exact! parallel to Petrograd during the Keren-' sky period.—Aus.-N.Z, Cable Asen-' Renter. •' |

TWO DICTATORSHIP POLICIES • i New York, December 11. , Mr. A. Dosch Fleurot (New Yorfci "Times" correspondent), writing from; Berlin; states: "It is the open wish of, the Extreme Right to bring on such dis-; order throughout Germany that tho En-, lento will lie forced to send troops to occupy Berlin. They hope thereby to' cause a reaction which will result in a; dictatorship, thus'ending socialisation m the country. The Reds ivant a dictatorship 'by tho proletariat. The ment's situation is most serious, but the, troops seem to be standing firm behind the Government. Regiments freshly arrived from the West front, on learning of the efforts to overthrow the- Ebert-j Haase Government, decided to delay ther demobilisation until the danger has, passed. .This has given the Government a sense of security/'—Aus.-N.Z. Cable A6sn. {'

. MTY_D£ELOPS H GOVERNMENT'S AUTHORITY, 9 ,?;! ACKNOWLEDGED. Q Copenhagen, December \i t J A German wireless message states t|js prolonged deliberations between the Government and the Executive of tho has resulted in an agreement for uninjimous co-operation in the servica ojjite revolution, acknowledging, tho <3ojysrnj; ment's exclusive right, and renogpetog the idea of violently changing the-jso.Y,i ernment. fi6( f The Prussian Soviet Minister) [Herts Stroebol, addressing a denionstratji/)nyati Berlin, bitterly complained that e Qie)intj actionaries, like Hindenburg andwiiq myrmidons, still control the militaryrifci'i chine. rar [ ; vioi The Prussian Minister of Instruction)! speaking at Berlin, declared tMriiilthe National Assembly is not secvrvKldbyjial Socialist majority, it will be.i(disgoljrod and a proletariat dictatorship e3tabb,sha ed.—Aus.-N.Z. 'Cable Assn.-Rctiterj B -isv.«

-ijivo bna "SITTING ON A POWDER I :^^ SCHEIDEMANN'S VIEW OFi'tHE!!! SITUATION. (Rec. December 12, J.10,-j.m3)llo9i<l Washington, Dec&beFfO.-tf Herr Scheidemann is anxioWtg. %\ sign the German consequenco of the Spartacus Gfoun*'activity. Ho said that the G3Mfili|j had ninety per cent, of the Gcrrniftißio? pie behind it, but "it was siffih'g d tffi' , B powder keg."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable jEferß" - ' l ~ ;> '* POSITION OF GOVERNMENT $$$$$&_ SITUATION BELIEVED T0 oti M{i BEEN MASTERED; s "j (Rec. December 12, 7.55 p.mfl'tnii'iJ The Hague, Deceniblr i! J# [ i It is believed that the German^ovTr'B ment has mastered the sihiarJoiil' , /'Hm Ebert assured a large demonstratiM'MJ tho Government would energeticalK.pnr! sue its programme of work, breadi' T pei?jie a free democracy, and Socialism.—ilA I ,' N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. " ' " w \ >svot;| *$ QUESTION OF HIS DEFENCE? % London, December HPThe ex-Kaiser, in response' to ffll "Daily Express'' correspondent's iri?fl tation through Count Bentnick, has silflj a message as follows:—"Tell the corrS spondent that if there is any possibility of my becoming a defendant. I pwiel deferring my statement until -then. 1 do not desire to compromise any mem; ber of the Government existing at th< outbreak of war."—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Aesn' THE ATTEMPTED SUICIDE. J Copenhagen, December U. | Tho "Leipzig Tageblatt" roporte thai the Kaiser made a desperate and unsuci cessful attempt to commit suicide. : i staff officer who frustrated lr's attsmpj was wounded—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. .; LILLE MOTHERS DEMAND PROSE-I CUTION. ■■ , ,j (Rec. December 12, 7.55 p.m.) ' '' Paris, December 11. j A group of mothers in Lille are en deavouring to securo the proseoution oj the Kaiser on the ground that Germar officers abducted!their daughters"and'dis tributed them amongst the German sol diers—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.-Reuter. ~| THE ROYAL EXODUS. '] Amsterdam, December 11. j The "Berliner Mittags Zeitung" re ports that tho Duke and Duchess o) Brunswick have fled to Goundou, in, Up per Austria—Aus-N.Z. Cable ■-Assn; Reuter. j

THE TURKISH WAR PLOTTERS DEMAND FOR EXTRADITION. ■ j (Rec. December 12-13, midnight.) i Copenhagen, December 11., A message from Berlin states that thi Turkish Ambassador at Berlin has de, manded the extradition of the ex-Gran< Vizier (Talaat Pasha) and cx-menibcri of the Turkish Government. A Genual semi-official message states that the ex tradition of Talaat Pasha is out of tilt qvuestion.—Aus.-IST.Z. Cable Aesn. j

ANTI-GERMAN FEELING IN NATAL j DEPUTATION TO THE PREMIER.; (Rec. December 12, 7.55 p.m.) j Cape Town, December 11.1 A deputation of representatives fron towns in Natal presented the Premie; with resolutions condemning the. Gemini treatment of prisoners, urging the re tention of the German colonies, demand in? the prohibition of imports;' fron enemy countries, the confiscation o; enemy firms, and legislation -to - " maki enemy trading impossible in the future The Premier replied that the first twi questions would boi decided at the PeßOj Conference. Regarding the others w pointed out that one of- President Wi 6on's points precluded an economic wa! after peace— Aus.-N.Z. Cablo Assn. \