GERMEN REVOLUTION

Hokitika Guardian, 16 March 1920, Page 4

GERMEN REVOLUTION

{By Electric Telegraph— ightj

STORY OF THE COUP.

LONDON, March 13

No-ske on Friday evening was fu’iy acquainted with the intentions of the Dobertiz garrison.

The pan-German newspapers w«*‘e apparently in the secret, which explains why they attempted to reassure the public by declaring the so-called mare's nest.

The pan-Germans recently conducted an active propaganda, and had demand, ed Hxndenburg as President. The Republicans regarded it as part of plan to restore the monarchy. The pan-Germans trium jhqntly acclaimed the verdict in the Helffirieh trial against Erzberger and cheered Helfferich in the streets, showering bouquets upon him. This demonstration was obviously of a mona 'dust nature, as Helffreich is notorious as one of Wilhelm’s trusted Ministers and strongly a monarchist. Another symptom was the repetition on Friday of insults against Allipd officers, notably in Bremen, where an Allied motor car was stoned and windows smashed.

According to reliable information. Von Kuhlmann has lately been visiting the ex-Kaiser regularly and secretly at Amerongen, despite the vigilance of the Dutch guards.

INTERESTING NARRATIVE. LONDON, March 13

The ringleaders of the German coup d’etat included Doctor Kapp, one of tile founders and one of the most fanatical members of the Fatherland Party; also Captain Pebst, a Staff Officer of tho Guards Cavalry Division, and prominent in the suppression of the Spartacisl rising in 1918, who was also concerned in the murders of Diebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg. Both these men disappeared, when Noske believed the conspiiacy had been scotched. General Luttwitz, commanding the First Reichwehr Division, upon whom the Government was largely dependant, was suspected of complicit in the plot, but the only step taken was merely to relieve him of his post.

Noske states that he had evidence that the coup intended would be attempted on the (ith, but the leaders disagreed and postponed it. Even the public of lierlin were unaware of the plot before midnight on Friday. At that hour a number of units quartered in Doberitz disclosed their intentions and began to move towards Berlin.

Erhard’s naval brigade seems to have taken the initiative, a second naval brigade then joined; also the hulk -of the garrison,- including a large number of the famous Iron Division, whose activities in the Baltic Provinces in 1919 caused the Allies to deliver an ultimatum for their withdrawal. It was well known that they were entirely under the influence of the Junker barons, who would probably use them if a restoration of Die Monarchy was attempted. Ebert summoned a meeting of the Government, which sent two high military officers to meet the revolutionaries and warn them. Tile latter made demands which the Government considered, and finally rejected. The revolutionaries resumed their march on the city and occupied Turgarten railway station, in the centre of the city; also the telegraph offices. The hulk of the Reichswelir and a portion of the Civic Guards sided with the revolutionaries, and the Government, seeing that resistance was useless, and in order to avoid bloodshed, quitted the capital, announcing that they retafhed their Ministerial offices. Ebert and his wife left at five o’clock in the morning.

Dr Kapp has issued a proclamation declaring that the National Assembly had discharged its mandate by decreeing the constitutions and concluding peace. It was the new regime’s intention to hold fresh-elections and return, by constitutional methods, a Government at the earliest possible date.

HOW REVOLUTION WENT.

LONDON, March 14

It appears that General Erhard’s Doberitz brigade arrived on tne obtsm. l of tile city at five o’clock in the morning and delivered a two hours’ ultimatum which the Government refused to comply with, but fled instead in motors. At 6.30 o’clock the brigades occupied the Government Buildings without resistance.

Other telegrams state that a similar coup d’etat was carried out in Munich. Dr. Kapp lias assumed the dictatorship and appointed Herr Holfierich Chancellor.

The Socialists have proclaimed a general strike.

Amsterdam telegrams report Dr Kapp and Luttwitz control Berlin, and that they have dissolved the National Assembly and the Prussian Landtag. It is reported now that the Government has offered the presidency to Hindenburg, whose arrest Noske ordered on Friday night.

The Ebert Government lias taken refuge at Dresden. Ebert and Noske have issued a proclamation in which they summon the workers to paralyse all economic life and prevent the bloody reactionaries return and to throttle military dictatorship.

Berlin preserves its usual aspect. Traffic is circulating as if nothing had happened. is normal except that a considerable number of troops occupy the centre of the city. Dr Kapp’s proclamation declares that the National Assembly's mandate to establish a constitution and conclude peace has expired. It dissolves the Assembly and announces the return to constitutional conditions immediately internal order is restored.

Monarchist troops from the Baltic Provinces have occupied the western area of Berlin under Pangerman auspices and proclaimed the deposition of the Government, and the restoration of monareliv and the appointment of Doetor Knpp, a fanatical pangerman monarchist as Chancellor pro tempore. FURTHER DETAILS. LONDON, tfarch 13 Up to midday on Saturday, np mt from the prosence of troops at the Government buildings, there >vn.s litb.o to indicate the success of the coup d’ etat. Tliere were no collisions. Pcop'c j were apparently going about then bit finess as usual, and street traffic was 7 ot | affected. A strong military guard was stationed at the Hotel Adlon. j

Luttwitz, who signed certain prooUmations jointly with Kapp and Pabst, was later appointed War Mini? ter, and issued his own proclamation asserting that tho new Government was not monarchistic, and would restore and execute all the terms of the Versailles Treaty. Nevertheless the Social Democratic majority of the ousted Government have no doubt about what this coup d etat portends. They issued a nanifedo when they learned that the revolut'maries had begun their march, stating that .Baltic mercenary troops who feared the consequences of a disbandment, which was recently ordered), desired to put reactionaries : n office. The manifesto continued: “We did not make the Gorman Revolution merely in order to restore a bloody Government of mercenaries. We refu.-e to enter into covenants with these Baltic criminals,” and it conclude ! . “We shall fight, by all means, for the preservation of the Republic. There is only one way to prevent Wilhelm’s return. We must paralyse the economic life by a general strike. Thereto-c, proletarians, unite!” President Ebert and the Sochi Democrat Ministers signed the manifesto.

It is noteworthy that the names of a so-called moderate section ef the Goernment are missing.

It is reported they remain in Berlin, and are even willing to 00-opereto with the new masters of Berlin.

Noske had been, it is claimed, long prepared to meet such an eventuality as to-day’s. He maintained a Republican Corps d’ Elite, consisting o r 10,000 of Die most efficient non corns of the German Army, .strongly equipped with machine guns and forming an extremely mobile force, ready to j roceed into any quarter of the city at a moment’s notice. Barbed wire barncades were at strategic points, ready to put into position, but it an nears that Noske also counts on tho ioyaltv of the garrison. Visitors recently returned from Berlin declare these troops, or even the Corps d’ Elite, must have proved unreliable.

DISORDER, IN PROVINCES. LONDON, March 13 Latest reports received at Paris state that three members of the late Go 7 eminent have arrested, and others bnv.» fled to Dresden. The new Government is meeting no opposition in Berlin, but some disorder occurred in Die provinces. Many were injured during a conflict lietween the troops and the workmen in Frankfort. M. Millerand states that thn Freir.'h Government will not ’ interfere with Germany until events become cleaioi. The n'ew Government has officially expressed its intention to carry out all “reasonable” clauses of the Peace Treaty. The French Government will see that all clauses are carried out.

GRAVE OUTLOOK

(Reuter’s Telegrams.) BERLIN, March 14

•Ebert’s Government has issued r. manifesto from Dresden denouncing the insurrection as the work of Ba.tie adventurers and predicting an cany collapse. T#o manifesto says the now regime’s decrees are illegal and hould not be recognised. The Government’s of Baden, Bawam and Wurtemburg have issued proclamations declaring that they arc opposed to the unconstituional maebinn. ions of the reactionaries, hut they recognise only the Imperial Government and the National Assembly, m which their peoples concur. Meanwhile a. general strike has been proclaimed in Frankfort and Hamburg, where great processions of work ers are parading the streets. The workers in the Ruhr Basin are opposed to a general strike.

R.EVOLTER’S MANIFESTO. LONDON, March Vi

Dr Ivapp, the Dictator, in a mn-.j-festo, states that: The overthrow cf the Government is not reactionary, hot a progressive measure of patriatic Gsirnnns belonging to all parties, for O e re-establishment of law and'ordor, d'-s----cipline and honest Government.” Dr Kapp declares that the former Government was reactionary. It suppressed the newspapers and arrested individuals for their political opinions, and also burdened the people with grievous taxation. The new Government is bent on preserving intern-, and external peace and docs not intern: to revive the methods of the Government now “happily defunct and ,)•>- solcte. We recognise it is of vital interest to foreign countries that Germany must not h a ve a Government which could, and might, endanger the peace of Europe.”

REPUBLICAN MINISTERS FLEE, LONDON, March 14.

The British Foreign Office learns that President Ebert, of Germany and his principal colleagues have fled from Berlin to Dresden, in Saxony, hut they have not resigned.

NOSKE’S military failure. LONDON, March 14. Apparently there was a failure on the part of Herr Noske (Military Minister) to defend the city against the militarists. This failure is puzzling diplomatic circles, as it is known that Berlin has been strongly prepared for many months to resist nnv revolutionary outbreak. The garrison of Berlin includes 10,000 special military police, who are heavily armed. Count von St. Hamer, the German Charge D’affaires at London, emphasises that one one side of the story has been told, and lie suggests that the public should await the full disclosures of Herr Noske’s latest plans.

THE NEW GOVERNMENT LONDON, March 14

According to the latest advices from Berlin, the new Militaristic-Monarchist Government declares it is not Monareliinl. _ . . , The new Ministry Ts provisionally composed of the Chancellor, Doctor Kapp, Public Worship, Doctor Traub, Defence, GctßiVal von Luttwitz; Finance, Herr Oberiinaiizrat; Bank and other Ministers have not. yet been appointed. MATTERS DIPLOMATIC LONDON, Marcli 14. Herr von .Tagow lias just, been appointed the new German Foreign Min-

ister. The London “Weekly Despatch’s” Berlin correspondent states: —• “Special guards now protect tlio Foreign Embassies, and tiiose of the Entente Commissions.”

ADVANCE ON BERLIN POSSIBLE. LONDON, March 14. ' A prominent authority in London, suggests that the German republicans might ask; the Allied troops to advance on Berlin, in the event of extreme urgency. CIVIL WAR. ’ LONDON, March 14. The London “Sunday Times” states that possibly the crisis in Germany is now develoing into a civil war. This possibility is being discussed in official quarters in London. BERLIN SURPRISED. (Reuter Service). LONDON, March 14. The public of Berlin have been taken completely by surprise by the revolution. The chief interest of it to the financial and commercial circles is that there has been a sudden and remarkable rise in the value of the German mark during the past few days. Persons who have been hoarding foreign money in order to speculate arc now unloading it as fast as possible. (Reuter Service). LONDON, March 14. It is reported that the attitude of the miners and the railwaymen of Germany • towards the revolution is uncertain. ; One sign is that the shipyard workers at Hamburg have decided to strike against the coup, and the military regime.

' MARTIAL LAW. General Lutturtz lias assumed executive powers at Berlin, and has extended martial law to the whole of Germany. REPUBLICAN CABINET / SURRENDER. LONDON, March 14. Members of the Republican German Cabinet have surrendered at Dresden. The garrison at Dresden supports the coup d’etat. The Monarchists now claim that they were receiving the general support of the whole country, except the people of Brunswick and Magdeburg. WATCH THE KAISER! LONDON, March 14, A prominent autnority in London says of the German coup:—“This situation has cast a great responsibility on Holland as custodian of the Kaiser; as it is to be assumed monarchists will quickly follow up their initial success. MORE GUARDS AT AMERONGEN. ROTTERDAM, March 14. The Dutch Government have hurried troops and special police to Amerongen to reinforce the guards who are watching the Kaiser. All communications to Wilhelm from Germany are being controlled.

THE POPULAR GOVERNMENT. PARIS, March 14. The paper “Le Matin,” states: — “The Allies would not incur the risk in supporting the Dresden Republican Government, which, undoubtedly, represents the great majority of the German people.”

PLAIN TALK. “Le Temps” states: The success ot the Germans’ carefully planned coup d’ etat now makes the whole' history of Germany during the past few month*' singularly clear and logical. The Germans’ interminable discussions, retailing the Treaty, the explosions of age following on the demand for war criminals; the attacks upon the interAllied Commissions; all these were symptoms of the counter revolution, Whatever the ultimate result, the Vibes henceforth will know liow to estimate the worth of the democratic regime which Germany pretended te establish as a durable guarantee ci peace.” ALLIED LEADERS. PARIS, March 13. A special session of the Allied leaders lias been summoned to consider the situation in Berlin. Marshal Foeli was responsible for the summoning of the Allied Council in Paris this evening. The “Evening Standard” learns that if the restoration of the Monarchy is actually attempted the Allied armies will march on Berlin. ALLIED LEADERS CONFER.' COBLENZ, March 14 Marshal Foeli, Sir Henry Wilson and the American Commander are holding a conference at Mayence, the Freue i Rhine Army’s headquarters.