THE REVOLUTION.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 March 1920, Page 5

THE REVOLUTION.

FICHTIHC AMONGST GERMANS.

GENERAL STRIKE DECLARED.

ALLIES AWAIT DEVELOPMENTS.

; The new German Government is meeting no opposition in Berlin, which is Jfii quiet, but there have been conflicts between troops and workmen in the provinces M. Millera"') (Premier of France) says France will not interfere in Germany Until events become clearer. The British Press hints that the German people will be given an opportunity to destroy the revolution before the Allies take action. But the Press is unanimous that any attempt to revive Kaiserism will he stoutly opposed.

In the meantime the new Government has declared its aims, which, it claims, are peaceable and progressive. Monarchist ambitions are denied, but messages from London indicate that a revival of the Monarchy is the ultimate goal of the revolution.

Cbßnetfted narrative* of the revolution piece together an amazing story of the fall of the Government swiftly and without a shot being fired. Employing the element of surprise, the new regime swept troops into Berlin while the populace W asleep, and the Government fell without striking a blow in its defence.

, THE COUP DESCRIBED, SURPRISE IN THE PLANS. • Al£ QUIET IN BERLIN.

kept at strategic points ready to be put into position, but it appears Herr Noske also counted on the loyalty of the garrison.

Visitors recently returned from Berlin declare these troops, or even the Corps d'Elite, must have proved unreliable.

Ilerr Noske, on Friday evening, was fully acquainted with the intentions of the Doberitz garrison. The pan-Ger-man newspapers were apparently in the secret, which explains why they attempted to reassure the public by declaring that the so-called plot was a mare's nest. The pan-Germans recently conducted active propaganda, and had demanded Hindenhnrg a* President. The Republicans regarded it as part of the plan to restore the Monarchy. MONARCHIST DEMONSTRATION. The Pan-Germans triumphantly acclaimed the verdict in the HoliFerich trial, and cheered him in the streets. showering bouquets upon him. This demonstration was obviously of a Monarchist nature, as Holfferieh was notoriously one of Williclm':: trusted Ministers and was strongly Monarchist. Another symptom was a repetition on Friday of the insults against Allied officers, notably in Bremen, where a motor car was stoned and window? smashed.

?T T«l«gT*ph.—Preu Ann.—CopnllM, Received Match 15, 7.45 p.m. London, March 13. ' The ringleaders of the German coup d'etat include! Dr. Kapp, one of the founders and one of the most fanatical members of the Fatherland Party, and Captain Pabst, a staff officer of the ("itardH. Cavalry Division, and prominent in the suppression of the Spartacist rising in 1918, who was also concerned in the murders of Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg. Both those men disappeared, and Hcrr Noske believed the conspiracy had been scotched. General Luttwiz, commanding the ffrat Reieh■Webr Division, npon whom the Government was largely dependent, was suspected of complicity in the plot, but the only *ter> taken was merely to relieve him of his post. Hcrr Noske states he had evidence that the coup was intended to he attempted on the flth. inst., but, the leaders disagreed and postponed it. Even the public of Berlin were unaware of the j»lot before midnight on Friday. At that hour a number of units quartered ini Boberntz disclosed their intentions and began to move towards Berlin. _. Captain Erthard's naval brigade seems 'to have taken the initiative. A second raV*l brigade then joined and also the bulk of the garrison, including a large flltffltocr of the famous "Iron Division.'' whose activities in the Baltic provinces ill 1919 caused the Allies to deliver an Ultimatum for their withdrawal. It <ms- well known they were entirely under the influence of Junker Barons, who wollld prnbablv use them if a restoration 6f the Monarchy was attempted

According to reliable information, von Knhlmann has lately been visiting the ex-Kaiser regularly arid secretly at Amernngen despite tiie vigilance of the Dutch guards. The welt informed correspondent of the Daily Telegraph declares that Germany's persistent delay in disarming hpr forces and the disturbances m the Middle East were all part of Germany's scheme to drain the Allies' military resource.-, causing a reduction of the armies on the Rhine and paving the way to a restoration of the Monarchy, but the Evening Standard says the Allied military advisers have been aware of the trend of events in Germany and recently augmented the forces on the Rhine.

There is nothing from Berlin to indicate any disorder, but a censorship is imposed ,011 foreign news.

ENTERING BERLIN. Herr Ebert summoned a meeting of the Government, which sent two high military officers to meet the revolutionaries and warn them. The latter made demands which the Government considered and finally rejected. The revolutionaries resumed the march on the city - and occupied the Tiergarten railway station in the centre of thi city, and also the telegraph offices. The bulk of the Reiehswehr and a portion of thin 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 returned their Ministerial office. Herr Ebert and his wife left at five o'clock in the morning. Dr- Kapp has issued a proclamation declaring the National Assembly had discharged its mandate (by decreeing the constitution and concluding peace. It was the new regime's intention to hold fresh elections and return to constitutional methods of Government at the earliest possible date. Up to mid-day on Saturday, apart from the presence of troops at the Government " Buildings, there was little to indicate the success of the coup d'etat. There were no collisions and no violence. People were apparently going about business as usual, and street traffic was not affected. A strong military guard was stationed at the Hotel Adlen.

The Observer says Lndcndorff and the chief reactionaries did not participate in the revolution, which was carried out by inferior personages. Either the revolt was premature nr the chief reactionaries arranged it as an experiment to see how the Allies and the German people would net. It is advisable that the Allies should not act for a

few days, but should allow the Gerninn nation \to crush the revolt, by a general striked Kaiserism can only reestablish itself in Germany at the cost of civil war and industrial chaos. If the German people support Monarchism the Allies must employ the sternest military, naval, and economic measures to suppress the revolt. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn-

MARTIAL LAW IN GERMANY. SHIPYARD STRIKE AT HAMBURG. ___ i London, March 14. The public of Berlin was taken completely by surprise by the revolution. The chief" interest to financial and commercial circles is the sudden remarkable rise in the value of the mark during the past few days. Persons who have been hoarding foreign money to speculate are unloading as fast as possible.

The attitude of the miners and railwaymen is uncertain. The shipyard workers at Hamburg have decided to strikeGeneral Luttwitz has assumed executive powers at Berlin, and extended martial law to the whole of. Germany.— Reuter.

General von Luttwiz, who signed certain proclamations jointly with Dr. Kapp and Capt. Pabst was later appointed War Minister,, and issued his own proe-

tarnation asserting that the new GovJj eminent was not Monarchists, and would restore order and execute the terms of the Versailles Treaty. Never- . theless, the Social Democratic majority of the ousted Government have no doubt what the coup portends. They isrtied a manifesto, when they learned that the revolutionaries had begun to march, stating that the Baltic mercenaries (who feared the consequences of disbandment which was recently orderfed) desired to put reactionaries in pfflee. FIQHT TO PRESERVE REPUBLIC. The manifesto continued: "We Aid toot make revolution in order to restore the bloody government of mercenaries,.. We. refuse to enter into covenants with Baltic criminals." The man•feeto eonoluded: "We shall- fight by all means for the preservation of the Republic. There is only one way to prevent Wflhebn's return. We must paralyse economic life by a general strike. Therefore proletarian's unite" Eerr TJbert and the Social Democrat Ministers signed the manifesto. It' is . j soteworthy that the names of the more ,V. . moderate section of the Government are mining, and it is reported they remain .in Berlin.

EBERT CABINET AT DRESDEN. NEW GOVERNMENT SAYS IT IS NOT MONARCHIAL. London, March 14The Foreign- Office learns that Herr Ebert and his principal colleagues fled to Dresden but have not resigned. The apparent failure of Herr Noske to defend the city is puzzling diplomaticcircles, as it is known Berlin was strongly prepared many months ago to resist revolutionary outbreaks. The garrison included 10,000 special military police heavily armed. ,Von Sthamer, Charge d'Affaires in London, emphasises that, only one side of the story has been told, and suggests that the public should await the disclosure of Noske's plans. Accordance to the latest advices from Berlin the new Government declare* that it is not monarchial. The Sunday times states that the. possibility of the crisis developing into civil war is discussed in official quarters in London. A prominent authority suggests that the Republicans might ' ask the Allied troops to advance on Berlin in the event of extreme urgency, and adds*that the situation casts great responsibility on Holland as the custodian of the Kaiser, as it is assumed the Monarchists will quickly follow up their initial success.

flerr Noske has been long prepared to |n*et rath an eventuality as to-day's. He maintained a Republican Corps dlllite, consisting of ten thousand of the most efficient non-coms of the German army, and strongly equipped with machine-guns, forming an extremely mobile force ready-to proceed into any quartet of the city at a moment's notice. Jarbed wire barricades were

Paris military critics say the Supreme Council is indirectly responsible for the German crisis owing to its dilatoriness in enforcing the treaty and its failure to deprive the reactionaries of excessive military strength.—United Service.