The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 1919. A RHINELAND REPUBLIC.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 June 1919, Page 4

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 1919. A RHINELAND REPUBLIC.

Considering that the Rhine province claims the title cf the "richest jewel in the Crown of Prussia," it is not surprising that the movement to form a Rhenish Republic is a. serious blow to the German Government. The news r ali!fd from Paris on June 2 that llie Republic had been proclaimed the previous day seems almost too good to be true, but it is quite conceivable that, if true, an appeal had been made to tlw British Army to protect the republic from the inevitable revenge of Prussian militarism, thoegh the absence of confirmation as to this •„ppeal throws doubt on the matter. At the same tia-e there is no jiuystien that Berlin feas beea

mu<fii agitated over '.his secession for a cable from Berlin states that the German Government has issued an order for the arrest of Dr. Dorden, president of the Rhenish Republic. It is also stated that separatist movements are afoot in Hanover and Bavari i. Moreover' the Peace Conference has asked to recognise tae new Rhenish Republic, which, it is stated, had been established by popular vote. Apparently, Lowever, t-i« new Government will have t>> fas? stormy times, for when the President convened a so-called Cabinet, a crowd of workmen invaded the building, assailed the members and put the President to flight. This, of course, may be a Spartacist move, but it is obvious that the republic cannot stand by itself, especially as the German Government has issued an order threatening anyone attempting to dissolve the unity of the Rhine provinces with a life sentence. The secession movement is said to be supported by commercial and financial circles in the hope of escaping the financial ruin which is threatening Germany. It must be intensely galling to Germany to learn that the Rhinelanders are willing to include tbe republic in the French Customs Union, or to become French altogether, especially at a time when the German Government is striving with all its might to obtain an alteration in the peace tarms which would give Germany, the administration of Rhineland. The Allies had it in their power to separate this province from Germany, and the matter was discussed at the Peace Conference, only to be dismissed on the ground that such a step would violate the right of the Rhinelanders to exercise the principle of self-determination. The wisdom of that decision is now apparent. That the creation of a separate republic would afford an ideal solution of the Rhine difficulty so far as. France is concerned is obvious, and the advantages to the Rhinelanders in escaping from some of the penalties imposed on the Germans are apparent, but it is improbable that the Allies would give up their claim to the rich minerals which Germany is strenuously seeking to control. It is worthy of note that the province has always been debatable ground between the Teuton and the Cell-, and there are .good grounds for believing that the Rhinelanders are free from the evils of Prussianism, and that, having tried both democratic and Prussian forms of government they prefer the democratic. It u impossible to tell what far-reaching results might accrue from the establishment of a Rhenish republic by fostering the dissident tendencies of other German States, and democratising the whole of Germany, and possibly Austria. That it would give security to Franc i is certain, provided the necessary strength is available to keep the barrier of the Rhine, which is so essential to France A Rhenish republic would act as a buffer State under the League of Nations, and would appreciably diminish German power, for the province is the most thickly populated portion of Prussia, £>nd the chief manufacturing district of Germany, containing coal, iron, zinc, copper, manganese, vitriol, lime, gypsium and slate, a-> well as being the home of many profitable industries. The question of boun- | daries is one that will probably be settled by the League of Nations, so that no gveat concern need be manifested over that as-

peet of the question. The Allies are vitally interested in the establishment of this republic, as it will solve one of thn most troublesome problems connected with peace, but we may look for intense opposition from Germany, yet if she studied her best interests she would acquiesce in what is a favorable opportunity for getting out of an. untenable position.