Cologne Evacuated

Hundreds of torches flamed in the great square before the Cathedral of Cologne. Over 100,000 Rhinelanders waited breathlessly for the largest church bell in Europe to toll the hour of midnight, to announce that the last Allied soldier had actually departed from the First Rhineland Occupied Zone. Slowly the great bell teetered on its pivots, causing a faint squeak to be broadcast over the radio to all Germany by the great Koenigswusterhausen Station. Then came the triumphant clang of the clapper itself, followed by the roar of the crowds. "Deutschland! Deutschland ueber Alles!" they chanted, and then joined in the old hymn "Grosser Gott, wir loben Dich." Lifting their hands they took an oath to German unity proposed by Herr Adenauer, Ober-Burgomaster of Cologne. From President von Hindenburg at Berlin came a message which the Herr Ober-Burgomaster read amid acclaim: "At midnight the hour of freedom strikes for the first zone of the Rhineland. . . . May the day of freedom soon dawn over the whole occupied territory!"* Where?

Toward the League. Foreign Minister Stresemann made good use of the kindly feelings engendered in German hearts by the evacuation of Cologne. While the Rhineland celebration was still at its height, Herr Stresemann publicly announced that but for the Locarno Pacts the Allies would have delayed still longer before evacuating Cologne. Ergo, it behooved Germany to hurry up and enter the League of Nations as provided in the Locarno treaties (TIME, Nov. 2). Next day the astute Herr Stresemann convoked the Foreign Relations Committee of the Reichstag, demanded and received its authority to apply unconditionally to the League for Germany's admittance.

With this sanction in his pocket, Herr Stresemann considered the German application so nearly an accomplished fact that he telegraphed the German Ambassador at Paris to inform Premier Briand that Germany would actually apply to the League within three days. Late despatches reported that the Premiers of the Federated States of the German Republic were en route to Berlin, there to indorse formally the German application, the actual text of which was to be drawn up at a Cabinet Council presided over by President Hindenburg.

Royal Suits Deferred. Pending the enactment of legislation regulating the financial claims upon the States of the German Republic by their former titled rulers, the Reichstag passed a bill last week by the terms of which all suits now pending in the German courts with respect to such claims will be held in abeyance until June 30, 1926.

Much excitement was aroused when the Socialists introduced into the debate statistics allegedly showing that three sons of the former Kaiser are drawing annual pensions as follows from the Republic: Eitel Friedrich, 10,000 gold marks ($2,380); Oscar, 7,500 ($1,785); Adalbert, 5,000 ($1,190). The Kaiser's brother, Prince Henry of Prussia (see HOLLAND), is said to receive 17,000 a year ($4,046) as a retired Admiral.

*The First Zone (Cologne) was technically evacuated "as of Dec. 1, 1925" (TIME, Nov. 23), the actual evacuation having gradually proceeded up to last week. In accordance with the Treaty of Versailles, the Second Zone (Coblenz) and the Third (Mayence) are to be evacuated on Jan. 1, 1930 and 1935, respectively.