The supplementary Agreement between the Allies and Germany in regard
to the Rhineland was published on Friday week. It constitutes a High Commission of four civilians appointed by Great Britain, France, Belgium, and America to represent the Allies in the occupied territory. The Commission may issue ordinances, having the force of law, " so far as may be necessary for securing the maintenance, safety, and requirements " of the Allied forces. The armies, the persons accompanying them, and any persons employed by them will be subject only to military law. Any one offending against the armies may be, but need not be, tried by Court-Martial. Save for these exceptions, the German civil and criminal Courts will retain their juris- diction. The civil administration will continue ".under the authority of the central German Government," unless it is modified by ordinance. The Agreement shows the Allies' desire to interfere as little as possible with the ordinary life of the Rhineland. The Germans, when they were the men in posses- sion showed no such consideration for the Belgians or the French.
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