130 



EMPLOYMENT OF THE PLEBISCITE [428 



proclaimed, the political independence of Esthonia on No- 

 vember 28, 191 7, a Provisional Esthonian Government was 

 formed. Before the invasion of German troops on Feb- 

 ruar)^ 24, 1918, this Provisional Government, supported by 

 national Esthonian troops, and in fulfilment of the vote of 

 November 28, proclaimed the republican form of govern- 

 ment in Esthonia, and at once reestablished political order in 

 most of the districts of the country." The Protest charges 

 the German military police force with the usual method of 

 forcing a favorable public expression for annexation : the 

 press is censored, forced to print pro-German editorials 

 supplied by the forces of occupation, or to be suppressed; 

 all free expression is made impossible by the threat of 

 heavy fines and death; the national troops are disarmed; 

 administrative and local self-governing institutions in town 

 and country, created by the Esthonian Assembly, are set 

 aside. In their place committees have been appointed from 

 the German minority population which, according to the 

 latest Esthonian statistics, is less than two and one-half per 

 cent. The German language is made compulsory for pri- 

 vate correspondence and given first place in schools. In 

 place of the Esthonian elected Assembly, a new Assembly 

 has been called by summons of "a few delegates of the 

 communal elders of the peasant communes, as if there was 

 not also an overwhelming Esthonian majority in all the 

 towns of Esthonia." The Protest continues: 



Subsequently, in order to give the lacking authoritativeness to the 

 acts of the United Diet, called together in this way, in regard to the 

 annexation of Esthonia to the German Empire, representatives of 

 the German nobility, of the German pastors, and of other Baltic 

 German groups, with the active support' of the military power, 

 started a secret collecting of signatures among the Esthonian popu- 

 lation in favor of a closer political connection between Esthonia 

 and the German Empire; in doing this every means was used to 

 terrorize the people in order to secure the desired result. 



The cessions of territory demanded by the Central Pow- 

 ers in the Treaty of Bucharest of May 7, 1918, between 

 Roumania and the Quadruple Alliance, provide for no 



