The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-30

knowing their public, have ceased to re- port politicians. Political meetings evoke none of the old enthusiasm. The public reiterates certain antipolitical eatchwords, such as the talking shop dor Parlia- ment. ''the party game and so on. And for progress the public looks not to the legislature but to experts. business men, departmental boards and even to royal influence. In the constitutional par liamentary machinery no hope is left,
 Europe's best thinkers say that the de- cay of politics is a misfortune. Herr Vik- tor Ienker, the brilliant Austrian parlia- mentarian and author, thinks the remedy lies in providing more up-to-date constitu- tional machinery Prof. Karl G. Lamp recht, the Liepzig professor of history, well known in America, says that the remedy lies in consciously educating the people in politics. He thinks that apathy to politics is national misfortune and holds that here England, America and some continental states are far ahead of Germany. Professor Lamprecht and Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg lately en- gagged in correspondence on this subject The substance was that Lamprecht de- clared that Germans must be "politicised," " and Bethmann-Hollweg thought they are already politicised more than enough for chancellors comfort Prince Buelow in his new book on ''Deutsche Politik'' se- verely condemns people who refuse to, engage in politics. HRsays that politics are a moral obligation~"It is the duty of the educated classes to start giving the masses political education. The idle in- difference to politics of spiritually and aes- thetically sensitive natures Is out of place. The present time is gravid with serious and great political problems, and these de- mand a political people,
 Judged by the complaint of politicians, electoneering associations and other or ganizatons in touch with facts, these warnings against the neglect of politics have no effect. A change is taking place in the way in which men of talent and ambition regard public activity Such men no longer seek a field of action in poh- tics; or if they do try politics they aban- don them after a short trial. The caucus associations lament that they cannot get hold of good men of the coming genera ton. The Belgian liberal party organiza- tion says that ''the younger men of talent and will power show a complete disregard of political interests. They seek careers in the professions. Leisured and rich young men who formerly entered politics as a pastime and salve to ambition have also changed their attitude If they seek mere recreation they prefer sport. Sport is, in fact. entirely absorbing a class of man who 10 years ago was an ardent am- ateur politician" The same complaint was made in 1910 by the Austrian Christian social party In Germany the complaint takes another form. Young Germans who aspire to real distinction, independence and power abjure politics and enter mu- nicipal or social life.
 Causes or this have been set out by Witting, by the Centre Reichstag Deputy Erxberger and others. One cause is that parliamentaran has no prospects be- fore him. He cannot rise. The bureauc- racy monopolizes all posts and power worth having; and more rigidly excludes the amateur politician than at any past time, Whiting says that if anyone today proposed that even the ablest Reichstag member be made minister he wouldobe regarded as out of his mind. The business of Reichstag member is, as Kaiser Will helm put 1t, notwithstanding on a small scale at the government, heckling permanent officials about odd. marks and pfennigs and listening submissively to lec- lures by minor bureaucrats on high poli- tics. This is no career for men of spirit So the man. of spirit enters the army or the bureaucracy in either case having a chance of coming to real power. More often he enters the municipal service. Ex- cept when 1t comes to borrowing money. Germany's municipalities are entirely in- dependent of the central government The
 
 wide spheres of independent activity; they are workers and creators, and have an infinitely higher position than has the passive. helpless Reichstag politician. And as municipalism grows more important and more complicated; as municipal trad ing extends as towns get grip on high CT education, and exercise many func- tlons under the new social laws-under these conditions the municipal official has an ever widening field of action and power.
 In the relation of central to local politics the roles have been transformed. In past days, prominent municipal workers were often transferred into high politics and they regarded this as promotion. When Bismarck wanted a good, business-like minister he looked around for a mayor. He made Hobrecht, the mayor of Berlin, his finance minister; later he made the mayor of Frankfurt. Miquel. his finance minister and thus got the best finance minister Prussia ever had. Nowadays prominent politicians are promoted into municipal life. The two most striking cases are Wermuth, formerly secretary of the treasury, and Bernhard Dernburg. formerly colonial secretary.
 These were two of the ablest adminis- trators in German history. The normal course for them on losing office would be to enter the Reichstag and to put their experience to use by criticizing and con- trolling the administration. Both went into municipalism. Wermuth accepted the post of mayor of Berlin, and Dernburg joined the new "zweckverband." This is an intermunicipal organization of Greater Berlin which has the important functions town planning, regulating communications and preserving public spaces. Cases like Wermuth's and Dernburgs are common among politicians of less note. Many promising ex-members of the Bavarian and Savon Diets have taken up work in town administration. The result is a general levelline up of municipal life. and steady degradation of politics as a ca- reer in which no man of real ability and character cares to remain for long.
 Europe's slownens In marching toward