The Washington herald., 1921-02-23
MUNICH BITTER
AGAINST BERLIN
AS WAR SEQUEL
Differences Between Cit
les Made Worse by
German Press.
BAVARIANS GO SLOW
Conservatism in Art and Cul-
ture Succeeds Period of Vio-
lent Political Upheayals.
BAVARIANS GO SLOW

MUNICH, Feb. 22-There Is a
difference between Berlin and Mu-
nich bigger than the difference be-
tween Berlin and Dresden, Paris
and Marseilles. London and Edin-
burgh. Berlin and Munich rarely
understand each other. and the mis-
understanding has been dangerous
ly deepened by the German party
. press and by German party feeling,
which have exploited, exaggerated
and distorted the difference to suit
their own narrow ends.
For the Berlin Socialist papers
Bavaria Is the fortress Of German
reaction, q fortress from which one
day the Einwohnerwehr will pour
forth to re-establish the monarchy
and the bygone order Of things in
Europe.
The political atmosphere Of Ba-
vsria Is certainly most congenial to
supporters Of the old order. and 1t
Is only natural that many Of them
should 90 there to stay. But when
ever one Of them undertakes the
pilgrimage, Freiheit. chief organ of
the Independent Socialists. sees an
other recruit for the gang Of sin
lister plotters who are alleged to
be conspirfng against the German
Republic at Munich.
Charges Royalist Coup
Last autumn $4,000 armed Elm
wohnerwehrmen assembled at Mu-
mich for the annual -Schutzenfest." !"
They looked very picturesque In
their feathered hats. the embroid-
cred jackets. their leather shirts.
and their wooden stockings that
waerts. the chief organ Of the ma
Sority Socialists. prophesied that on
The day Of the festival Prince Rup-
precht would ascend the throne and
the wittelsbachs would once again
rule over the kingdom Of Bavaria.
-Yorwaerts" need only have rung
Munich up on the telephone to be
informed that this prophecy was the
purest nonsense But the intention
Of @vorwaerts" was not to enlighten
fts-readers. but to stir up feeling
against the Bavarian menace"
against white Bavaria" against
-Bavsrian Separatism." and against
the -counter-revolutiona Einwoh-
nerwehr."
The -Rote Fahne.- chief organ of
the German Communists. Is rather
more sweeping and more consistent
in its affections and aversions. 1t
denounces the German government
as counter-revolutionar and the
RavzTian government as only par
ticslarly so-a difference in degree
sad Rot Ia kind
Ally OF Radicals.
The reacfionary press of Berlin
T. ts@ helpful ally of the Radicals,
foSsftz Stes in Bavaria the nearest
approach to the ideal State Germany
has to offer. the ideal State being a
u1ilitarist monarchy strong enough
TO destroy Socialism. and to destroy
France in a new and glorious war.
For many Bavarian papers, on the
other hand, Berlin'is a sink of cor
ruption and immorality-it is REQ
Berlin" dominated by a clique of
Jews. Freemasons. Bolsheviks and
profiteers. And with the exception
II the "Frankfurter-Zeitun which
has a very able and fair-minded
correspondent at Munich, the mod
crate German press does nothing to
assuage the newspaper feud that is
so -unscrupulously urging two, in
separable parts of Germany against
each other. The difference between
Berlin and Munich does not in the
least Justify the violence of the
feud. but the difference is real
nevertheless.
Before the war Bavaria was a
Kingdom and yet 1t was little more
tnan a German province with hardly
any politics of its own. and when
war. was declared patriotic enthusi-
asm was at least as delirious in
Munich as in any other German
town.
Munich Had Culture.
But IL Munich did not have its
own politics II had its own culture.
Berlin was gross. pompuous, bu-
reaqcratic. militarist. Munich was
tree' artistic, gay. and bohemian.
munich was paradise for artists
ana men Of letters. The most brill
hant and biting satire on the for
mer militarism of Germany came
from Munich, and in the '-SimpIicis-
sinus" at one time the worlds
latest comic paper, cartoonists
<rfPs like To. Heine and Gull
77ss1e ran tht-risk of being inn
I|<cr<d for -n.ajeste.
the Bayarian monarchy was
oie and democratic. The tWit-
Dacns had little of the snobbish-
hess and grandiosity of the Hohen-
soiierns The architecture of Munich
,no beriin corresponded perfectly
with the difference between the two
coWns-Berlin streets and buildings
s.0ss' ponderous and overloaded
Ntn tasteless ornament, and Mu-
men nght, elegant. and beautiful.
,ne-or the most beautiful towns in
Inc external ugliness Of Berlin
sna the external beauty Of Munich
remain. but all else has Changed
me. ehange Is due to one episode
tar more than to all other causes
.ut together. That episode was the
unfcn Soviet. proclaimed in April.
.sis: 1t was led by a handful Of
.ewish Communist men of letters
u nad a Red army some fifty or
nAty Thousand strong. It proclaimed
IN aiiiance with Bolshevik Russia
declared war against Prussia .nS
switzeriand. tried to sociaIize everv-
press. ehe
The Munich Soviet might have
peep nothing more than a rrotesope
comedy, but the leaders were swent
asioe oy the mob and the comedy
became terrible tragedy. LootinS
ana rowdyism led to bloodshed. Gov
ernment troops marched against
Munich Hostages were murdered
IN patches. Heavy and embiftersS
street lighting ended In the collans.
OF the soviet. and then the sayarerv
OF the Red army was outdone by
me brutality Of the government
Munich learned lesson Il vful
asver FORGET. and il is the memory |