The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1921-09-09
A BERLIN STREET PARADE

The very absence Of spectacular
enthusiasm or otter emotiOnaism
among the 100000 WI marched in
Berlin to show Il cir devotion TO the
German republic impressed beholders.
These were grim, determined men
who came out on tie day of Mat
thias Erzberrer's f@ncr:l with the
purpose Of showing that royalist in
triguers, glcrifers of tie steel helmet,
agitators for a return CT Prussianism
do net represent the t.'!c sentiment OF
capital and country. Their demon
stration Las It's Place in estimates as
to tie perpctGi'y of tie new liberal
government. Tie right Of insurrec-
ton was invoked a":inst dis'Gstcful
governments in tie French convulsion
at the end of the eighteenth century.
These Berlin maccEcrs. mostly from
tie wage-eaning classes, were eX-
pressing a new principle, the right to
strike against a form Ct government
Objectionable to the masses.
1t is a principle as easily abused as
the cid scp1istical insulrcctionary
principle, but may be so eXerted as to
become tremendous stcLiii2ing force
in behalf of . satisfactory existing
COVE nmcnt. In fact, it IS already
been so ASSERTED with decided results
in Germany. CorrrrtinC strong bod
les of troops that seemed ominously
ready to return to Hohcnzclle"n Gllc-
glance, tie Junl;cr ursising, led by
DR.. Won Kapp, drove the republican
government from Be"l:n a year ago
last March. Then the republican
masses decreed a STRIFE as a counter
move. For a few Gays after March
Is the Kapp outfit maintained itself
and seemed about to send an impor
tant invitation to a disconnected exile
in Holland. But Loving arrayed
against it all the industrial forces so
essential t. the frnctioniag of a mod
ern state, it quickly fell, BY March
% the republican regime was back in
Berlin, g"asping the 2eins of power
with a more confident hand t,,an be-
fore.
The second anniversary of that Aug
ust %, wien ex-SadG!eElaker Freid-
rich Ebert, Provisional President since
the armistice, took the cSth as the
constitutional President for seven
years, has passed. Is not his chance
of serving the remaining five years of
the term at least as bright as his
chance of serving two years of it was
in August, 1919? The many striking
resemblances between the beginnings
of the first German republic, headed
by devotees Of that form of govern
ment, ard the beginnings fifty years
ago of the third French Republic,
teaded for years by fanatical mon
archists, have been collatcd and APP
praised, and the irresistible conclu-
sion is that the German Republic has
an unreasonable better chance of sur
yival now tkan the French Republic
had in 1S7072.
To what otlc@ principle of govern
ment shall Germany turn from the
one that is bringing her through days
CT bittercst trial? At no other time
or place has an experiment with the
imperialistic principle been made I'M
DER more favorable auspices or given
more successful results than in Ger
many. 1t brought i. up to the first
place in commerce and industry, sum-
moned prosperity and banished beg
CARS and tramps, made Germany ma
ton of happy workers end clean work !
shops, gave it a power that was sway
ed around the world. But it brought |
Germany to ruin at last-colossal, I'M |
believab!e, staggering ruin. Germany
has no other choice except one be-
tween Ho.. enzollcrnism and rcpubi- |
canism. Even those who insist on the |
former would prefer the latter to any |
other substitute. With the passage Of !
years they will become more and more |
reconciled to it, just as countless other
have become rcconciled to |
It in the past and just as countless
more will in the future, with the sue
cessive fall of dynasties and the repu-
iiation of that principle of vicious
ness wherever and whenevr exercised |
rule by heredity.
Street parades in Berlin will not de- |
,ermine the form of rule existing in
Berlin in 1926 or 1880. Nevertheless, !
hat column which marched for hours
will not be without its effects to the !
enemies of the republic. The terrific |
essons of the past, the events of the |
present will work powerfully for gov
eminent by the consent of the gov
'rned and time most powerfully of all |
Germany cannot ascend again by the
I'D, rotten ladder through whose COL