Evening star., 1923-10-14


is certain to decide whether Germany
is to emerge from by-paths and enter
upon highroads to stability and prog
ress.
Communists and nationalists have
found common ground in their at
tempt to Illustrate the German chan
cellor in initiating reforms under the
guise of economic dictatorship-re-
forms that are absolutely vital If Ger
many is to be preserved and enabled
to meet her obligations TO the world
as the result of the world war. A die
tatorship means Illustration of COM
munistic desire-a Dictatorship by
red adherentS even more stringent
and selfish than StreSemann ever Will
be permitted to initiate. And as
result of the decision of Stresemann to
firmly grasp Germanys' tangled lines
in his hands and drive ruthlessly, the
fnduStrialiStS see themselves being
forced to meet just duties and obll-
cations not only in the operation OF
the government, but the preservation
of the reich. They must loosen their
hold In large measure on the political
scheme of things within the nation.
Their era of exploitation not only OF
private but national assets must come
10 an end. Financial stability is eX-
mann plan of complete governmental
control over industrial and economic
assets of the nation. And financial
stability for Germany is not wholly
desired by the tax-dodging, exploit
ing heads of big business in Germany.
for through their systematic efforts
Germany has been placed in the state
"f a bankrupt. while they in turn
have grown richer than they ever
dreamed. They have been able,
thrnToh rirCrirn CT a arising out of
chaos, to implant their iron Will upon
the masses. The workingman vic
tory of peace in Germany has turned
TO drosS. The industrialiSt, backed by
the nationalist and the centeriSt par
ties, has been able to place the Ger
man workingman in the position OF
slave to the whimS of big BUSINESS.
In it's various Vaccinations to con-
troll the deStinieS of the reich, the IN
duStrialist organization has waged
unrelenting warfare upon all those
advantages which the socialists
claimed TO have gained through the
soCialist-created republic.
Would DIscredit Government.
In the general drive TO supplant
In measure the old order Of things
the industrialists naturally have di-
rected their effd--s TO discredit gov
ernment in Ber-&, whenever it has
Deel IOunu lHdt "aS
running counter current TO the
wishes and desires of the exploiting
industrialists. On the other hand. the
business interests of the Rhineland
and the Ruhr claim to have grown
weary of seeing Germany slip into
the abyss while one political panacea
after another has been tried out only
to embroil Germany further at nome
as we'll as with other powers press
no the navn1pnt OF TeDaTd-
tionS.
During the week just closed Hugo
SHINES. having brought ABOUT the
. downfall of the first StreSemann cab-
met through his Vaccinations alien
atinE the socialists from the coal
itiOn. sought to gain complete doWi-
nation over Stresemann and issued an
ultimatum to the chancellor demand
ing many privileges for the indus
trial interests. Chiefly these were
guarantees for coal paid on repara-
tions account and the reductlon OF
taxation upon the output, or the Ruhr
factories. recognized the heart OF
Germanic Industrial endeaNor:
Though reported to concede several
points in the SHINES demands, in
Guiding the right of the industriallstS
to continue direct negotiations with
the French as to the future opera
tfon of the Ruhr and the Rhineland,
Chancellor StreSemann set about to
cntrench the authority of the gov
eminent by the establishment of die
tatorial powers for himself and Pres
ident Ebert.
Demands "AuthOrizatiOn."
In the reichstag the chancellor de-
manded the passage of his "authori-
zation bill" giving him wide powers
in dealing with the critical interna-
tional political. economic and social
conditions. Inasmuch as this involves
u new gold currency, the forced
mortgaging of the real ard industrial
nroperties OF the nation as guaran-
tees, the imposition of taxation on
gold basis instead of on the basis
of the worthless paper mark, the In
dustrialists Joined with the commun-
lists and prevented action. Chancel-
Tor Stresemann obtained a decree
from President Ebert providing for
for the dissolution of the reichstag
and the establishment of q dictator
ship for ninety days. during. which
elections must be held. The chancel-
Tor, still hoping that parliamentary
government might be preserved dur
ing the present critical situation in
stead of immediately falling back up
on the dissolution decree, decided to
hold the vote over for two or three
days until there was some hope of
obtaining a coalition majority for the
government in approval of the authori-
cation measure.
The vote and victory for the plan
came yesterday after the highways
and byways had been secured and
coalitionists rounded up for the final
test. Parliamentary forms will be
preserved, but it must be stated that
this will be but a mere matter of
form, for. previous to the vote, Chan
cellor Stresemann, by announcing
new taxation system and prospect
i've gold note currency, indicated that
,,,I Il ,-,.ln Q t1,a
reichstag with a firm hand on pen
atty of dissolution.
Temporizing Brings Trouble.
There is no question but that much
of Germany's trouble has come
through temporizing of governments
with political cliques in the reichs-
tag. Had any one of the postwar
premiers been permitted free hand
and had he overridden the political
whims of selfish interests, whether
communistic or nationalistic. Ger
many might today be on the high
, road of success, But half courses ne
Cessitated by compromise in order to
maintain working reichstag majori-
ties have tempered decision and made
almost futile proposed governmental
reforms of whatsoever character.
Stresemann, II would appear, intends
to compromise and equivocate> no
longer. He declares the absolute ne
cessity of economic and financial re-
forms within Germany proper before
Germany can begin to meet her obli-
cations to other nations. Gold cur
rency and tax reforms are but a be-
ginning. How much farther he may
go in the attempt to consolidate the
nations finances and restore in
dustrial and social order so that Ger
many may advance remains to be
seen hut StreSemann is NOT man to