Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-07-22
Rumanian Liberal
Parties Agree On
Opposition Program

Bucharest. July 81 ca. Platter
several months of negotiations, the
two strongest opposition parties in
the Rumanian parliament have final
ly reached agreement upon a com
mon program. These parties are the
Transylvanian NationalistS, under
Jules Manu-, and the Peasants under
DIR. Nicholas Lupu. While the new
group. which will be known as the
National Peasants party, under the
parliamentary leadership OF Mr.
MANU-. will control at present only
about 25 per cent. of the voting
strength of the Chamber of Deputies,
its strength in the country is enor
mously greater.
In an election that freely expressed
the preferences of the voters it is
believed the Nationalists would have
an almost unanimous vote in the new
territories of Pennsylvania. Bocovina
and the Banat, while the Peasants
could undoubtedly count on sub
sta ntial ma jority in the Old Kingdom
and in Bessarabia. In other words.
the new bloc" would probably have
an overwhelming parliamentary ma
jority, in spite OF the fact that 1t
would place the government of the
country largely in the hands of
Transylvanians.
The present Liberal party govern
ment, however. representing as it
does the financial and industrial in
terests of the country, and strongly
supported by the Crown, the Ortho-
dox Church and what is left of the
old land -owning aristocracy, will be
difficult to dislodge from office.
Premier Bratianu has recently an
nounced that the government has no
intention of resigning, but the best
informed opinion seems to be that
there will be grave risks of internal
disorders il the government attempts
to hold on for many months more.
The best guess at present seems to
be that the Liberals will stay until
the autumn session of parliament,
and that they will then attempt, with
the approval of the king, to have
General Averescu, former Premier,
and COMMUNICATIVE Chief Of the Ru-
manian army during the World War,
form a stop-gap government in ord
er to try to keep out the Transplant
ians and the Peasants.
The program of the new National
Peasants party has been skilfully
drawn up so as to make strong APP
peal for foreign support. not only po-
BuL his pIOSl an,
while maintaining completely intact
vors a federalized form of govern
ment. similar to Switzerland. as
against the present centralized form
in which the new territorities are
dominated by the Old Kingdom.
Complete freedom, not only in
theory. but in practice. Is to be
granted to all racial minorities, re-
CARELESS of creed or religion: the
term of military service would be
reduced: and the financial and eco
nomic status of the country would
be drastically reorganized so that the
foreign capital necessary for Ru-
mania's economic development would
be attracted-to the country on a just
and safe basis.
This takes direct issue with the
policy of the present government,
which insists that any foreign cap
ital employed in Rumania must be
under Rumanian control and subor-
dinate to Rumanian capital. The
new party also stands for the aboli-
ton of the dominance OF the Ortho-
dox Church in all ecclesiastical mat
tiers.
The second most important oppo-
sition xbloc" is the recently formed
Peoples Democratic party. under the
leadership of Prof. n. Iorga, which is
a combination of the National Demo-
Gratis and the Peoples parties. The
program of the Peoples Democratic
party Is now so similar to that of
the National Peasants that. when the
general election comes. both OF the
new parties will probably stand to-
gether in order to form solid anti
Liberal bloc"