Evening star., 1924-05-04
GERMANY future
SEEN IN BALANCE
IN ELECTION TODAY
Verdict at Polls Most Critical
Since War, in View of
Nations Leaders.
NATIONALISTS SUBSIDE.
DAWES PLAN BIG ISSUE
Fate of Latter Regarded on Same
Plane as That of Democ-
racy Retention.
IT, the Associated Press

Ey the Associated Press.
BERLIN, May 3.-Thirty y-fivc million
men and women III Germany, who
have attained the age of twenty, will
have an opportunity tomorrow to give
untrammeled expression to their
political preferences, and upon their
verdict will depend in a large meas
vure the future of German politics and
the nations economic as we'll as for
eign relations
Although Sundays balloting con-
stitutes the most critical of the Ger
man postwar elections. the campaign
which terminated tonight stimulated
only minimum of popular interest
and the fact that twenty three
parties, representing no less than
seventy-tive individual political units.
are named on the official ballot, re-
fleets the degree to which internecine
political schisms continue to keep the
German people in discord.
Dawes Plan Fate Involved.
While the fate of German democracy
is heavily involved in the outcome of
tomorrows voting through the menace
to the right, the government and
political leaders are more deeply con-
cerned with the popular verdict on
the question of making the Dawes
report the instrument with which
Germany may achieve a definite ad-
justment of her reparation problem.
official circles and party leaders
who are seeking this goal are hopeful
that the combined mandates, which
may be captured by the Socialists,
Clericals, Peoples Party and Demo-
Gratis, will insure the prosecution of a
parliamentary program based on a
faithful effort to carry out the pro-
visions of the experts proposals.
These four parties commanded 346
seats in the old Reichstag. Allowing
for a prospective collective loss of
100 mandates in tomorrow's election,
the big coalition would still COM
mand sufficient votes in the new
Parliament to carry out the program
to which the Marx -Stresemann gov
ernment has pledged Germany
through it's acceptance Of the Dawes
report as a basis for negotiations.
Rail Issue in Doubt.
Its majority would suffice to push
through all ordinary legislation need
ed for fulfillment of the experts con-
ditions except on the issue of conyer-
sion of the federal railways into
capitalized trust corporation, which
would involve constitutional
amendment requiring a two-thirds
majority.
The streets of Berlin are Uttered
with handbills and dodgers strewn
from airplanes and motor cars. Most
of them carry the old monarchial
colors and are the campaign devices
used by the Nationalists, who go far
atield in the search of slogans.
Prince Bismarck has been pressed
into service as the switchman who
routes all trains to the right, while
the shades of Frederick the Great
and to her notional heroes have been
invoked to remind the voters of the
glories of other days
LudendorfY Sure Winner.
There has been a visible chill in
the fervor with which the ultra
Nationalists, headed by Gen. Luden-
dorff, set out to stampede the voters
shortly after the general was ac-
quilted in his recent treason trial at
Munich, but at the same time the
former quartermaster general is sure
of election because he heads the
ticket as candidate-at-large
This also holds good for all the
candidates of the other par
ties, as they will automatically be
elected by virtue of surplus votes in
case they are defeated in the local
districts where they were nominated
Therefore, while early returns will in
dicate the election of Gen Ludendorff,
Admiral Won Tirpitz, Prince Bis
marck, Count ReventIow, Chancellor
Marx. Foreign Minister Stresemann
and other party leaders, they will not
indicate the subsequent strength of
each party, as this will finally be
established after the total vote is
aIlocated on the basis of one mandate
for each $4,000 votes.
The Socialists and Communists cap
tured 100000 out of $4,000, 600
sotes cast in the 1920 election.