Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-12-28
The Story the Week Has Told

reichswehr (the German army is
limited by the Versailles treaty to
100000 men, a force of 100000 police
is practically duplicate of the
retchswehr, getting a similar train
ing and receiving its orders from
Gen. Won Seeckt, communicative chief
of the reischwehr, and that the per-
sonnet of both reischwehr and police
Is being rapidly changed so as to re-
peat the trick whereby Scharnhorst
comprised Napoleon's downfall.
Obviously this is new critical
phase of great Importance. The Ger
man Nationalists are playing up the
allied decision regarding Cologne as
proof of allied insincerity, and by
the same token, as a convincing ar
gument that the country needs a
government by 100 per cent patriots,
namely themselves, who would not al
low any more bamboozlement. There
seems to be some danger that they
will win upon the Liberal sentiment
of the country sufficiently to effect
their aim.
On the other hand, there is good
ground for hope that the majority of
Germans will recognize that Ger
man recovery depends on treaty full
fillment and that they have, in fact,
been betrayed by the evasions and
violations. But it is distressingly
obvious how magnificent Is the op-
portunity for Nationalist propaganda.
To illustrate the possibilities in the
situation, the German Industrial AS
ISOLATION passed a resolution on the
22d demanding that the go 'rnment
repudiate the Dawes plan II the al
lies do not evacuate Cologne on jan
uary 10.
Yet I would not overstress the
danger. Germany has made remark
able recovery since the institution
of the Dawes plan. The majority of
Germans must know that to accept
the guidance of the Nationalists
would be to imperil the new fabric
of prosperity and to invite returns of
the conditions of 1929.
The cabinet impasse continues. The
Nationalist press threatens a. coup,
backed by the reicshwehr, whence a
Nationalist and Peoples party gov
eminent. "If necessary, entire elimi-
nation Of parliamentary government"
X X X x
ItaIy.-Mussolini has done a bold
thing. He has submitted to the Ital-
ian chamber a bill which propose s
re-enactment in substance of the
electoral law, which was superseded
only few months ago by the some
what curious law under which the
present chamber was elected. Quite
naturally the chamber gasped at this
most Mussolinistic of Mussolinisms.
The chamber will consider and no
doubt pass the bill when it meets
after the Christmas recess.
The proposal is interpreted (and
the inference seems clear) as indi-
eating new general elections in the
not distant future. The idea of res
toration of the old electoral law, so
much more favorable to their chances
than the new one, pleases the oppo-
sition, of course.
, But elections under the auspices of
a Fascist government-"free elections
| under a Fascist government" 1t is
to laugh. Ergo, the government
must resign"
That Mussolini will resign seems,
however, out of the question. But
do not be too sure; Mussolini might
do 1t, after making certain prelim-
mary arrangements. 1t would strike
the popular imagination, and an ap-
peal to the popular imagination
might, as things are going, be neces-
sary to save the situation.
Mussolini hopes for return Of a
chamber majority OF Fascist legal
lists" The Fascist "savages" are not
at all pleased with the prospect.
After all, we shall have to, hand it"