Evening star., 1925-11-08
SACRIFICE OF LOCARNO
TO SQUABBLES is SEEN
Groups Favoring Pact in Both France
and Germany Meeting Opposition
on Domestic Issues.
By FRANK III. SIMONDS.

Il ment contributes not little
to bewilder and confuse the
American observers OF the present
acute crises in both Germany and
France. In both Berlin and Paris
today there is something like q
paralysis in the respective Parlia-
ments and the crisis in each case
corNes at a moment when great is
sues are at stake. In Berlin the
fate Of the Locarno pactS is in the
balance, in France the financial sta
bility of the country.
Neither in France nor IN Germany
at the moment does the party sys-
tenn of government, as we know 1t,
exist, nor is there even a remote
chance that a new election would
make any real change. In both ma
tions there is a coalition cabinet:
in France, radical, and in Germany.
reactionary, yet the majority in
France is patiently less radical than
the cabinet, while in Germany the
reverse is the case. If the Locarno
pact is to be saved in Berlin, the
votes will have to come from the
Socialists, who today constitute the
opposition, while if France is TO be
saved financially from such danger
Gus experiments as the capital levy,
| 1t must be because of the action OF
the Conservatives.
Not Solidly Republican.
The present Luther -Stresemann
! cabinet represents the first German
| government since the revolution
which is not all Republican I'd the
expression of the will Of the parties
which are known as the Weimar
Bloc because they support the re-
public and the constitution made at
Weimar after the revolution. Prior
to the present cabinet all govern
mentS have rested upon the Reich
stag support of the Socialists, Demo-
Gratis, Centrists and a scattering of
representatives of smaller groups;
, that Is, upon the out-and-out Re
publicans.
The existing cabinet. by contrast,
represented at the outset the combi-
nation Of the Nationalists, who are
the old monarchist elements, with
the Peoples party, representing the
great industrial interests, together
with the two bourgeois parties, the
Democrats and CentristS. This COM
bination was made upon purely do
mestio issues and with the tacit I'M
derstanding that the issue Of repub-
lie or monarchy should not be raised.
A majority of the two bourgeois par
ties and all of the Peoples and Ma
tionalist members are conservative on
economic questions and thus agreed
in the most important domestic field.
Conservative Combination.
The combination was made TO re-
strain the radical and Socialist ele
ments and TO give Germany con-
Servative administration. 1t repre-
sented a bargain by which the agri-
cultural interests, which predominate
in the Nationalist party. and the in
dustrial and business elements in the
other parties should work together
to obtain a desirable form of tariff.
protection for farm products and for
manufactured articles. There was also
the we'll understood purpose TO face
labor and restrain its efforts to get
short hours and high pay. In a word,
the Luther-Stresemann cabinet was
capitalist and conservative combi-
nation.
But by contrast, while the National
lists were unitedly monarchistic, the
Peoples party is divided on the issue
and united in believing the moment
for the restoration of the throne has
not come, while both the CentriStS
and the Democrats are frankly re-
publican. This fundamental cleavage
was we'll disclosed during the recent
presidential campaign, when the Cen
trists and Democrats supported Marx,
himself a CentriSt, while the Nation
aHsts enthusiastically and the Peoples
party with some hesitation backed
Hindenburg.
At the present moment the Peoples
party, the Centrum and the Democrats
are all enthusia stically supporting the
Locarno pact, but the Nationalists
have not only opposed it but have
now withdrawn their members from
the cabinet. Should they definitely
decide to withdraw their support in
the ReichStag the cabinet would fall,
because they furnish nearly half of
the necessary votes.
New Coalition Doubtful.
The obvious course, then, for Luther
and Stresemann would be to make a
new coalition, this time with the So
cialists, who have nearly az many
votes as the Nationalists and would
naturally support the Locarno agree
ment. But such q combination would
be difficult to make for the simple
reason that on practically all other
questions the Peoples party, the party
Of the great industrialiSts, Is lat odds
with the Socialists, who are the party
| of labor. Moreover, the Socialists are
in a position to make very awkward
demands upon the other members Of
the coalition.
In reality, there is no real basis of
agreement, for the Nationalists at one
end of the Reichstag are against all
policies which might lead to concilia-
ton and adjustment with the outside
world. They still think and talk and
act as If there had been no war, no
defeat, and as If Germany were
| capable of going her own way, organ
| izing her resources and in due course
t.,f ~k, II IL
, decisions of the war. They are un-
willing to recognize the loss of Alsace-
Lorraine as final and they insist upon
German military strength. They want
! to go back to 1914 and they are un-
| willing to concede anything which
| might prevent this.
At the other end of the chamber
| are the Socialists, who are not only
| resolved not to go back to 1914, and
to preserve the republic, but are also
seeking to establish in the domestic
| life Of Germany whole variety of
radical policies. Now between these
two groups, which are almost equally
| strong and constitute close to half
Of the Retchstag, are the other par
| ties, which are in the main republican,
| either definitely or as a matter of
temporary opportunism, but are also
naturally hostile to all Socialistic pur-
| poses.
Basis of Agreement Needed.
The main difficulty which Luther
or any other chancellor must face is
| that of finding some basis of agree
ment either with the Socialists or
with the Nationalists. Broadly speak
ing, it is fair to say that Germany
at the moment tends to hold the So
cialistic view with respect to the
republic. That is to say. majority of
Germans at the present moment ia
Vor the republic either as a matter