Evening star., 1926-05-27
GERMANY DIVIDED
ON STATES RIGHTS
Fear Expressed That Prince
of Bavaria May Pro-
claim Kingdom.
By the Associated Prese.

By the Associated Prese.
MUNICH, Germany, March 27.-The
coming national referendum on the
proposed confiscation Of the property
of the former ruling Houses of Ger
many is one that may become of
thrilling importance In Bavaria, since
1t is closely bound up with the post
war revival of the question Of states
rights
Bavaria. which is closely attached to
the House of Wittlesbach a nd its head
Prince Rupprecht. is perhaps more
suspicious of the central German gov.
ernment at Berlin than any other
state. although the tendency toward
states rights also is strong in the
Thurineian states and in Saxony.
What would Berlin do if Rupp-
recht declared himself king with the
consent Of the Bavarian people?" is a
question the correspondent of the
Associated Press has often heard in
Munich.
Waits for Beer Reduction.
Prince Rupprecht, who considers
that he Is of More ancient lineage
than Hohenzollern, in a talk to a
v,
however. said: NO! | would not take
the crown until beer is 20 pfennigs
the stein.' it is now 40.
In this way the prince concluded a
short explanation of his conviction
that II would he useless for a Whittle-
bach to remOUnt the Ba arian throne
until economic difficulties had heen
surmounted
81 could not lower the high cost
of living. nor reduce taxation. nor find
work for the unemployed. he is
reported to have said in substance.
Boycott Held Weapon.
Various political leaders in Berlin.
however. have given thought to what
might he done in the event that
Prince Rupprecht should decide that
the time was ripe TO declare himself
king of Bavaria. sThe control by the
central authority of the railways, and
the presence in Bavaria of a division
OF the national army would give the
means for a military demonstration
against monarchy. but an economic
boycott would probably be more
effective.
The German government had the
experience of the painful effects of
economic blockade during the war
and the suspension of all commerce
and Intercourse with Bavaria. the
treatment of the country as an nm.
friendly foreign state. is one Of the
possibilities considered.
Bavaria. which calls itself the
Royal Republic Of Bavaria" is the
historichome of particularisn. or
states rights s il would he called in
America. Among the profound polit-
ical changes that have taken place in
Germanv since the war and the reyO.
luton afterward. is the revival of self
consciousness in the individual states.
the disposition to assert themselves
against the decisions and the pur-
poses of the authorities at Berlin
May Develop Menace.
This current Of resistance runs
strongest in Bavaria. in the Thur
ingian states, in Saxony and the Han
seattle cities, Frankfort. Hamburg
and Bremen. 1t is possible that IL
may develop into an urgent. even into
a menacing problem. particularly in
view Of the proposed property con
fiscation.
States rights people think the Fed.
eral Government should not collect
taxes and then pay over to the state
government its percentage as fixed
by the Federal Council and the Reich.
stag. The prevailing view here ap-
pears to he that the state should col.
lect taxes and nay To the central gov.
ernment the propos+ion due it.
The general principle upon which
the central government Is now acting
is shat decisions Of the Reichstag
must he executed by the government
Of the several states.