Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-07-08
|GERMANYUNMOyED
by COALITION RULE
New Socialist Chancellor
Shows Conservative Trend
in Assuming Control. =.
BY GUSTAV sTOLPER.

By Radio to The Star.
BERLIN, July Germany is not
excited over the program with winch
Chancellor Hermann Mueller takes the
reins Of the new grand coalition govern
ment.
The program reflects the quiet and
little imaginative nature of the chan
cellor as we'll as the objective differences
with which a cabinet of such hetero..
genous elements must deal. The grand
coalition will have to show what prac-
tical work it can do. Points OF frictlon
must be worn away in daily struggles
if the governmental machine is to func-
ton we'll This requires time and there
has been no time thus far. Mueller had
TO formulate his speech to the Reich
stag in such a manner as to offend no.
body. The platform drawn up by this
Socialist. except for a few rhetorical
details, could have been formulated
quite as we'll by Conservative Liberal
The new government abandonS the
idea of revenge and speaks for peace
full understandings, but. ..ac IT'S Con.
seryative predecessor, 1t must insist
upon speedy solution of the evacuation
question. progress in disarmament ano
final regulation of the reparations PROB
lem.
Stresses Peace Move.
Mueller emphasized the fact that
Germany was the first state to accept
without reservations the outlawry OF
war proposal of Secretary Kellogg.
This If one knows what went on be-
hind the scenes on the diplomatic stage,
was not at all a matter of course. For
it is known that Paris and London had
wanted to form united front among
the Locarno powers in this respect and
thus induce Germany to join in making
reservations. This Germany refused
to do.
Results of the Geneva world economic
conference are accepted by the new
government. Negotiations concerning
commercial treaties, especially with
Germany's eastern and southeastern
neighbCrs, will henceforth meet fewer
difficulties than under the former gov
eminent, which suffered strong agra
rian handicapS.
Special attention was attracted by
the chancellor's reference to the prob
lem of the relations of the Reich to big
cartels and trusts. The monopoly prob
lem in GERMANY comes more and more
to the front politically as it did in the
United States in the decade before the
war. But the difference is that Ger
many. unlike America. does not consider
any shattering Of the great monopolies.
The chancellor hopes to secure their
help in controlling themselves, since It
is to their interest to win public opinion
to better understanding of their meas
ures. But he demands for the govern
rent necessary control. securitv and
! the possibility of arriving at an intelli-
gent conclusion as to whether these
monopolies are adapted to serve gen.
eral economic progress.
| Seeks Farm Aid.
| The cabinet also desires to aid the
| middle classes and, above all, the
| farmers. The neceSSitouS situation Of
| the agriculturiStS, astounding enough,
| commands in the platform Of this so
| cialiSt government, much more space
than In any platform Of past govern
| ments of the right. Except in these
| matters. however. the economic and II,
nancial planks are most unclear.
| On the financial side only small
lowering of the income tax on incomes
below 5000 marks yearly is promised.
The great problem of thorough re-
| vision of the German taxation system
| is not even mentioned. Still worse Is
| the fact that the vital question Of Ger
man politicS-the reform of simplify
/ ing relations between the Reich and
| the stateS-is dealt with in a single,
meaningless sentence. Here. where
| opinions differ most sharply, the So
cialists lack of any program is appar-
! ent Possibly their timorouSness win
vanish gradually when the party's re-
lations to the government become
! stronger.
| The situation will be clearer in the
/ Autumn. But If compromise is reached
! by doing nothing. then the price OF
/ compromise will be too high.
| tCopyright. 1921