Evening star., 1928-06-03
GERMAN ELECTIONS PUT
REPUBLICANS IN POWER
DIR. Braun, Socialist, to Head Cabinet
Combination Known as Great COali-
ton Controls Reichstag.

LOcarno and threat Tor the Iutufe-
All progress toward an early evacuation
Of the Rhineland was halted.
At home the cabinet was more sue
cessfuI, To get Office the Nationalists
had agreed to respect Locarno and full
fl the Dawes plan. At the same time
they continued to criticize the repub-
lic which they had undertaken 70 sup
port, the Dawes plan and Locarno,
which they had subscribed TO, and they
forced through tariff legislation which
materially increased the cost Of living.
Lost Strength.
BY accepting the republic and Lo-
carno, they lost strength with the ez-
treme monarchical elements Of their
own party, by their personal attacks
upon the republic and the foreign
policy Of Stresemann, they disguised all
reasonable Germans. By their tariff
legislation designed to benefit the
agrarian element in their own party.
which Is made up Of the extreme
Junkers, they outraged the rest OF the
nation. At home and abroad they failed
conspicuouSly.
AS a consequence, the voters at the
last election not only administered to
the Nationalists crushing blow. but
Just as decisively punished the Peoples
and Centre parties for having con-
sented to make a coalition with the
Nationallsts.
The new Reichstag will be dominated
by combination known as the Great
Coalition, which includes the Socialists,
the Centre, the Peoples party and the
Democrats, doubtless aided by the
Bavarian Peoples party.
Even without this assistance it will
count 236 votes in chamber Of 489.
Moreover, and the fact is significant,
the Weimer bloc will count 242 votes
or only three less than a clear majority
for the out-and-out republican parties.
DIR. Braun as Leader.
At the head Of the coalition viii be
a Socialist chancellor, DR.. Braun, and
while Dr. Stresemann will undoubtedly
retain his post as foreign minister, the
other positions will almost certainly be
divided almost exclusively between the
Socialists, the Centre and the Demo-
Gratis.
A republican government, purged Of
the last taint of monarchical influence,
will now undertake to negotiate with
the victors OF the World War TO obtain
the early evacuation of German soil
and the equally necessary liquidation
Of the Dawes plan. The new cabinet
win seek to liquidate the postwar is
sues, to recover complete German
freedom and restore the German re-
public to the position in the world oc-
cupied by the nation before 1914.
1t is going TO be excessively difficult
for the allies, and this means France,
to meet the arguments which can be
presented by DR.. Stresemann speaking
for republican Germany. What con-
ceivable argument can Poincare and
BRAND present for further occupation
Of German soil? Not even the French
can argue that there is now any danger
to French secfrity on the German side.
There IS grave danger for the French
and for Europe IN any policy which
now refuses TO the republican cabinet
the liberation OF German soil, which
the whole German people demands.
The failure of republican cabinet TO
obtain this would play directly into the
hands Of the Nationalists and give them
the only issue on which they might be
able 10 recover.
Occupation for Reparations.
Every one in Europe knows that the
occupation has ceased to be based upon
any consideration of French security.
Even before the latest election the
French apprehension of a new German
aggression was largely vanished. Occu-
patton today represents the French
guarantee Of reparations
II the new German government can
find ways abroad to market bond issue
large enough 10 guarantee France the
liquidation of her war debts 20 the
United States and Great Britain, or
can persuade the United States to can
eel or reduce its debt claims, the way
10 evacuation is open.
The new German cabinet can only
endure If 1t makes visible progress to-
ward the liberation Of German soil. II
it can attain this end, then the last
conceivable opposition 70 the republic
within Germany will be smashed. II 1t
fails. there Is patent danger Of another
reaction like that following the Ruhr,
certainly not as serious. but calculated
to postpone the consolidation Of the
republic. which apparently nothing can
now actually prevent.