Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-03
GERMAN CABINET.
CRISIS GROWING
All Parties Fear to Take Re.
sponsibiIity for Big Tax
Increases.
BY DIR. GUSTAV sTOLPER.

BY Radio to The Star.
BERLIN, March 2.-Germany's lin.
gering cabinet crisis, which now has
lasted for months, assumes steadily q
more serious character.
Never In Germany has there been Sc
much talk about a crisis of parliament
tarism as now. Only q few day age
Foreign Minister Stresemann himself, az
chairman of the Peoples party, spoke
gravely on this subject.
LET us not deceive ourselves" Herr
Stresemann said. I'VE face a crisis OF
parliamentarism which Is more than a
mere matter of lack of confidence. The
crisis has two causes: First Is the carl
cature into which the parliamentary
system in Germany has developed; Sec
ond is the completely false attitude OF
Parliament in respect to its RESPONSE
bility to the nation.
"The parliamentary system means the
responsibility OF the cabinet minister to
Parliament, which can by a majority
him to resign. But this provision no
where says that a minister must be q
party man; nowhere does 1t make the
assignment of ministerial portfolios de-
pendent on the strength Of the parties,
and nowhere does 1t transfer the gov
eminent from the ministers to the par
ties
Draws Conclusion.
And Herr Stresemann drew therefrom
the conclusion: There can be no talk
of the cabinets demission. I regard II
as the duty of the men who stand at
the helm to remain in their places even
when the waves wash over the ship and
the crew inclines to mutiny. The feel
ing Of personal responsibility to the
State is higher than party considera-
tons. It Is an absolutely grotesque
situation when in q period when all
faculties must strain themselves to
watch the Paris reparations negotia-
lions, the chancellor and the foreign
minister are compelled to spend their
whole time in futile attempts to bring
the parties closer together"
But what good does talking do?
Herr Stresemann's party acts differ
entity than he talks. Outwardly the
conflict is based on the Center party's
refusal to help make up the cabinet
because the three ministerial posts II
demands are not granted, and In Prus.
STA the Peoples party demands more
Fears to Assume Risk.
But behind this struggle for port.
folios there is more important mat.
ter-the parties fear of assuming re.
sponsibility for the enormous new
taxes which the minister of finance
feels obliged to propose to cover thu
deficit caused in the budget by in.
creased reparations payments Ane
this conflict means In the last analyst,
chasm hard to bridge between thu
politico-economic principles of the So.
cialists and of the bourgeois parties
that must form a government coalition
| with the Socialists.
The conflict would be less sharp 4
Germany were prosperous. But the
economic crisis, unemployment and the
number Of bankruptcies are increasing
and the reports from the Young com:
mittee's conference in Paris are moi
sufficiently satisfactory to encourage
business. And on top of all this come
personal defects of leadership. Chan.
cellor Mueller exhibits less energy In
handling the question than is needed
and the Socialist finance minister, Herr
Hilferding, remains passive in the FACE
OF all the demagogic proposals Of thu
parties.
The dangers for further domestic de.
| velopments arising out of this muddle
Of political leadership are increased BY
the almost fanatical determination with
which the Nationalist opposition, un.
der Alfred Hugenberg's leadership, is
working for the destruction Of the
democratic system in Germany. The
desperate situation Of the farmers add
ever more strength to this agitation
and the defensive measures of the
democratic bourgeoise and labor are
paralyzed further daily by their con.
tempt for partisan quarreling.
(Copyright, 1922