Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-21
BY FRANK H. sIMoNDs.

01 EAANh M OANAOlNDOs
TIME recent cabinet crisis in Ger
many supplies one more EVIL
dence of the weakness of the
II bloc system of parliamentary
government which prevails in
I'll continental European countries and
has been the explanation of the vari-
Gus postwar relationships. In the
latest German case the need for unity
on the home front was beyond dis
cussion. With reparations conference
going on in Paris and the question of
the German future at issue, the So
issue to precipitate national crisis.
Nominally the issue was. supplied by
the question Of the building of battle
cruiser, but in reality the moral cloak
to the Socialist operation appears rather
thin when 1t is recognized that the
actual discussion took place over sup
plying funds not for new ship, but
for one already half constructed. The
real issue was only one more of the
utterly bewildering petty partisan dis
putes In domestic politics.
Two things combine to make orderly
government in Germany almost impos-
sible There is first the division of
the electorate, into half a dozen groups
separated by unbelievable depths. Out
side Of Germany, even at this late date,
we continue to see German politics as
the struggle between the republic and
reaction, between the new Germany
and the old, between those who would
restore the Kaiser and those who would
consolidate the democracy, but In real
ity most OF the crises which have
come In recent years have been due
tn
might expect in an assembly district
in the United States.
How They Line Up.
OF the larger parties In Germany,
the Social Democrats are the most con-
siderable and they count some $50
members, just under third of the
Reichstag. This party is republican,
and to our views radical, but~fadical
as Labor Is radical In Britain, not as
the Communists are In all European
countries. 1t is q class party, a work.
irgman's party, but it has no desire
to 60 red" and in the revolution of
1918. 1t broke the back Of the real
bolshevist movement.
Next in strength to the Social Dem
ocrats are the Catholics; together the
Center party and its Bavarian ally
count between 30 and 80 seats. But as
party, while 1t is Overwhelmingly
republican, the Catholic group is al
ways rnaneuyering for its particular
ends; and the last great crisis, which
brought down the previous coalition,
arose, out of an effort Of the Center to
give q purely religious turn to the
school question, On a square issue of
republic versus monarchy. the Center
and the Social Democrats would stand
together, but on domestic questions they
are frequently In bitter opposition to
each. other.
The third Of the German parties
which. together made up the Weimal
man republic, Is at once the weakest
and the strongest-weakest In numbers
since it counts less than 80 seats, anC
strongest In brains, since 1t Is backed BY
| the ableSt and most influential Of the
Berlin newspapers. But while the Dem.
ocratic party Is republican in its poll
tics, and thus an ally Of the Sofia
Democrats, its conservatism just as nat
urally brings 1t into accord with the
| Nationalist, who are at once Monarch
lists and Conservatives.
Three Branches at Odds.
Together these three weimar partie.
4 could count something like bare ma.
| jority in the Reichstag, II they stool
together, but In every domestic question
save that of the form of government
they are at odds. Their difference.
make any orderly and coherent cabinet
government out of the question for any
considerable period Of time.
Between the Weimar Republican:
and the Nationalist, who are nomi.
nally, but by no means unanimously
Monarchists, stands the Peoples party
the party of big business and its smaller
but not unimportant, servants. Count.
| ing something less than so seats, 1t Is
nevertheless, practically the possessor o
| the balance of power between the Dem
ocratic and Nationalist groups. And i
has the enormous advantage Of beint
the only German political party with
great leader, namely, Stresemann. Un'
happily, however. 1t Is not unltet
party and within party ranks Strese'
Cabinet Must Have Reichstag.
To conduct business in the German
Parliament 1t is obvious that any cabi
net must have behind it majority o.
the members of the Reichstag. But Il
make such majority it is patent tina
there must be combination between
people of utterly different ideas. Obvi
ously such coalition could endure jus
as long as there was question of main
tanning the republic. Not the ''kinl
business" but the. parochial question
OF domestic policy are pending; ques
tions such as the division of places II
the cabinet itself.
In this. situation there have beer
numberless efforts to form govern
ment not on q political but on an eco
nomic basis. The Catholics and tn,
/ Democrats are willing to join hand
| with the Peoples Party and the Nation.
! alists. who count some eighty-odd seats
/ in coalition to enforce what We should
! cal conservative business principles.
!, Obviously the Republican element!
would insist that the basis of agreement
should be the acceptance by the Ma.
But the Nationalist are primarily Q
monarchist party.
Communists In Question.
| To complete the picture Of the politi-
| cal chaos It is necessary to reckon with
| the Communists, who always number
| between 40 and so in the Reichstag
They take their orders from Moscow
Their purpose is to precipitate the
bolshevist revolution, their immediate
effort is to throw out any existing coali-
ton. and they are prepared to vote In
differently with the Monarchists or the
Republicans, whichever happens to be
in the opposition. At bottom their de-
sign Is to make all orderly government
| impossible and thus clear the way fol
the Soviet triumph. They are supported
by Russian subsidies and are utterly
lacking In any national patriotism.
This bear-garden system is, moreover
made immutable by the fact that, ir
parliamentary elections, the Germans
employ the proportional system. Mem.
bers are not elected by districts, but
each party presents list Of its own ant
gets number Of seats proportionate tx
its voting strength IN the whole Of thu
Reich. Thus there Is never any very
striking change In the results, ever