Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-07
By Radio TO The star.

BY Radio to The star.
/. BERLIN, July 6.--The failure of the
} so-called defense Of the republic law
: to obtain In the Reichstag recently
two-thircs majority needed for It's pro- TO-
seriously abroad. The defeat Of this
measure indicates no revival Of the
sentiment for the restoration of the
monarchy in Germany, but Is solely to
be attributed to petty party squabble,
It Is true no legal restrictions stand be-
tween Wilhelm and his return to the
fatherland from Holland after July %.
Nevertheless, the former Emperor Is ex-
ceedingly unlikely to take this step, for
his temperance in this country would
be welcomed by no party and would
, likely result in bis losing what small
remnant Of political support he still
enjoys in the Reich.
The defense of the republic law was
an exceptional measure, passed at a
after the assassination of Walter Rath-
enau In June. 1922, when it seemed
highly unlikely that the German re-
public would long survive that great
statesman's death. But this law, ike
the Monroe Doctrine, has lived to see
It's raison d'etre Fundamentally altered.
The defense Of the republic law was
constitution from attacks OF the mon
archists. It is now chiefly used to
suppress Communist and Facist plots
for the dictatorship. It Is indeed open
to question whether such a law de-
serves to be kept alive after Germany
again attains a period Of relative nor
n1alcy." The principal argument raised
IN It's favor is that 1t supplies a cefect
Of the ordinary Jaw. y hicn does Lot
provide for the punishment of insults
and abuse cast on the republic and Its
ofn1ials. This loop will be covered In
me new penal code, which Is LOW
slowly being drafted.
Would Extend Law.
The Mueller cabinet has proposed
TO extend the defense Of the republic
II was thought that the penal code
would have completed rendering I'M
necessary any exceptional measures
such as those passed after 'Rathenau's
death. AS, however. the defense of the
republic law effected a constitutional
change, 1t required two-thirds ma
jority In the Reichstag. The coalition
parties In the German Chamber by
themselves could not muster suffcient
votes. It was necessary to call on the
Economic party for aid. This party,
representing the small shopkeepers,
while unrepresented In the coalition, has
generally assumed an attitude Of benev-
olent neutrality toward the government.
The Economic party refused to agree
to prolong the law for three years but
undertook to support it II 1t extended
only until the end Of 1890. The govern
nent accepted the compromise, and ac-
cordingly the bill secured the required
two-thirds on its second reading in the
Reichstag. Between that division and
the third reading, however, the govern
ment introduced bill putting tax on
homesteads. This angered the Eco
nonic party, which endeavored TO black
mail the cabinet by Withdrawing sup
port for the. defense of the republic
taken back. The government declined
to be builied, however. and on this in
significant party disagreement the de-
Tense Of the republic law after seven
years of existence went down to de-
feat on the third reading.
New Defense Bin Planned.
Minister Of the Interior severins an
nounced that when the Reichstag as
senables again. probably in August,
new bill for the defense Of the repub-
lie will be introduced. But this will be
without the famous Kaiser paragraph"
and therefore will need only simple
majority for its passage through the
Reichstag. The revised measure will
not be pointed against the monarchy
the ex-Kaiser will be as free then as
apparently he is now to return to Ger
nany-but against the specter of die
tatorship as conjured up by Hugenberg
and Hitler. Not Bourbonisn, but Ma
polcomism, seems to be the bette noir
dominant in the Socialist party in Ger
many today. This fear finds expression
again in the Socialist speeches. Otto
Wells. party chairman, announced at
the Socialist party congress in Magde-
burg, in May. that II there is going to
be any dictatorship in Germany it was
the Socialists who are going to do the
debating The Prussian minister of the
interior. Grzeximki, declared at Frank
ftirt am Main last week that II II came
to a dictatorship In Germany 1t would
be formed by trades unions and the
Republican Reichs banner society; and
actually threatened that the enemies OF
the republic would be strung up on a
iamp.post. DR.. Stresemann, in his
Reichstag speech q week ago, pointed
enviously to the spectacle Of Mr.. Hen
derson and Sir Austen Chamberlain
Jointly receiving Ambassador Dawes at
the Pilgrims banquet in London rs an
example he wished they would follow in
Germany. He might. perhaps. have
Of defeated presidential candidates in
the United States ratulating their
victorious rival as something that might
be probably copied In Gernnany's pub
Lie life. For here the party defeated at
the polls starts talking onninously Of
setting up q dictatorship by violence,
and this, in turn. leads to counter
threats Of lamp-post hangings.
tcopyriEht. 1922