Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-14
FUTURE OF GERMAN
REPUBLIC AT STAKE
Elections to Be Held Today Are Certain
to Have Far-Reaching
Consequences.
consequences.

France on the one hand or with Poland
! on the other.
Within these limits, the only differ
| erce between the parties seems to be
that the Socialists and Moderates favor
waiting and seeing in silence, while the
more nationalistic parties believe II
best to enLven the waiting and seeing
with speeches and agitation.
3. Meanwhile everybody feels OBJ
| securely that this election is going per-
haps to decide the future of the Ger
man Republic. Parliamentary govern
ment is falling into popular diSrepute.
| The proportional representation elec-
ton laws under which the republic has
been operated have resulted in toe
many conflicting groups, whose cohesion
into a majority able to govern with
authority has proved almost impossible.
To fill about 500 seats in the Reichs-
tag, ISIS candidates are now running
on "a different lists. Voting, however,
is not for persons, but for parties. and
all votes count, so that all the leaders
Of the big parties are sure of election
simply by putting their own names at
the top of their own lists.
Formation of some governmental ma
jority under these conditions is matter
largely Of strange deals, dickers and
combinations between nl-aSSorted
groups.
The present Bruening government dis
poses about 200 seats based on the
Right Center, excluding Socialists and
the Communists on the Left, and the
Hitler and Hugenberg groups on the
Extreme Right. 1t Is a minority gov
eminent and has taken unto itself,
pending further developments, dicta-
torial powers, but its DEGREES must be
ratified within three months by the
new Reichstag and so, one way or an
other, it must manage to get majority
before the end of October.
Its constituent groups have no COM
mon program and are more or less
fighting each other in the elections
Nobody estimates, however, that these
groups can win higher proportion of
seats than they now have. In the new
the governmental groups, $50 Social
lists, 80 Hugenberg and Filter super
patriots and so Communists.
Whatever happens, the present gov
eminent has said that it has no inten-
ton Of resigning. Its plans are to stay
In power by any possible means and
restore the country's finances by cut
ting expenses, by recognizing the entire
fiscal system and by lowering wages
and retail prices. It also proposes to
reform the electoral laws in sucha way
as to give the larger parties an, adj
vantage and so reduce the chances of
the small parties.
B Four political possibilities seem to
emerge in the following order:
The present government would stay
in power and put through these reforms
with passive support from the Social
lists. Or the present government would
make a coalition with the Socialists
and with the Socialist, Otto Braun,
premier Or the present government
would come to terms with the Hugerl-
berg and Hitler groups. Or, If none of
these proves practical, the government
would again dissolve the Reichstag,
provoke new elections, and then, II it
stin had no clear majority, the way
would be open to those leaders, like
Adolf Hitler and Alfred Hugenberg
and possibly the chief of the Reichs-
wehr, who want sort of coalition die
tatorship, including not only themselves
but perhaps President Paul Won Hin
denburg, Gottfried r. Treviranus, who
has been minister Of occupied terri
tories; DR.. Hans Luther, former chan
cellor; DR.. Hjalmar Schacht, former
president of the Reichsbailk, and even
the Socialist strong man." Otto Braun.
On the whole, such a dictatorship
seems for the moment far from posi-
bility. The chances seem to be in favor
of passive or active cooperation be-
tween the Socialists and the present
government, resulting In energetic
financial and political reforms and a
moderate, reasSuring foreign policy.
However, nothing can safely be pre-
dicted until the results of the election
are actually known.