Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-28

n WV bAtOoC WIN AAbClCStCo All
- the historical parallel, the recent
German election must prove
a strangely reminiscent of the July
Revolution in Paris, the hun
dredth anniversary of which has been
observed this Summer. Fifteen years
after Waterloo the French people swept
out of power the Bourbon regime which
had been re-established by their con-
Querors, cast aside the flag which bore
the lilies for the tricolor Of the revo-
luton and the empire and thus abol-
tShed the last internal veStiges of their
defeat and humiliation of 1915.
Now, almost Is years after the armi-
Stice of November, 1918, the German
people have disclosed similar spirit.
For the single thing that stands out
above all else is the fact that the par
ties which obtained the votes OF far
more than a majority of the 81, 00O, 900
electors had declared in their platforms
for the three RS which count most
in the German mind-namely, the re-
vision of the peace treaties, the repudi-
alton of the reparation obligation and
the removal of those military regula-
tons which restrict the size and char
acter Of German armed forces, alike on
sea and on land.
Far-reaching Contingencies.
But any attempt to revise the peace
treaties, above all the attempt to sup
press the Polish corridor means war,
means conflict with Poland in which
France. as Poland's immediate ally,
would be in honor bound to participate.
Reputation of the reparations obliga-
ton would automatically end French
and Italian payments to Britain and
the United States and would leave
Britain between the devil and the deep
Sea-that Is, between the task of shoul-
dering new burden of nearly $780,
100000 annually to pay the United
States, or reputation of the debt,
which would be contrary to all British
practice and policy.
Finally the removal of the military
restraints would leave Germany free
to return to her old military strength.
in so far as her desire and revenues
permitted, and it would automatically
abolish the demilitarized zone along
the Rhine and bring French and Ger
man military frontiers to the Sarre and
the Lauter, the point of departure of
the victorious German armies of 1870.
Further, any such German course would
put an end to the discussion OF dis
armament and certainly open a new era
Of competition in military strength.
Turning now from the foreign to the
domestic aspects of the recent election,
certain facts deserve note. And first
of all one must remark the amazing
solidity of the ranks in all of the older
parties of considerable size. What hap
pened was not the result of any change
Of party alignment by any decisive
number OF voters between 1928 and
1880.
How Parties Now Stand.
The proof of this interesting fact is
disclosed in the election statistics. Thus
the two radical parties, the Communist
and the Social Democratic, which to-
gether captured 207 seats in 1928, will
occupy 219 in the next Reichstag Even
the slight shift in the respective shares
Is of small import, for it is an in
variable concomitant Of hard times and
took place to much greater degree in
the election following imitation and the
occupation of the Ruhr.
AS to the second group Of parties,
the so-called Bourgeois bloc, made up
Of the Center, Peoples party, Demo-
cratic, now become States, Bavarian
Peoples and Economic, where they held
I'll seats In the old Chamber, they will
hold at least 100 in the new, loss OF
but IL seats. Moreover, the various
minor parties. which had % seats in
the old ReichStag. viii have A in the
new. In sum, laying aside the Ma
tionalists, it viii be seen that while
there was a slight sl1ufI1ing among
parties belonging to the three other
groups. the net change was slight and
represented collective gain Of II on
balance.
When one turns to the two Nation.
alist factions--indeed become three fol.
lowing the recent split between ths
groups led by Hugenberg and Trevir.
anus in the old Nationalist Party-th;
difference is pronounced. Thus the two
Nationalist groups captured but IS seat.
in place Of the 70 held by the ole
united party while the Extreme Ma.
tionalistS, the Hitlerites or Fascists
passed from IL to lot. This gain, how.
ever, was accounted for completely, first
by the seizure of 81 from the National
Of the IS new seats, which the size OF
the vote automatically creates.
More Went to Polls.
What happened then was that some
thing like $4,000 more voters wen
TO the polls in 1880 than in 1928 an(
that rather more than 1000 900 of then
supported the Fascist candidates. Thu
q new element was supplied, an elemen
composed in part of voters who hat
hitherto stayed away from the poll
and also in part Of the youth castinI
its first vote. Young Germany and thu
hitherto more or less inarticulate sec
ton combined to give a new orienta
ton to national election result.
But, significant in itself, this tire
mendouS electoral explosion must ais
be viewed in its prediction quite a.
much as its post-election effect. Fo
it was precisely the fore-knowledge o
the drift of popular emotion which ex
planned the sensational utterances o
various leaders Of old parties befor
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