Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-20
Chancellor Bruening's Victory

All is not quiet on the German front,
but the Hindenburg- Bruening line has
withstood the first onslaught OF the
Fascist Communist enemy and held its
own. In the early hours of Sunday
morning, following tumultuous session
of the Reichstag, the government
achieved a sweeping vote OF confidence.
The count was 318 to 236, a majority
of 80. The margin was at least 40 more
than the most optimistic supporters OF
the government h7-; Looked for.
Chancellor BruenG=S is now in position
to carry out his plans for res-=s1g Ger
man economic depression and reforming
the Reich's tangled finances. The gov
eminent is not out of the woods. But
it has removed from its path the first
obstacles which lay athwart it. The
Reichstag has adjourned until December
g. A needed breathing spell following
the past few weeks of political turbu'4
lence should enable the government to
make genuine progress toward its APP
pointed goal.
The international credit bill, which
will provide the Reich with 400, 900, 900
marks-largely TO come from the Amer
lean money market-has now been ap-
proved. The Reichstag voted a 20 per
cent cut in the monthly pay of its own
members and so per cent cut in the
fee for attending special committees.
These reductions were an integral part
of the governments program. In
marks they do not represent anything
very substantial. In point of setting
retrenchment example to the Ger
their actual value in money. That,
obviously, was the chancelIor's object
in proposing them.
OF paramount interest abroad are
the significant references to the Young
plan which were made by Herr
Bruening when asking approval Of the
governments economic scheme. He
definitely suggested that the time may
come when Germany would find 1t
necessary to take advantage of the pro-
sin time of emergency" Before Ger
many can ask for any modification of
her reparation obligations, the chan
cellor emphasized that she must first
set her house in order along the lines
which the Reichstag has Just ratified.
Herr Bruening points out that the
trainers of the Young plan based their
whole assumption of Germany's "ca-
pacity to pay" upon the steady growth
of world trade. This trade having. since
the plans adoption, Slumped inordi-
nately, the Reich-the chancellor ar
gued-naturally faces the possibility of
utilizing its rights ask an eventual
reparations moratorium.
1t is idle to prophesy what the i'm
mediate future has in store, econom-
ically, either for the world or for Ger
many. Germany is obligated at pres
ent TO find the enormous sum Of $425,-
900, 900 a year for reparation payments.
Her record Of fulillment under the
Dawes plan was untarnished, but the
world business depression did not show
its head during the period in question.
Unless international times improve
within a reasonable interval, it seems
inevitable that Germany, sooner or
later, will ask her creditors TO face the
facts and grant the Reich an era of
grace.
OF one thing the Hindenburg- Breun-
ing regime and the outside world may
rest assured - the Fascist Communist
bloc in the Reichstag will omit no OPP
portunity to remind the Berlin govern
ment of the iniquities and inequities Of
the Young plan. The repudiationists
and wreckers who between them now
count 1874 Reichstag seats will during
the next six weeks gain in wind what
the government hopes to gain in time.
The drive for revision of reparations is
not ended. 1t has only temporarily
subsidized.