Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-10
GERMAN SOCIALISM
AT STAKE IN Vote
Middle Classes Fight for Life,
With Possibility of Radi-
cal Changes.

By Radio to The Star.
BERLIN, Germany, September TO-
The greatest election campaign that
Germany ever has witnessed has en-
tered its last week.
Next Sunday Germans will be called
upon to decide just which of the "a
definitely entered parties they wish to
uphold. Not only the great mass parties,
but the so-called middle classes are
lighting as they have never before, and
with reason, for the entire existence of
the middle class parties who founded
the republic-excepting the Catholics
Is threatened.
Elections Virtual Plebiscites.
Really. beneath the elections there
are two issues, both of which are taking
the virtual form of plebiscites. First is
the question of whether the semi
Socialistic tendencies which existed in
Germany before the war and have been
extended by the republic are to
continue.
This means, first of all, whether the
Reich, the federal states and the cities
are to continue in business, often COM
peting under favored circumstances with
private firms; and secondly, whether
the present system of frozen" wages,
which can be changed only by an
appeal to a governmental arbitrator,
can be upheld and whether enormous
sums necessary for the overgrown PEN
sion system. old age and illness inSur-
ance and unemployment doles can con-
tinue to be borne largely by the state
"Anti-Marx" is Slogan.
Anti-Marx is the slogan of nearly all
Che so-called middle class parties, in
Guiding Conservatives like DR.. Alfred
Hugenberg and DR.. Adolf Hitler's
Fascists, although the latter have at
least discussed the possibility Of an
understanding with the ultra-Marxistlc
Communists.
Yet the real problem here is not
whether the Social Democrats and
Communists are to be greatly weakened
by the election, since none believe that
is possible. The real problem is whether
the no-socialistic parties are to achieve
q common program rendering the po-
1itical assistance of the Social Demo-
Gratis unnecessary.
Which brings me to the second
plebiscite, namely, whether the voters
will continue to give their confidence
prefer extremists of the Right or the
Left.
Catholics Maintain Order.
The Center Catholic party always can
count on ecclesiastical discipline and
maintain its comparative prosperity.
But the Democrats, even under their
new name of the State party, are fight
ing for their very existence, and DR..
Hugo Stresemann's Peoples party, de-
spite the wealth of big industries that
stand behind it, seems likely to suffer
q considerable loss. Equally uncertain
Is the future of the Economies party,
whose aim is the profit of retail traders,
chiefly hotel, restaurant, cafe and sa-
loonkeepers.
The question is whether Germany
viii continue to be governed by the
moderate center, which occasionally
seeks assistance to the right or the left,
or whether the voters will divide into
two inimical camps and fight each
other to a standstill Only in this
latter event is dictatorship or vio-
lent constitutional changes likely, but
the possibility exists.
German Voters Aroused.
The German voters seem finally to
have been aroused to the necessity of
changing the unhappy financial and
political practices which have prevailed
during recent years and realize the
curse Of an unbalanced budget and
crazy expenditure. Whether they win
seek to correct them by mild or by
radical means remains to be decided.
Copyright, 1900