Evening star., 1931-12-09
GERMAN DEGREES
PUT END TO FREE
PRIVATE BUSINESS
Hand of Government Felt
Everywhere and by Every
Class of Society.
MIDDLE AGES PRECEDENT
is CITED FOR PROVISIONS
All Domestic Obligations, Bonds,
Loans and Mortgages Are
Ordered Reduced.
BY the Associated Press,

oS the associated Press.
BERLIN. December 9.-Germanv.s
business men realized with something os
q JOLT today that by the emergency de-
cree issued last night the Independence
OF private business had ceased to exist.
Everywhere the strong hand of the
government made itself felt and every
class Of society was obliged to pull its
weight in lifting the country out of a
desperate situation.
Recalls Middle Ages.
One prominent German financier re-
marked that not since the DAYS of the
Gracchi in Rome had a state decreed
natly that interest rates on domestic
obligations Of every kind, be they mort
cages, bonds on loans, must be reduced.
IL was asserted also that not since
the Middle Ages had any government
aoopted such sweeping measures to
compel Its rich citizens to remain in
the country on pain of confiscation Of
fourth of their fortunes.
Outcome StM Remote.
To make matters more complicated
the government found itself Obliged to
decree some measures calcul4ted to
neutralize each other. An example OF
this Is the increase of the turnover tax
from 10 to 2 per cent. This runs
counter to the whole general program
OF cutting prices and production costs.
yet 1t was essential to assure a bal
anced budget.
Nobody was willing yet to predict how
long this virtual state of siege would
continue, but financial and economic
experts made 1t clear they believed the
longer the DEGREES remained In force
the firmer would be the governments
hold on private ownership and private
property.
Threatened martia law hung OVER
the heads of AdoIph Hitler and other
opposition forces In Germany today.
Chancellor Rruening delivered the
warning In radio address last night.
which followed signing by President
Won Hindenburg Of Q new and drastic
emergency decree which slashed wages.
prices and reu&s in the Nation.
This morning the Communist news
paper Rote Fahne-red hag-sook
up the chancellor's challenge, branded
nfm as q dictator" and appealed to
the masses OF the people to call q gen
erai strike on December is, IN protest
%AAS A~~sotoAoAAP Ax10 tAlG NdkE
cuts.
Dehation End Seen.
The emergency decree was designed
to provide the final wind-up for what
Dr.. Bruening called the denation
period imposed upon Germany"
It forbids all political meetings and
outdoor demonstrations until January ..
1882, and threatens all VINO defame
public ofacials with three months i'm
prisonment.
There is no authority In this country
save that prescribed by the coustitu-
ton" DR.. Bruening said.
The government must not and viii
not hesitate to meet with iron energy
the threatened ruin of the power in
herent In our people. It tolerates no
other authority than the constitution.
The Reich's president and the Reich's
government alone are in control OF the
instruments of authority in the state. Z
These instruments will be invoked
with unrelentinr sternness. II neces-
sary, by decreeing martial law against
al who might undertake. in these hours
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