Evening star., 1932-03-13
Hindenburg or Hitler
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military record which In number O.
battles fought and won with colossa
strokes of the mighty hammer, the latt
German army. seems second to none ir
history. Terrible defeats after un.
heard-of successes, crushing duties like
that of taking home and disbandins
army, the sorrows of the collapse anc
disappearance of all the world which
had been sacred 10 him, Of King affo
monarchy, of army ana order-all these
things had drawn their lines deeply In
the almost ifnpassive face. And now
as the President Of the republic, laden
with care and sorrow and political
strife, this almost superhuman man
stood there. erect and motionless, to
greet Adolf Hitler.
Faced War Comma nder.
Hitler, for whom Germany and the
German idea had been a high ideal all
his life, suddenly face to face with the
general who had been his supreme COM
mander In chief through a hundred
bloody battles. face to face with the
President who more than any other
living man embodied all that tradi-
ton, achievement, sacrifice have made
venerable to the German people. Is
1t any wonder that the younger man
was overcome and most deeply i'm
pressed?
They had long serious talk, and al
first it seemed that as result of that
meeting Germany would be spared the
excitements of todays election and the
old hero would not have to undergo
the stress of presidential campaign
The election could have been avoided
for general sentiment wanted President
Hindenburg to continue in office
although his term comes to an END this
Spring, and legal opinion agreed that
his term could be extended by vote OF
the Reichstag With that end in view
Chancellor Bruening carefully sounded
the parties, and from many he received
ready assurances of assistance. Next
the suggestion was put up to Hitler
The same groups that had arranged his
interview with President Hindenburg
asked the NaI chieftain if he would
throw the support Of his large following
back of the plan to extend Hinden-
burg's term.
Hitler gave no binding answer. Never
theless, he showed such favorable dis
position that reports were made to
Chancellor Bruening that Hitler's
support was virtually certain.
Again the Kaiserhof was busy as a
beehive. Again the old Emperor's Inn
seemed drenched in an atmosphere OF
mystery. Adolf Hitler was in the
capital again.
This time he had a long interview
with Bruening AS before, he would
not bind himself. But again the
general impression was favorable. There
mANvraaA hNyrn that cfrotrht EGnt for
the presidency might be avoided.
The death of that hope is evidenced
in the elections that are being held to-
day. To understand why it failed 1t is
necessary to know more of Adolf Hitler,
the Austrian who became a German
citizen but little more than two weeks
ago. to know more of the forces with
which he Is allied and which have been
allied with him. and, first of all, to re-
member the great role that Prussia has
played In Germany's past history and
the part that the Junkers of Prussia
are anxious to play today.
1t was through the great ability of
the house Of Hohenzollern and through
the sturdy character of the small group
Of nobility from one of Prussia's poorest
and most barren provinces-Mark Bran
denburg (called in olden times the sand
box Of the Holy Roman Empire)
Prussia steadily grew in Importance.
The climax came when Bismarck staked
everything on one card and in the
Ten Days war, which ended at Konig-
sratz, decided that Prussia should be
the nucleus for the new great German
Empire. Prussia rose by efficient ad-
nlinistration In time Of peace and by
military genius IN time of war.
yunkers Were Responsible.
In the main, one class Of society was
Desponsible for these achievements--the
Small landed gentry who called them
selves the Junkers. "Junker," in the
old German, means q young lord, and
N was not until much later that politi-
cal strife altered that original meaning.
The Junkers served Prussia faithfully
m peace and war, and If we study the
records Of those who died for King and
countYy-from the battles Of Frederick
the Great to the holocausts of the
World War-we will find the leading
Junker families represented by hundreds
OF thousands Of their sons. The Junker
class has given the Prussian army in
Vulnerable generals Of great fame, such
az Zieten and Sedylitz; it has given
diplomacy the greatest statesman Ger
many ever had, Otto Won Bismarck and.
Paul Won Hindenburg.
The nearest parallel to the Junker
class that can be found in the world
are the japanese Sanurai, warriors by
bfth and inclination, faithful to their
King living up to a moral code of their
own. The Junkers wanted to serve the
state faithfully, but it had to be state
In which their will was supreme. Let
us have an absolute King" was an old
saying In Prussia, "as long as that abso-
lutte King acts exactly as we please"
In the German Federation, and later
N the German Empire. PrusSia--up to
the very end of the World War-main-
tanned an antiquated system of fran
chfse, which assured unqualified pre-
dominance to the land-owning class
and their allies. the barons of the coal
and steel trades-the new aristocracy
OF wealth allied to the old aristocracy
Of the land.
The Junker class did not look with
favor upon the policy of William II.
the son Of the Englishwoman. who in
troduced into Old-World Germany the
spirit Of world policy-the policy of
industrial development, expansion of
shipping, trade. industry and banking.
the importation and encouragement of
foreign languages, foreign fashions and
foreign ideals.
AS a result of that policy. no love
was lost between William II and his
Junker subjects. still remember a
conversation I had with the Emperor in
which he utterly complained that in no
quarter did his efforts for widening
Germany's horizon, for extending her
wealth and power. find more obstinate
and heinous resistance than from his
Junkers.
Privileges Swept Away.
Then came the tornado Of defeat, COL
lapse and revolution which passed over
Germany in the fatal year 1918. All
the fabrics OF the old state were swept
away, and with them all the privileges
OF the Junker class and their para
mount influence in the State of Prussia.
When the first shock had passed; when,
through the unceasing efforts of great