Evening star., 1932-03-13

district WIN armed IOTCeS, ana 1IOfI
the Poles, had created deep feeling oi
resentment among the masses Of heI
people. Added to this were the acute
misery of an economic situation becom-
ing worse every day and the payments
of heavy reparations which could bt
cited as the source of all mischief.
It was obvious that any plan which
would play upon all those accumulated
elements Of dissatisfaction with the ma
tion's foreigr1 policy would offer serious
chances of success And these were the
very lines upon which Hugenberg set to
work. The climax of his campaign was
the broad popular vote taken upon the
question OF whether Germany should
stop payment of reparations outright
Hugenberg was defeated, but the seed
shape Of fourishing Hitler crops.
Mustered All Troops.
Hugenberg had mustered all the
| troops he could press into assault
There was his own party. the National
lists; there were odds and ends from the
smaller bourgeoisie parties, which were
in full disintegration, and there were
the officers leagues, the most important
Of which-the Steel Helmets-was to
play a considerable role in coming
events.
GA word about these officers leagues.
Immediately after the World War, off,
GERS and men Of the old army saw the
menace to life and property that was
offered by the Bolshevik risings in vari-
Gus parts Of the land, notably in the
Ruhr district, in Saxony and Bavaria.
Associations we're formed which in the
| beginning had no political aim what
ever, but which existed solely to pro-
tect home and family and the existing
state against the surprise attacks Of
communism. Later. however, these as
sociations became more and more po-
litical centers The leading group
among them. the Steel Helmets, is now
in the very midst of the turmoil of
party politics)
All OF these troops had been launched
by Hugenberg in all assault upon the
established majority defended by the
Catholic party and Social Democrats
under the cool leadership Of the smiling
Chancellor Heinrich Bruening. But the
smiling chancellor got the better of
them. All of the attacks were easily
repulsed. Hugenberg and his adherents
could make no headway, so he had n
look around for new and powerful
ally.
This ally was Adolf Hitler, a youne
| carpenter, born in Austria, a son ol
No Mans Land, whose word seemed tc
inf1ame the masses and whose infiu-
ence seemed to grow mysteriously and
overwhelmingly. He had a background
of patriotism. He had deserted the
Austrian Army to fight bravely and
stubbornly under the German colors
during the four terrible years of the
war to win distinction and the Iron
Cross. With the end Of the war and
the collapse Of the old empire he did
not give up-he began preaching to
growing masses Of people the message
of the coming new empire-the en-
corruption, without repelling display of
wealth and without the grinding de-
basement of misery-the new Reich
which would free Germany from the
oppressive load of humiliation by for
eign powers, Of war debts and repara-
tions-of all the things, in short, which
have made life unbearable to proud
Germans through all the years since
Versailles.
Began Brief Revolution.
Then, with the close cooperation Of
Ludendorff, who had been Hindenburg' s
right-hand man through the war years,
Hitler had started a short rt-lived revolu-
eAcAA A4A AAhAAiNLs 4OBGbl1CI L1lCy lldQ
tried to capture Munich and Bavaria.
One evening they had met in one of
the great beer halls, and Hitler, firing
shot from his pistol into the ceiling,
had declared the Bavarian government
deposed and announced that he had
assumed supreme power.
But when they marched In a parade
through the City Of Munich the next
day-to show the world the victory Of
their revolution-they found that the
Bavarian government had ordered troops
maSsed in front Of the Royal Palace.
Before any one realized what was hap
pering there was volley Of firing,
the pavement was strewn with dying
and wounded, and Hitler's revolution
was swept away like cloud by storm.
Still he had kept going on, moving
the crowd by that mysterious magnetism
which leaders possess. His following in
creased like an avalanche, his success
grew day by day. Then came Hugen-
berg's proposal Of an alliance.
Hitler saw the advantage Of such an
alliance. It would drain the gold OF
Germany's great industries toward his
own fields. He reacted favorably to
Hugenbergs advances. He and Hugen-
berg appeared arm in arm on the speak
ing platform, and the news spread that
an irresistible combination had been
formed between the forces of Hugen-
berg and Hitler-one which was GER
tain to win sweeping victory and do
away with the existing government. In
Harzburg, small town in Central Ger
many, the new allies were to present to
an astonished world their united forces
The Harzburg front was much talked
OF, but 1t was quite evident that big
holes existed in the so-called united
front.
Hitlerism is hardly the language of
policies; it is the language of emo
tlons. And never did q general lead a
more curiously mixed crew into battle
than did Adolf Hitler. Sons of the
Kaiser and members of the high aris-
tocracy form the right wing; numerous
JunKers, particularly retired officers
leno the movement their skill in organi-
zatlon their knowledge Of practical rou-
tlne work In administration and their
dogged obstinacy. There are strav
members from all the old boureeoisie
parties which are in an advanced stage
OF decomposition, and there Is, particu-
larry In Berlin, a large section of men
VINO IN their quest for political impor-
tance have been Communists and are
now following the swastika banner.
United in Dissatisfaction.
All this strange crew is welded to-
gether by the one strong sentiment of
utter dissatisfaction with existing con-
ditions-in this aim they are all of one
mind But the minute practical meas
ures for remedy come under discussion
the deep-rooted differences of princi-
pies and aim are bound to have dissoly-
ing effects on Hitler's following
With Hitler building up a tremendous
following and with Hugenberg still con-
slderlng himself the real leader and
regarding Hitler as his tool, 1t was in
evita'''" that clash would occur be-
twet hem. 1t came when Hitler was
cali Berlin to confer with Chan
cell ]ruening about the possibility of
Hitle- support being given to the move
ment to extend President Hindenburas
term by act of the Reichstag.
Hugenberg was white with rage when
he heard that Hitler had heeo ip,,;toS