Evening star., 1932-07-21
Dictatorship in Germany.

Germanys woes seem endless Yes
terday's proclamation of martial law in
Prussia, the Reich's most important
State, may be followed by the extern
sion of similar militarist-police sup
preston of civil Government through
by decree of President Won Hindenburg,
is now clothed with dictatorial author
| ity to curb disorder and conduct affairs
regardless of all political considerations.
1t is the most drastic administrative
regime that has been invoked in Ger
| many since the foundation OF the old
| empire in 1871
Matters reached a climax following
last week ends bloody political riots in
Prussia and elsewhere in the country
A score of lives were lost and hundreds
of persons were injured Communists
were the principal provokerS of trouble.
Their favorite object Of attack was the
HitleriteS, whose arrogance has been
revived by the lifting Of the ban against
the wearing of their brown-shirt party
uniforms. The new 'monocle cabinet
headed by Col. Won Papen, resented
the unWillingnesS or inability of the
Severing Socialist government of Prus-
sia to suppress the Communist excesses
with becoming force and peremptorily
called for its resignation. Premier
Severing and his ministers including
especially his PruSsian police officials.
declined to yield to anything but force.
which thereupon was applied with
ruthless effectiveness. The recalcitrant
Prussian authorities we're virtually
dragged from their desks and then ar
rested but later released on pledges not
to reclaim their Offices Won Papen's
minions hold the fort
These strong arm methods ON the
part Of Communists, National Socialists
and the Reich government alike denote
the ferocity of the Reichstag campaign
which will end with the national cleo
tions on July 81 They seem to fore
shadow the accurac. Of predictions that
the Hitlerites and Nationa lists would
landslide into power with an ind!sputa-
bic majority in the Reichstag. When
the Bruening cabinet recently fell and
the taristmonarchists ''vons." DOM
! mated by the Papens and the Schleich-
ers, took charge in the Wilhelm trasse.
belief was common that they were mere
ly placehoding stopgaps for the Hitler
Hugenberg group. A coincident re-
habilitation of Hohenzollern prestige Is
noted in Germany. Strengthening the
fear that a recrudescence OF monarchy
msy be imminent.
AS to what effect the Prussian die
tatorship and all that led up to it
will have on the Reichstag elections is
prO5lematiCal. The Social Democrats,
just ousted from the PrusSian govern
ment by their foes, say the people will
give their answer on July 81 and save
the republic from threatened disaster
The Bavarian government has already
instituted a test case in the German
Supreme Court al Leipzig TO determine
the constitutional right of Berlin to in
terfere In domestic affairs of the states.
The Social Democrats. toppled from
authority in the Reich when Chance1-
lOr Bruening was dethrOned and now
dispossessed in Prussia as we'll. fulni-
, nate that the Won Papen dictatorship
was forced by Hit!erite pressure for the
purpose of turning the Reichs most
populous and powerful state into a
proves to be the case, "Nazi' banners
may we'll ere long be destined to flutter
from the German ramparts, all the
way from the Vistula to the Rhine.