Evening star., 1933-06-04

Ill6UOTy 6IluSU Will tiIs
IA PRONUNCIATION of the Law fol
4 u the Uniformity Of the State:
With the Reich" which trans
formed the federal Reich into single
centralized state. 1t is as if the Fed
eral Government in Washington hac
abolished the sovereignty of the Al
States of this country by dismissine
their Governors and putting in charge
of them appointeeS responsible only tc
the President.
Thus Germany's long struggle be-
tween the FederalistS and CentrallstS
has ended-with victory for the latter
Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony-to mention
only the most outstanding of the II
German states-from now on will be
mere geographic designations. We
shall speak about them as we speak OF
Provence and Navarro, once independ-
ent states in what today is the French
republic. This reorganization by the
regime of Chancellor Hitler calls to
mind the centraliZing work of Richelieu
and Mazarin, the men OF destiny OF
France some 800 years ago.
The comparison with France OF the
seventeenth century Is more apt than
that with the United States, because
until a few years ago the German
states were vested with rights which no
State in the American Union has ever
had. The Kingdom of Bavaria, for in
stance, had her own diplomatic repre-
sentatives and sent her plenipotentiaries
to the peace conference. She had her
own army and her sovereign postal
rights, not to speak of her own state
railways and telegraph system. Ba-
varia, moreover, has history that goes
further back than the first German
empire
The Nazi reorganization Of the Reich
Is a revolutionary break with the past,
with ancient traditions and with national
sentiments. 1t is, however, in keeping
with the National Socialist policy to
establish a "totalitarian" state in
which there is only one god, Germany,
and only one true prophet, Adolf Hit
Ter. This policy demands the uniflca--
ton of the Reich both physically and
spiritually, an autocratic country bend
ing to the will of the leader. The in
dividual states must be abolished be-
cause their existence spells the danger
of rival loyalties eclipsing the only true
faith. Political and spiritual resistance
must be made impossible. Every func-
rion of the state must be co-ordlnated.
Insist Expenses Are Reduced.
The reorganization. furthermore, is
In line with the growth of German au-
tocracy, In the first German empire
when the Hohenstaufen family ruleo
over large part of Europe in the early
Middle Ages, the Reich also was more
or less united. This uniformity gave
place to the multitude of states OF the
later feudal era. When the second
German empire was proclaimed In
Versailles Hall of Mirrors some three
score years ago another long step had
been taken toward German unity. AND
now we are in the third Reich OF the
National Socialists, when all Germany
must march in the same goose step.
The National Socialists insist that
the new arrangement Is less expensive
than the old system. S. Parker Glpert,
agent general for reparatlonS, warned
Germany several years ago that she
could not afford to pay for two sets OF
secretaries and typewriters, IN the
Reich and in the states.
The republic tried to cut down waste,
but it failed because it tried to per-
suade the states to die-whlch they re-
fused to do. It is the irony of fate that
the reform of the Reich, which mas
stood prominently on the program OF
the liberal and radical parties SINCE
the uprising in 1848, should nave peen
translated into practice by their worst
enemies, the Naz1S.
Under the new law the central gov
eminent in Berlin, acting through the
PRESIDENT of the Reich, appoints vice
regents for each of the IT states Inc
vice regents are responsible only to the
federal government, and they cannot
he oyerthrown by g. vote OF no con-
fidence by the state Legislatures. Tney
are empowered to appoint the s1ate
governments, which are responsible 70
them and not to their states. Botn
the Legislatures and governments VIII
be put out of business In the near
future-if the Nazis keep their prom,
ise-and then the map Will be Wlpeo
entirely clean Of German states. Meal
while the Legislatures and governments
lead a shadow existence, stripped OF
the right to voice their opinions or 10
command.
The reorganization of the Reich was
foreshadowed last Summer When Herr
Franz Won Papen, then chancellor.
stopped the governmental machinery
of Prussia with a few Reichswehr SOL
diers and appointed federal COM
missioner to run the free state. Thls
was the beginning of the end OF Prus-
sia's sovereignty. But even Herr Won
Papen was not autocratlc enough 10
defy the South German states. When
it was suggested that Bavaria might re-
cejye the Prussian medicine the minis
ter President in Munich declared un-
tremendously that the first thing
federal commissioner would see in the
free state of Bavaria would be the IN
side of hospitable jail.
Bold Front Conceals Fear.
Then came Hitler to the fore and
the South German states managed to
conceal their fear behind a bold front.
Toward the end of February the Hitler
government issued an emergency de-
cree authorizing itself to seize the
power in states where public security
and order were jeoparolzed. Berlin
then seized the power even in states
that were quieter than NaA prussia
The main object of the decree was 10
enable the Brown Shirts to lay their
hands on the state police while prepa-
rations for the forthcoming elections
were in progress.
The election of March 5 seemed to
Justify the elaborate precautions the
Hitlerites had taken, and it gave them
an overwhelming victory 1t gave
them something more to boot-the
votes of the South German states,
which jumped on the Hitler band
wagon. Baden, long famous Tor It's
DDeral policies, WeuL NdA4 eNch iiiCA
enthusiastically than most OF the
Reich. Wurtemberg gave As per cent
of her votes to the Hitler party. Even
Bavaria Catholic and seemingly anti
Nazi, gave an unprecedented volume
of votes to the Hitlerite candidates.
The German states signed their death
warrants on March 5 and few weeks
later the final decision was sealed.
The Nazis lost no time in inter-
preting the will of the people as a
mandate to deprive the states OF their
rights. While rounding up radicals,
liberals and Jews they took care TO
place under protective arrest" even
those who seemed undesirable on ac-
count OF their loyalty to their states.
Two weeks after the March election
Adolf Hitler served notice in the Gar