Evening star., 1933-09-22
Fascist Austria.

Austria has gone Fascist-not pre-
cisely on Mussolini lines and decidedly
not according to the Hitler Nazi pat
tern. But with respect to the fact that
henceforward democracy Is to be nom
existent and political parties are
obliterated. the remnant of what was
once the Hapsburg empire has followed
the paths which Italy in 1922 and Ger
many this year took. The result is the
setting up at Vienna of the christian
Cooperative Authority State" whatever
that may be or come to mean. There
is to be parliament. but it will merely
lay down mandates ordained by the
cabinet
At the head of the new deal, diminu
tive Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss
stands supreme-the latest addition to
Europe's ever-growing galaxy of die
tators. 1t was only a few weeks ago
that Herr Dollfuss was in intimate
communion with Premier Mussolini
and the conclusion is not unreasonable
that the influence of II Duce may have
been the factor that finally induced the
chancellor to take a leaf out of the
Eiack Shirt notebook and eliminate
democracy and "demogogy" in Austria
at one fell swoop, as Mussolini did in
Italy eleven years ago. The die was
formally and finally cast at Vienna on
TCII7-c/iou r-h hn
sworn in by President Miklas The
governments program was announced
as economic rehabilitation, internal
reace and order, and external inde-
pendence and sovereignty" A forth
coming constitution is to establish the
new Austria on legitimatized basis.
Of chief interest to Europe and the
outside world at large is the indication
that the Austrian Fascist state will
carry on relentlessly the Dollfus, fight
against AnschluSs-union with Ger
maryland Nazi pretensions in that
direction. Inclusion of Maj Emil Fey
in the ministry as vice chancellor in
sureS vigorous continuance of the anti
Nazi campaign. Fey is a leader of the
HeimWehr, the pro-Italian Fascist home
guard. He has been demanding the
determination with fire and sword" OF
the Hitlerites, whom he pillories as
traitors to Austria" referring to Aus
trlans who, infected by German propa-
ganda and under orders from Berlin
and Munich, have been boring from
within, in the hope of undermining the
Dollfuss government and paving the way
to easy absorption of Austria by the
Nazi Reich.
Chancellor Dollfuss will hold five
portfolios in his dictatorial cabinet of
personalities" That is another Mus
solini touch. Small of stature, he has
proved himself mighty of will and
statesman of resolution and resource
fulness. He embarks upon his new ca
reer the indisputable master of Austria,
with all foes baffed and undone. In
the process of wiping out political par
ties he did not shrink from demolish-
ing his own Christian Social group. 1t
seems safe guess that the little giant
of the Danube will prove equal to the
supreme task that confronts him-to
preserve Austria from Nazi domination.
Chancellor Dollfuss has not been espe-
cially lucid in his public justifcations
of the current reorganization of the ma
ton on cooperative" or guild" lines,
but his passionate determination to
ward off the NaZi menace seems to
foreign observers to be the probable
keynote of his political philosophy. Evil
IDENTIFY Dollfuss came to the conclusion
that the great objective could be
achieved only by the bloodless political
revolution he has now accomplished.