Evening star., 1933-11-13
The Hitler Landslide.

quent absence of organized political
opposition, the outcome of Sunday s
plebiscite is hardly surprise. 1t re-
suited in the expected overwhelming
vote Of confidence In the policy OF the
Hitler government and in the election
Of q Reichstag which will consist ex-
clusively Of government supporters.
The landslide was the result Of the
greatest poll in German history. OF
45.106,168 qualified electors, more than
ninety per cent cast their ballots, and
Of that extraordinary total, 4o,583, ,430.
or ninety-three and q half per cent
voted "yes" on the question seeking
approval Of the governments course IN
bolting the Geneva Disarmament Con-
ference and quitting the League Of
Nations last month. mo" votes were
cast by 2,o52,10O electors. or a frag-
: mentary Al per cent of the total. For
the Nazi slate of candidates for the
Reichstag, s9,621, ,4s7 deposited valid
ballots, representing q fraction less
than ninety-two and half per cent Of
all votes cast.
Prom whatever viewpoint the plebis-
cite is judged, 1t leaves room for no
trace of doubt that Chancellor Hitler
today presides over united Germany,
and faces Europe and the world as its
undeniable spokesman and leader The
vote of confidence he received yester-
day on a platform sloganized as peace
for Germany, with honor and equal
ity," Is considerably more than double
the total his party rolled up in the
Reichstag elections of last March, from
which 1t emerged as the indisputable
ruler Of the Re,-h. However repug-
nant Nazi methods may be to the
Western democracies, they have hence
forth to reckon with the fact that
Chancellor Hitler has back Of him
virtually unanimous people In his strug-
gle for German equality, first in the
realm Of ornaments, and In other
fields which remain to be indicated.
What these will be constitutes Eu-
ropes great question mark. It Is al
ready suggested that Herr Hitler will
seek the mediation of Premier Musso-
lini In re-establishing German contact
with Geneva and the League powers.
But throughout his whirlwind plebiscite
campaign, now SO triumphantly ended,
the chancellor emphasized over and
over again that Germany will not re-
turn to the conference table, either at
Geneva or elsewhere, except as an ac-
knowledged, fuli-hedged equal
Time viii be required to disclose the
Reich's next objectives. viii it pro-
ceed to defy the military clauses Of
the Versailles treaty and rearm as 1t
pleases2 viii 1t reassert its claims
TO territory of which Germany's con-
querors in the World War despoiled
it7 win 1t demand the wiping out
Of the Polish Corridor and restitution
of the former German colonies over
seas?
Chancellor Hitler, President Won
Hindenburg and all the other govern
ment spokesmen who inspired the Ger
man people TO yesterdays impressive
and unprecedented demonstration Of ma
tional unity insisted that peace is the
Reich's need and inf1exible purpose.
That affirmation can only mean that
the Germans do not intend to pursue
the cause Of 'honor and equality" on
the field Of battle. But Germany has
served unmistakable notice that it
stands as one man for its rights and
what 1t regards as the Reich's legiti-
mate aspirations in the postwar era.
That is the outstanding lesson of the
plebiscite, and the statesmen Of the
world cannot afford to underestimate
its significance.
From this day onward Adolf Hitler
Is no longer merely the leader Of a
single political party. He is the vindi-
Gated and interchangeable master Of a
militant German nation Of sixty-odd
million souls no longer content to wear
uncomplainingly the shackles imposed
upon them fifteen years ago.