Evening star., 1934-08-02
HITLER ASSUMES
FULLEST POWERS
Takes Presidency and Sets
PIebiscite for August l9
as Nation MournS.
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Continued From First Page)
Of the nation will accord the leader .
2l-gun salute tomorrow.
Amusement and other public places
were ordered closed.
Traffic, shops and factories will sus-
pend operations for one minute during
the funeral holr.
Army Is Notified.
In an order to military forces, Gen.
Won Blomberg. minister of war, said:
"Hindenburg, our leader in the
great war has left US. His heroic life
as a soldier. imbued with a spirit OF
duty to folk Of the Fatherland. is
ended. Every one has faith in Hitler,
the leader of our people"
The cabinet decree, under which
Hitler assumed power, says merely:
The Reich government has passed
the following law, which is hereby
promulgated:
l. The Office of the Reich President
is united with that of the Reich chan
cellor In consequence thereof, powers
heretofore exercised by the Reich
President are transferred to Der
Fuehrer CIitler) and the vice cham
cellor (Franz Won Papen) He (Hit-
ler) determines who shall be his
deputy"
Absolute power rests with Hitler
through the combination Of the two
jobs.
Previously he had to go through the
formality of submitting plans to Hin
denburg for approval The Reichstag
long sgo turned over all Its power tc
Hitler and the cabinet.
GoebbeIs Lauds President.
Goebbels, in his radio address
lauded Hindenburg as "a great leader
of Germany in war and in peace, one
whose life because of its uprightnes;
viii always be remembered by tht
Fatherland."
Crowds gathered throughout the ma.
ton to discuss the national tragedy
Activities in Berlin were almost para
lyzed.
Many conservatives were fearful
They had long regarded Won Hinden-
| burg as a check upon extreme Nazi-
| ism
Hitler by the cabinet decree at
tanned the office for which Won Hin
denburg defeated him in the genera
election of 1882.
The two once we're opponents but
| the rising power of the National So
| cialist party forced the venerable
President to call Hitler in and make
him chancellor-in January. 1893.
All troops will wear mourning fol
IA days, except the regiment with
which Won Hindenburg is associated
which will observe the death for foul
weeks.
Germany, which shouted the namt
won Hindenburg! during the war
time stress found comfort In it in tht
political strife of today and echoed
that name with a national sorrow al
most without parallel.
News Spreads Swiftly.
The whisper "Hindenburg is dead
spread swiftly through the streets
which Just 20 years ago famed witt
the excitement of imminent war.
The public learned that the Presi-
| dent had surrendered at last in hi!
final battle first by a solemn radio
broadcast and later through black
bordered extra newspapers.
The sorrow which immediatei.
| struck the nation was for the mos
part silent and was tempered by thu
knowledge of the inevitability OF thu
death of their President. There wal
absence of laughter and loud conver'
sation in Berlin today.
He was old enough" said a Ger
man. After all, he was 86 years old.
But the sorrow in his voice contra
dicted the harshness of his words.
Here in Berlin, where Summer
sunshine gilded the streets and parks
the flags on all public buildings were
at half staff as thousands of citizens
on their way to work learned OF the
Presidents death.
That news leveled social distinc-
tions. Newspaper extras were shared
in the middle of the streets by bakery
truck drivers, smeared with flour, who
stood shoulder to shoulder with we'll
groomed businessmen.
Those newspapers, over stern pic
ture of the Misrepresentation which