The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-07-18
Liberal Viewpoint
by DIR. HARRY ELMER BARNES

Turing the last two or three weeks when
IL firing squads have become a part of the
decoration of the German countryside, I have
heard several people remark that things over
there are getting to be about as bad as they
we're un6er the Kaiser" Such talk betokens
only a very Slight understanding Of Germany
before 1914 and after 1882.
The Germany of 1914 was veritable Utopia
of freedom, urbanity tolerance and broad
mindedness when compared to the Germany of
the Brown Shirts.
Under Hitler freedom of speech and assembly
has disappeared Those who make any attempt
to exercise such rights are blackjacked, shot in
their tracks or hustled off to concentration
camps.
a servile and supine rubber stamp for Joseph
Goebbels, minister of propaganda. Indeed, SO
far has it degenerated that Goebbels even mocks
it for observing its enforced docility.
NaN education is only another branch of
the propaganda service What shall be taught
in the schools is first determined by the Nazi
officials. Even the most distinguished university
professors are thrown lght-heartedly out of
their positions when they dare to differ with
Nazi views on any subject.
Likewise with religion, Hitler has made a
vigorous effort to control the beliefs of the
German people in this field He has sought to
GUST the old Testament God and bring in the
old German pagan deities Of Christian times
Representative government has become an empty
form
CONDITIONS were quite different in the
~ reign of Wilhelm II. Shortly after he
came to the throne Bismarck's anti-socialist laws
we're repealed. The socialists carried on a vigor-
GUS propaganda and held large public meetings
While occasionally a speaker might be arrested
or a newspaper or pamphlet suppressed, there
was sufficient freedom SO that the socialist party
grew from small minority party in 1888 to the
largest group in the German Reichstag in 1914
The German press also was relatively free.
There might be an occasional suppression and
not few editors endeavored to curry imperial
favor as 'yeS-men." Nevertheless an independ-
ent editor usually could express his opinions with
mpunity, even to the extent of criticizing the
emperor himself.
An interesting case in point was the famous
interview which the Kaiser allowed to be pub
lished in the London Daily Telegraph on Oct.
%, 1903 analyzing his efforts to promote friend
ship between Germany and England
This was denounced bitterly by large sec
ton of the German press and the Kaiser himself
was castigated sharply for his indiScretion.
Chancellor Bulow criticised the Kaiser openly
in the Reichstag the following month. So
severely was the Kaiser classified that he con-
templated abdication for time.
L ESPECIALLY instructive is the case Of Maxi
~ MILAN Harden, who founded his paper
Die Zukunft in 1892 and criticised the kaiser
and his policies freely right down to the coming
of the World war. He even exposed alleged i'm
moralities on the part of court favorites in 1907
and his structures on the kaiser's conduct in the
Daily Telegraph interview we're acid in the ex-
IRENE
German education was relatively free from
direct political propaganda and in the universe
ties notable independence prevailed There were
socialist professors, and some professors of Bib
lical literature openly debated with the kaiser
himself on the delicate matter of the inSpira-
ton of the Scriptures Hans Delbruk dared to
question the kaisers opinion on military Stra-
tegy and the art of war;
In religion the imperial government tended
to keep its hands off after the disastrous expert
ence of Bismarck in the famous "Kulturkampf'
While the reichstag had less power than the
BundeSrate, nevertheless, not even important
military laws were enacted without its consent
1t is quite true that Hohenzollern Germany
was hardly place to delight the soul of Roger
Baldwin, but it certainly was almost platonic
academy OF symposium compared to the regi-
mentation and intellectual intimidation main
tanned by Herr Hitler and his shock troops