Evening star., 1934-07-29
HITLER TURMOIL TURNING
SAAR PLEBISCITE VOTES
Chance of Losing Mine Section When
Ballot Is Cast January Ii, Now $3.50.
Excesses Bring Sentiment Change.
BIT ALBIN v. JOHNSON.

~ AAREHUCkEN. SaarDep3et.-
The German Reich today
stands q ffty-fity chance Of
- losing. perhaps irreyoeably, 10
the faiherland. the Saar. A
year ago as per cent Of the Saar s
population would have voted for the
return OF the territory. which for is
years has been administered by an
international commission, appointed
by and responsible 10 the Council
OF the League OF Nations, 10 Ger
many. A month ago the sentiment
had 30 changed. because Of the
political excuses Of the Nazis, that
conservative Sarrois contend 20 per
cent Of the people would have voted
10 20 with the Third Reich. another
20 per cent would have maintained
the status quo and 20 per cent Of the
people we're open 10 conviction.
Today ii Is anybody's choice. To
the casual observer the Deutsches
Front. a fortnight ago an overbear-
ing and intensely nationalistic organ
ization. which threatened 10 embroil
the district into serious internal dis
orders, Is ehastened and inactive. It's
leader, Herr Pirro has officially or
dered his Storm Troopers TO refrain
from all acts OF violence and agita-
ton. Half the swastika flags which
bedecked private houses and business
establishments have been taken down.
The enthusiastic Fascist salute now
scarcely rises flush with the Storm
Troopers shoulder and more often 1t
Is an involuntary flap OF the arm.
II Germany drifts deeper into
political turmoil and economic dis
integration and II the breach between
the Catholic Church and the Nazi
regime-oi whatever regime Supplants
it's not healed the Saar plebiscite
which is 10 be held next January -
is practically certain to go against
Germany. Perhaps nowhere in Ger
many land the Saar Is completely
Germany have the repercussions Of
Hitler's Roman holiday been so great.
The Saar Is free, that is, 1t has an
uncensored press and the long arm
of the Nazi Storm Troops does not
cross the border that separates the
territory from Prussia and Bavaria.
While TO date the German public
is abyssimally ignorant of what has
happened and is happening, except
in so far as developments touch peo-
pie personally, the inhabitants in the
Saar are fairly well informed. Ref
ugees br' I. eyewitness stories OF the
murders IN Munich, the wholesale
roundup of suspect officials, and OF
the effects OF the deepening depres-
sion. The local newspapers, almost
without exception, reprint dispatches
from Paris, London, Amsterdam,
Brussels. Zurich and Prague as well
rs news which seeps across the
frontier And the sum total OF the
public's reaction is:
'The Saar will remain German, but
II must remain free"
Loss Of Coal Mines.
The story of the Saar Gebiet to-
day is simple. As a result Of the
Versailles treaty its coal mines-which
furnish half its popuation of 800.-
600 with means of support--were
turned over to the French govern
ment as compensation for mines which
the Germans had destroyed in North
ern France. They had formerly been
the property of the Prussian and
Bayarian states. An international
commission, appointed by the League.
was to administer the territory until
1885, pending plebiscite, in which
all inhabitants, male and female, over
81 years of age, were to be permitted
TO vote.
The population. next January l3, is
TO vote on three proposals: CD To
become reafflliated with Germany, 90
TO maintain the status quo, i.e., some
sort of autonomy, or CD to go under
France.
Since the population Is almost COM
pietely German its sympathies, nat
urallly, have been with Germany.
Until Naziism reached its present de-
plorable state the people were inclined
to be with Hitler. Seventy per cent
of the peasant and workers are Cath
olic. more than 10 per cent of the
population rank as proletarian. An
other Is per cent is petit bourgeoise,
small businessmen and tradesmen.
Less than S Der cent is upper class"
and industrial
With the outlawing Of the Catholic,
Social Democrat, Communist and
other political parties in Germany
the Saar became the stronghold of
what remained of Weimar parlia-
mentarism. But finally the Deutsehes
front--or SaariSt Nazi movement
gained the upper hand. In the last
elections out of 80 Deputies elected
to the Landtag, Is were members of
the Catholic party s were Com
munists, Social Democrats, 2 Volks-
partei Peoples party, and the
Wirtschafts partei.
Consequently it will I've seen that
the destiny of the territory lies in the
hands of the church ard the Com
munists. The church has kept out
of Ssar politics until recently. Eazi
persecution of Catholic youth organi-
cations in Bavaria, the Rhineland
and Palatinate. and the failure of
Hitler to carry out the concordat ne
gotiated by Herr Won Paloen with the
Vatican, to say nothing Of the aSsas-
sination Of DR.. Klausener, leader of
Catholic Action, has now definitely
alienated Rome.
Church Element Strong.
The church is the strongest single
element in the Saar The priests and
bishops tof TrierS for the PrusSian.
and of Speyer for the Bavarian parD
exert an almost unbelievable disci-
pline. Out of the 500 .0oo inhabitants
expected to qualify for the plebiScite
so per cent will be women, They will
ell vote as the church inStruets them
Half of the men viii do likewise
Consequently it can be said rs per
cent of the votes are bought and
paid for
That the Vatican will give direct
instructions to the people is doubt
full However. an indication Of the
way the wind is blowing can be
gained from the fact that high re-
QUEEN mass was held at st. Michsels,
the largest cathedral in iSaarbrucken
for DR.. Klausener and leading Storm
Troopers and most of the priesthood
participated. At a recent conference
OF priests, attended by some 600,
there we're only u which could be
classed as Nazis