The Washington times., 1934-08-18
NAZ| FOES FEAR
To VOTE mo-
TOMORROW
Ballot Secret But Germans
Fear Spies; Most of Nation
for Hitler in Any Case
BY H. r. KNICKERBOCKER
(world Copyright. 1884, International
News Service. Reproduction in
whole or in Part Prohibited)


(world Copyright. 1884, International
News Service. Reproduction in
whole or in Part Prohibited)
BERLIN, Aug. 10 Q.N.S0.-Ger-
many takes the oath to Hitler to-
morrow. Exactly as the army
lined up seven hours after the
death of Hindenburg and swore
fealty to Hitler because Reichs-
wehr Minister Won Blomberg Or
dered them to do so, tomorrow the
German people will line up and in
"plebiscite" record their 100000
OOO-odd "ja" votes for their COM
mander-in-chief, President, Chan
cellor, Leader and Caesar, Adolf
Hitler.
They say that during the swear
ing in of the Reichswehr a recalcl-
trant colonel, major or what'not
dropped his hand and kept his
mouth shut when the oath was
repeated. That, if true at all,
meant nothing except a bit OF
bravado on the part of an adven'
turously conscientious man. SO
tomorrow it will mean nothing II
a few million Germans drop their
hands, and refuse to take the
oath-stay at home or even 60 SO
far as to vote no"
Secret Ballot
It will be a free vote. 1t Will
be a secret vote. There is no
control of the ballot. Nobody
will know how anybody else
voted.
But there are a number OF
reasons why a vast majority OF
Germans will vote yes" on the
question of the ballot.
"Dost thou, German man, or
thou. German woman, agree" on
Hitler becoming ReichSpresident.
First, because there is nothing
to do but agree. Suppose they
all disagreed or the majority dis
agreed. Does anybody imagine
Hitler will thereupon resign?
This is the first question any
German will ask himself, and the
answer is obviously no.
Second, because despite Ger
many's present economic condl'
ton, lower than any time since
the depth of the initiation period
and almost comparable to war
time, despite her complete for
eign political isolation, despite
the fact that just a fortnight
ago she barely escaped a wGr
that would have divided her and
left her in the condition she was
before 1870, the majority Of the
German people are still sincerely
for Hitler.
How Reich Was Saved
It is, of course. true that the
German people still have not the
faintest idea how near to con-
elusive disaster they came the
day when Chancellor Dollfuss OF
Austria fell under a Nazi bullet.
They do not realize that Ger
many was saved from catas-
trophe by exactly IS minutes
and so men.
If the Nazi revolutionaries in
Vienna had captured the chan
cellory IS minutes earlier they
would have captured the whole
Austrian government, and If they
had so more men to occupy the
radio station they would have
been able to pour out proclama-
lions all day long to the Aus
trian people announcing the Nazl
government.
For all purposes of war or peace
Austria would have been Nazi for
"a hours and in that time Musso-
lini would have marched. the
Jugoslavs would have marched
and today Europe would have been
in the midst of that famous next
war"
Would Have Ended Hitler
For a few months it would have
been a. matter of excited curiosity
in America, but for Germany II
would have meant the end OF HlC-
Ter, the end of Germany. In all
probability that group in France
which wants a. preventative war
would have won control and the
end of all the marching would
have been the division OF Ger
many. o
Maybe thereafter would have
been realized that ominous pro-
phesy with the red flag waving
from "Vladivostok to the Rhlne.
At any rate, Germany today was
in no condition to Withstand
attack and the fact is that by just
is minutes and so men she es'
caped an attack which would nave
wrecked her every hope.
Germany did that under Hitler
but the German people do not
know it and today, even II the
plebiscite were as genuinely free
as an American election, Hitler
would get the majority.
Nevertheless the third reason
why he is bound to get far more
than a majority is that the Ger
man public does not trust the
secrecy of the plebiscite. 1t is SUIT
ficient for wo: 4 to get about that
the votes may be controlled for