Evening star., 1936-05-16

the ideas Of social justice enunciated
in the pspal encychcal, familiar
to Americans In . distorted FORM,
through Father Coughlin.
Government BY "Guilds."
In the place Of parliamentary gov.
ernment there was to be government
by "Staende" guilds, rather than cor
porations. The Fascist idea implies
the leadership principle, whereby
democratic consent consists In sign
ing whatever the leader sets before
you. Chancellor Schuschnigg. who.
IN the guild-state, has substituted an
economic for . political organization,
wants this state to be democratic
the guilds to elect their own represen-
tatives. He discussed the matter with
Mussolini who-it Is reported-saw
no reason why Austria should slavish.
ly ape Italy. In this manner the
Austrian chancellor hoped to put
some real popular support behind
himself and his government. Further
more, to promote the better defense
Of Austria, and, not unimportantly.
TO get herd Of expensive mer.
cenaries on the pay rolls, the cham
cellor wished to concentrate al
forces in the regular army.
The Heimwehr boys, who didn't
want their pay stopped. opposed this.
and Etarhemberg . few days ago
aveYred that his army would be dis
solved over his dead body. He Is still
insisting that the fight Is not over.
It recalls, somewhat, the Roehm.
Hitler affair Of Summer, 1894. But 20
far the quarrel has been settled with
out blood. starhemberg has gone to
Rome, perhaps for solace. But he will
hardly return with funds, which alone
could help him.
Meanwhile the chancellor is nego-
tiating with some Of the more moder-
ate and democratic leaders, helped
out by the fact that there has been
q singular easing, in the last fort
night, In the tension between Ger
many and Austria. For the time be-
ing the two nations are speaking
softly. An important barter agree
ment has been made. whereby Austria s
lumber and dairy products are to be
exchanged against German coal from
the Ruhr. Starhemberg's elimination
will help this relation, because the
latter had made particularly insult
ing remarks about the German
Fuehrer, 20 that there was q personal
rancor there, an offended amour
propre.
"Austria WIN Lose"
What this all means will not, In
all probability. be determined In
Austria. Ideally there Is a slight rift
in the dark pail Of autocracy which
has rested over Austria since 1888.
Ideally. there might be . new ap-
proach to Austria by the more demo-
cratic nations, for the new move does
not, apparently. indicate any leaning
towards Naziisn1, but rather a desire
to breathe an altogether freer air
But as Europe Is organized, the re-
mark Of the Austrian waiter In Robert
Sherwood's prize-winning play, Idiots
Delight" Is probably prophetic: 1T
will be Like the last war;" he said, with
that mournful and ironic humor 50
typical. whichever side wins, Austria
will lose" On the other hand, Austria
may be waking up to the fact that
playing the game Of first this great
power and then that has gotten her
exactly nowhere. To conciliate France,
to win the support Of Italy, to get the
aid Of Germany, Austrians have de-
vised programs and shed each others
blood copiously enough in the last
years. It would be possible to make
an Austria impregnable except to the
most wanton aggression. But only
by self lf-help. self-reliance and internal
conciliation and consolidation. There
are small countries in Europe, small
and poor countries-Switzerland, for
instance, and Denmark-which are BY
no means the worst places in the
world to live in. But reliance upon
the great powers has not made
(Copyright, 1850