Evening star., 1942-05-01

fall upon B, who is put into his
shoes because he is more re
liable In the eyes of the party.
SO there is candy in this for
every obsequious denouncer and
fawner. 1t opens the entire
structure of the state to terror
and corruption. The Russians
made the best comment on it:
"Hitler's spring offensive has be-
gun. 1t is against the German
people" 1t is even more-from
a German point of view-it is
against that almost metaphysi-
cal realm-the German state.
Coupled with it is direct inter-
vention in the courts and the
end of even the fiction of a free
judiciary. Now, it may be said,
that since the Nazis came to
power, the independence of the
courts has been destroyed. But
again this is not quite so.
Seizes Court Power.
The Peoples Courts set up un-
der the Nazis. were, to be sure,
star-chambers; political Offend
ers were brought before them and
such offenders did not have a
chance. But the civil courts still
retained some memory and prac-
tice from an ancient tradition of
justice. Over their portals was
still written Fiat Justitia:
pereat mundos" - Let justice
stand. though the world perish.
The law was made by decree Of
Hitler; but the Interpretation of
the law and the sentences were
in the hands of the courts; with
the great tradition of German
law In their minds. But from
now on Hitler is to be lawmaker,
prosecutor, jury and judge. with
a right to intervene and reverse
any sentence.
This is the institutionalizing of
the purge. There is to be a per-
manent purge; and to add insult
to injury, it is to be carried out
through the mechanism Of
theoretically independent judi
ciary. so that every Judge in Ger
many is sitting on dynamite.
Now, of course, Hitler, who has
plenty to do anyhow, cannot go
around listening at every court
or interviewing every factory
worker or bureaucrat; some
body's going to have to do this
for him, and that means the
Gestapo. So there is going to be
organized denunciation and per-
sonal revenge on an unprece-
dented scale.
This Is the reward that the
leader of his people gives to men
and women who, In however un-
worthy and appalling . cause.
have spilled their fortune and
their blood with immense disci-
pline and sacrifice.
Afraid OF The People
This psychotic idiot Is afraid
of the German people and he
hates them and always has.
These people - civilians ~ were
those who stabbed Germany tn
the back" in the last war: who.
when they knew that the war
was lost-as Ludendor1 knew it
was Iost-finally refused to 60
on starving and sacrificing their
sons for q futile cause. Hitler
writes about this at length in
"Mein Kampf";; one thing he is
going to see to-this shall not
happen again.
And now the news Is bad; and
a prescience of defeat is on him:
now comes the moment OF the
stab in the back, the immin-
ence of which has always been
his abnormal anxiety. He has
gotten rid Of the Jews, the So
cialists, the Democrats, the Pa
cifists; but there are always the
people.
They will kill Hitler. This
seems a fantastic statement to
make, but they-Germans-will
kill Hitler, If he exercises the
powers that he has now grabbed.
Or, If they do not, Germany Is
finished. The last bones that
have held together the semblance
of a social and political structure
are broken by this new decree.
Let this slow up no ones war
effort. Let US get this business
over quickly. The process OF
Hitler's collapse will be waY-
more war.
Just the same-he's finished.
tReleased By the Bell Syndicate, Ine)