The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-09-25

Y
constituent assembly to draft
new German constitution. Apart
from any question of the partition
of Germany, this conventional pro-
cedure would, it seems to me, be
dangerously unsound.
For if such a provisional govern
ment collaborated with us by &C.
cepting our terms, it would be in
the eyes of Germans a puppet gov
eminent representing foreign domi
nation. If such a provisional gov.
eminent only pretended to cola
borate with us but in fact was or
ganizing resistance to us, we should
simply be providing the Ger
mans with a means Of reversing
our victory. No national govern
ment of this sort could fail to be
under extreme pressure from the
Nazi underground, and almost
certainly it would be permeatde
with officials who were in cahoots
with the Nazi underground.
So we must consider the other
alternative which is not to begin
the restoration of German sef-gov
eminent at the top-in Berlin-but
at the bottom in the cities, the
towns a n d the villages, at the
grass roots. Let us imagine h o "
this principle might be applied.
In the beginning after the sur
render the only government any
where in Germany will be that o.
the Allied armies. German Off
Gals, who are allowed to remain al
their posts, will be subject abso.
lutely to t h e DEGREES and com
mands of the Allied military gov
errors. But this arrangement can
not last long. To make the matter
concrete, let us suppose we are gov
erning the city Of Cologne. Very
soon the Allied military governor
will begin to. receive deputatlons
from the inhabitants, and arnone
them committees will be formed
which will make petitions and ex.
press grievances ard offer s'1gaes
tons. Experience in dealing with
them will begin to demonstrate who
are the leading citizens Of Cologne
that are trustworthy and compe
tent.
At some point a representative
committe could then be recog
nized as provisional municipal
council, first perhaps with no more
than consultative powers but evolv
ing toward municipal self govern
ment. At the next stage there might
be a municipal election which
would bring into being q set of 10
cal German officials possessing
for their limited functions genu
inc German authority,
If. we imagine this happening. ir
all the cities and towns Of The
Rhineland, then the next stage
might be the election by these mu
nicipal councils of provincial
council, intended gradually. to be
come the provincial government.
At this point we should begin tt
see more clearly than we possibly
can today how far the decentrali
cation Of the German Reich IAN il
fact be carried. We shall not have
foreclosed the issue one way .,
the other, and we shall have thu
means Of judging, because the pro
vincial government will be repre-
sentative of it's cities and town!
and villages. The chances are great
ly against their wishing to sub
merge themselves completely I'm
der a Berlin government. On thu
other hand, they may wish to com
bine a high degree Of local au
thority with new federalism. W.
wought not to make our own deci
sions finally until we see VIVA
Germany is allowed to grow W
from the grass roots.
No reader will, I hope, mistake
this for hard and fast blueprint
It is an attempt to illustrate thu
principle by which the Allies cal
use their occupation and govern