Evening star., 1946-10-04
Letters to The Star
Argues That German Federation
Has Historic Precedent

To the Editor OF The Star:
Secretary Byrnes was well advised
when, In his Stuttgart speech, he
omitted the originally planned remark
that he would like to see the emergence
Of United States of Germany. This
would have been interpreted as sug-
gestion that the Germans copy our fed
GRAFTON. If the Germans had to learn
federalism from us, the whole idea would
be wrong and hopeless. Constitutions,
to be sound and durable, must be rooted
in national traditions. For that reason,
the fact that a certain constitution is
good for one nation almost precludes
its being good for another one.
Fortunately, Mr.. Byrnes' program for
Germany was on very firm ground, and
this may give comfort to the defeatists
who think that our plea for federation
cannot compete successfully with Mr..
Molotov's unity slogan. In reality, the
alternative Is not federation or unity.
It is Germany united as q federation
or as centralized state.
Being a highly elastic term, the word
federation" can be applied even to very
loose alliances of primitive tribes. As
we use it now, it certainly is more Of a
German than of an Anglo-Saxon in
vention. The Germanies were fedora
ton for more than a thousand years.
The head of the Holy Roman Empire
was a president elected for life. Napo-
leon I abolished the majority Of the
members Of that federation. and only
few of them were revived by the Con-
gress of Vienna. But its result was
again German Confederacy. Bismarck
strengthened centralism In favor Of the
predominant member Prussia) partly
by force but largely with popular con-
sent because too many French encroach-.
ments had been invited by the lack Of
central government. However, even
Bismarck's Reich was genuine fed
Grafton.
In all her long history. Germany was
a centralized nation only for 26 years,
that is from 1919 to 1888 under the
Weimar Republic and then until .1945
under Hitler.
It could be argued that. nevertheless,
Capitalization might appeal more
strongly to the Germans than re-fed-
eralization; that many Germans might
regard Capitalization as late but long
sought-for achievement. Yet this view
would disregard their recent history.
Hitler's accursed rule was the direct
offspring of the centralized republic.
The truth, unknown to most Ameri-
cans, is that MIR. Byrnes, by trying to
federalize Germany, Is bent on undoing
not Bismarck but Woodrow Wilson. It
was President Wilson who, in 1918, en-
forced upon the Germans the un-Ger-
man and un-American form Of highly
centralized state. When, during the
armistice negotiations, he told the Ger
mans that only as republic could they
hope to attain truce and mild peace,
he did not realize that, by eliminating
Germanys confederated princes, he au-
tomatically would abolish the German
federation.
The foundation of the Bismarck Reich
had been q convention of its crowned
rulers. A German republic was bound
to be centralized which meant more
Prussianized than ever before. In a
German federation, Hitler would not
have been able to attain complete power.
For exactly the same reason, Stain
stands for centralized Germany.
1t can be stated with utter certainty
that an overwhelming majority of all
Germans is on our side when we oppose
the restoration of centralized Reich.
We are acting in the spirit of Germany's
better past when, strongly defending her
unity, we reduce Prussia to the position
of other German states, and 1t was most
fortunate that Mr.. Byrnes chose SEutt-
CART as the scene Of his proclamation.
That city would be an ideal Washington,
D. c., in united German federation.
Berlin irreparably is discredited.
DR.. ROBERT INGRIM