Evening star., 1954-09-13
State Election Gives
Rebuff 10 Adenauer
As Socialists Gain
BY the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press
KEEL, Germany. Sept. ia
political riptide menaced Chan
cellor Konrad Adenauer and his
pro-American foreign policy to-
day as his Socialist foes emerged
as the strongest party in key
state election.
Although the coalition headed
by Mr.. Adenauer's Christian
Democratic Union (CDU) ap-
peared sure of holding control Of
the government in the British
zone frontier state of SchlesWig-
Holstein, bordering on the Rus
sian zone. the Socialists 12,000-
vote lead in yesterdays balloting
was seen as clearcut exposure
of the old leaders suddenly
dwindling popularity.
The rural state-called the
"poor house of the Bonn Repub-
lic"-rebuffed the 78-year-old
chancellor's plea for a vote of
confidence in electing its new
Lantag Estate parliament).
Scene of Earlier Triumph.
Campaigning for overtures to
Russia to unity East and West
Germany. the Socialists out
scored the Christian Democrats
in the same state that accorded
the CDU a 2-1 margin over its
arch rival last year when Mr..
Adenauer was reelected chan
cellor.
In today's final count, the CDU
trailed the Socialists 384,870 to-
396. 6.067.
The CDU's vote was cut almost
in half from its 1853 peak of
637,570 in Schleswig- Holstein.
The Socialists picked up 38.269
votes over last years total OF
357,798.
Mr.. Adenauer fought to save
his international prestige with a
speech in this state Friday in.
which he described NATO mem
bership and unconditional Ger
man sovereignty as his new
goals.
Mounting Discomfort Shown.
But as he talked with British
Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden
in Bonn yesterday on finding
some way of rearming West
Germany despite the French
scuttling of the European De-
fense Community, the voters of
this state showed their mounting
discomfort.
The Socialists elected 20 Land
tag candidates to the CDU's 10
in direct contests. But a COM
plicated system alloting 40 per
cent of the Parliament's SO seats
on a proportional basis gave the
rival parties a final total of Is
seats each.
The Refugee Party won 10
seats, the Free Democrats S,
and the remaining 4 went to
the SHB block formed by the
German Party and the Schles-
wig-Holstein Community.
CDU Minister President Fried
rich Wilhelm Luebke, whose
forces have run the state since
1850 in partnership with the
Refugee Party. said today he
would also invite the Free-Deno- /
Gratis to join in a new govern
ment under his command. The
Free Democrats already are Mr.
Adenauer's partners in the ma
tional coalition government.
EDO Defeat Blamed.
Mr.. Luebke blamed the CDU's.
loss of strength on the French
National Assembly's rejection
two weeks ago of the European
army treaty, which Mr.. Adenauer
had promised would restore West
Germany's sovereignty and re-
arm 1t as a partner in Western
defense.
The Socialists had hoped to
form their own coalition govern
ment in Schleswig- -Holstein. But
with both the Refugee Party and
the Free Democrats in it's coali-
ton. the CDU Would muster 40
of the SO seats, compared to the
Socialists IS.
Mr.. Adenauer's four-party ma
tional coalition includes the Ref
ugee Party, the Free Democrats
and the German Party. The ma
tional coalition is seriously
strained by the CDU'S reverse
here. The Free Democrats want
Mr.. Adenauer to relinquish the
foreign ministry job he holds in
addition to his chancellorship and
let some one else take the job.
The CDU is split in its own
ranks at Bonn over Mr.. Ade-
nauer's current bid for NATO
membership. Like the Socialists,
GnCT