Evening star., 1955-10-24

lit opened the path to lasting
friendship and cooperation be-
tween France and the Saar and
marked real advance toward
European unity. Pro-Gernan
Headers were hopeful that the
other Western European states
and the United States as well
would understand their action
land accept some sort Of trustee
ship control over the territory
until a final settlement could be
worked out.
Quite apart from the results,
the election itself has been a
disturbing experience for many
observers Oldtimers here say
there has been no such upsurge
lof pure nationalistic fervor any
where in Western Europe since
the war. Certainly there has
been no similar effort to whip
lup emotion and harness 1t to
any political sbandwagon.
The spectacle has not been
pretty. Most of the prot German
propaganda has taken the form
Iof the highly vicious attack on
France. Many posters have car
Iried a thinly yelled appeal to
violence: Herr Hoffman, being
kicked out the door by hobnailed
boot; a German mother strug-
Cling with the kidnapping Of her
terrified daughter. At public
meetings French reporters and
photographers have been man
handled sometimes saved from
serious injury by police. No twist
lof propaganda, however OUT
lrageous, has been overlooked.
The effectiveness Of this strong
arm approach has been startling.
Schneider Powerful Figure
The most powerful figure to
emerge FROM the elections is
Heinrich Schneider. leader of
the Saar Dennocratic Party and
|onetiEne Nazi. ana perhaps the
most accomplished demagogue in
Western Europe today. From the
beginning Schneider spear-head-
ed the attack on the European
statute and to the end his meet
Eings inevitably produced the
most VIOLENT fireworks. His arrival
lat any meeting brought every
thing to a standstill while the
audience ciapped and eheered
When he emerged on the stage
lstocky and handsome, with his
shiny black hair and quick ner-
vous gestures. the crowd went
wild. A few short sentences was
all it took to have them on their
| feet yelling in unison at his
promise that "the Saar is Ger
man and shall always remain
German"
| 1t is especially the German
correspondents here who art
taking a long look at Heinrich
Schneider. Most admit they
haven't seen anything like 1t fol
la long time.
Throughout the campaign
violence and the threat of vio-
Ilence has been a carefully cal
Eculated and controlled factor In
this election. At the beginning
lin August, real outbreaks oc-
icurred where police were called
Into action and heads were
Icracked. Toward the end. the
rough stuff tapered off. Although
crowds of rowdy hecklers regu-
llarly attended government
sponsored meetings and hooted
from respectful distance. there
were few actual incidents.
| Two explanations suggest
themselves. For one thing. as
time went on Schneider and his
followers became more and more
confident Of victory. For an
lother, there was always the
threat that an election con-
Quoted in an atmosphere of vio-
Ilence and intimidation would be
ruled invalid by the interna-
Itional commission which has
been on hand from the begin
ming to referee the contest.
| Election Day Is Quiet
Certainly election day itseli
! passed in almost sepulcral calm
Although voting was heavy anc
many villages had accounted FOL
their whole list Of registered
voters before lunchtime. thu
Operation went of without I
single reported hitch. In 194t
polling places throughout the ter.
lritory, local officials and inter
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