Evening Star Newspaper, June 15, 1924, Page 53

EDITORIAL PAGE NATIONAL PROBLEMS. SPECIAL ARTICLES Part 2—14 Pages - CHAOS IN PARLIAMENTS NOW IMPEDES PROGRESS Legislative Branches of Governments, Not Imperialism, Blamed for Conditions. BY FRANK H. SIMONDS, S parliamentary—or, as we would say in America, congressional— government breaking down? The question has both domestic and foreign appositeness. In the United States the Congress which has just adjourned is noteworthy be- vond much else as the first in which majority rule gave way to something of the continental bloc system. In Europe three democracies are in a state of turmoil in consequence of parliamentary incoherence. Moreover, a fourth, Italy, has embraced a dic- tatorship to escape the confusion which prevails in the United States, Great Britain, France and Germany. With the American phase of the world-wide phenomenon or disease, as one may choose to view it, my readers are familiar. In both houses of Congress a mnominal Republican majority has been abolished and the policies and purposes of a Repub- lican Chief Executive brought to nothing by the action of a group of senators and representatives, elected as Republicans, who have broken away from party moorings and voted with the Democratic minority, thus creating a new majority. This well nigh complete paralysis of responsible party \government as we are familiar with ¥ in this coun- try has created natiyn-wide com- ment, protest and critgism. It has changed the whole charfcter of leg- islative operations. WhJt many ob- servers are now cageify and even anxiously watching to see is whether it is to become a fixed feature of our political life. And it is this Amer- ican situation which gives real in- terest to the European parallels of the moment. Situation in England. Looking tb these European paral- lels, that of Great Britain in a sense, the most interesting, because in the British field there are but three parties, by contrast with the many parties in France and Ger- many. Moreover, it is toward a three-party situation that we in America seem at the moment to be drifting. The present House of Commons has 615 members; of this number 191 be- long to Labor, 139 to the Liberals, 239 to the ConserVatives, and there are 6 nominally af least independ- ent. A majority then would be 308, or 43 more than the Tories con- trol. Actually the present govern- ment represents a coalition of Lib- erals and Laborites, together con- trolliug 360 votey. But the Labor and Liberal parties are mortal enemies and their coalition is of the fimsiest sort. Thus sometimes it is the Tories and not the Liberals who save the Labor ministry from de- “-at and resignation. The reason Labor, although a mi- mority and hated by both opposition parties, actually retains office is that the opposition is afraid that if a new election should take place Labor would make great gains and might get a clear majority of its own. To keep it in power until it makes some \ major blunder and thus insure its own defeat at a new general election is the strategy of both the Tories and the Liberals, although in recent days the Tories seem to be ready to take the risk of an election and to be striving to turn MacDonald out. Labor Not Responsible. In the existing situation, however, there is obviously no such thing as responsible party government. Labor is not responsible, because it has not the votes to carry any legislation of its own. It can do little to realize - its own ambitious program. What is much worse is the fact that since it is a minority government and can be turned out at any moment there is no such thing as real security. Britain is always on the ragged edge of a new election and of a possible, if not a probable change of govern- ment. All of this makes for uncer- tainty and confusion. Nevertheless it is the settled opin- fon in Britain that the three-party system is likely to endure for a con- siderable length of time and certainly through the next general election. Thus if the Labor party were beaten teday in the House of Commons there is nothing to suggest that it would not elect at least as many members as it now controls, or that there would be any clear majority for any party. You have then the extraordinary situation: Both at home and abroad British people and statesmen con- front grave crises. Their foreign re- lations have an enormous importance at the moment when the Dawes plan is to be discussed both with France and with Germany and the whole subject of European adjustment examined in international confer- ences. Yet the representatives of Great Britain speak only for a mi- nority party and may be turned out of office at any moment. Confusion in France. In France the confusion is even greater because a constitutional crisis has been added to the legis- lative. Actually in the French *hamber of Deputies which has just been elected there are nearly a dozen parties. Yet these parties have been pretty generally combined into three sroups; the Bloc National which sup- ported Poincare, and with the 15 Royalists numbers 265. This is the opposition. Against it stands the Bloc of the Left, which has just de- feated f. This Bloc of the Left con- ~ains about 290 members; namely. 117 Radicals, 100 Socialists and 43 tadical Republicans. But since the new €rench Chamber contains 584 inembers, tue victorious Radical Bloc oes not itself have a clear majority. 1 spposing Poincare, however; it <n count upon 29 Communists, who. | #n the main, however, vote by them- xelves. | Herrlot, leader of the Radicals, was nuturally indicated as the man for ? |party government through a party prime minister, since he headed the largest party in the Bloc of the Left But before he could enlist the sup- port of the Socialists he had to accept their terms with respect of President Millerand. ~Herriot did not want to insist upon the resignation of the president of the republic, but the Socialists made this a condition to their support and without them he could not form a ministry Radical Measures Also Urged. But Socialist insistence did not end with the demand for Millerand's head In addition it submitted a long list of radical measures, some of which went far beyond the views of either the Radicals or the Radical Repub- licans. Thus to accept enough of the Socialist doctrine to get Social votes led Herriot to make conces- sions likely ultimately, if not at once. to alienate many of his own fol- | lowers. Here, then, is a further illustration of the fundamental weakness of the Bloc system of parliamentary govern- ment. In the British case there is incoherence and uncertainty, but in the French case there are in addi- {tion the cvils which flow from the | inevitable bargaining between par- ties. By contrast with the British tem, moreover, the French is very fluid. Thus it is almost inevitable | that within a brief period of time | the Radicals and the Radical Repub- licans will break with the Socialists and a new ministry will be formed by another alliance, this time be-| tween the Bloc National and certain members of the Radical and Radical Republican parties. Herriot will then €0 out of office, to be succeeded by Briand, always assuming that Her- riot is able even for the moment to | get office. Frequent changes of government are the rule in France. Before the| war and in normal times these| changes were of little real signifi- cance, but at the present moment, with great international discussions just to begin, lack of stability is a patent disadvantage. The fall of Briand was a good illustration of this, for he suddenly lost control of this parliamentary situation two and a half years ago at the moment when he was discussing a settlement of the whole European situation with Lloyd George at Cannes, and all of | the plans which the two premiers | had made went into the waste-paper | basket following Briand's fall and the coming of Poincare with new | views and other purposes. As it stands, then, both the British | and French prime ministers. whether Herriot or some other represents France when the international dis- cussions begin, will negotiate with a. noose about their necks and may be hauled off their feet at any moment. Chaos im .Germany. Uncertain as is the British situation | and insecure as is the French, both are simple by comparison with the German. In Germany the chaos almost defies description. At the last election, a month ago, 465 mem- bers were chosen to the German Reichstag. Of these 247 represented parties which were pledged to the support of the Dawes plan—namely, the Socialist, Center, People's, Ba< varian People's and Democrats, whose totals were, respectively, 100, 62. 44, 16 and 25. Opposing this group were three parties, the Nationalists, Voel- kische and Communists, counting 190 | members—namely, 96, 32 and 62. 1In| addition there were 28 scattering. i On the surface, then, it would seem | that the four first named parties | could form a government and carry | through their program despite the | opposition, and particularly since the opposition is divided between mon- | archists and Communists—that is, be- tween the followers of Potsdam and those of Moscow. The difficulty has been that the | three moderate parties—namely, the Center, the two People's ahd the Democratic—all felt themselves, on the whole, nearer to the Nationalists than to the Socialists and acted ac- | cordingly. Natienalists Want Control. Obviously, a combination between the three moderate parties and the Nationalist would mean 243 seats, or only four less than a combination of these three parties and the Socialists, and it would mean afar more natural and durable arrangement. But it was prevented, at least for the moment, by the insistence of the Nationalists upon practical control. They wished old Admiral von Tirpitz for chancel- lor, and they were not in the least prepared to accept the Dawes report unconditionally even as a basis for discussion. But in spite of this in- transigeance there was more enthu- siasm in the ranks of the moderates for marriage with reaction than with republicanism as represented by the Socialists, and this enthusiasm was partially accentuated by the fact that. the Socialists had suffered great losses and the reactionaries made great gains in the recent election. But if the absence of responsible majority has proven a disadvantage in Britain and a menace in France, how much more serious an evil it Is in Germany, for at the moment Ger- many must act upon the Dawes re- port, and her action will determine her own domestic prosperity as well as her foreign standing, for if the report be rejected, then none of the necessary foreign loans will be forth- coming, and French occupation and exploitation of the Ruhr is likely to continue, with at least the passive assent of the rest of the world. Yet the Nationalist leaders are, at this precise moment, demanding that the existing Marx-Stresemann gov- ernment be thrown out because it has wasted its time in accepting the Dawes report instead of concentrat- ing its efforts upon abolishing the German acceptance of guilt for the world war written into the treaty of | ation. - EDITORIAL SECTION he Sunday Stat WASHINGTON, D. C, Budget Bureau Strikes at Heart Of Useless Government Expense BY WILL P. KENNEDY. HE federal budget system is old, and the end of the fiscal year is close at hand—what has been accom- plished? Just what the budget system has saved the because greatest achievement has been in building up a morale of economy throughout the service. Just how the budget balances for the pres- ent fiscal year cannot be told by any one just now, cven Brig. Gen. Herbert M. Lord, director of the budget, who must be prepared to make government can never be told, a statement to the annual meeting iness organization of the government on June 30. You can't get a line on the adding up the appropriation measures passed, because there are many continuing appropria- tions and some surplus funds that cannot tell anything from the daily Treasury statement, because there are so many unusual of toward the close of certificates transactions vear. A new issue ‘edness is being floated and another issue is being redeemed, also Treasury notes, and tax payments are piling in But one thing you can bet on, that Budget Director Lord is going to show a very con- siderable saving. * %k Xk ¥ Whole System Changed. Prior to the enactment of the budget legis- lation, approved by President Harding June 10, 1921, no serious attempt had made to control federal estimates and expendi- tures with a view to balancing the budget. the entire program is based on the Today principle that expenditures will be revenues. Under the direction of the Fresident budget bureau has succeeded in materially re- operation of the Three years ago of the entire cost of government in this country per cent was properly chargeable to the federal government and 40 to the state and ducing the cost of federal world’s biggest business. 60 municipal governments. Today 4 represents approximately the proportion of ex- s chargeable to the federal government pens ard 60 to the subsidiary governme dence the Nationalists are demand- | ing for chancellor the very man who, | in the eyes of the outside world, was most responsible for the war, since he was the author of the policy of German naval expansion. And if the Nationalists on one side | are making extreme demand in return | for giving their support to a minis- try, the Socialists on their part are making quite as insistent demands, although their demands are for the preservation of the republic and the abandonment of a policy of armament and revenge. The three moderate parties, with 147 votes, which must be the core of any German ministry, are thus pulled to the right and to! | the left by the Socialists and by the | Nationalists, and the foreign policy of the Reich at this grave moment is made the football of domestic feuds {and factions. . All things considered, then, the German situation is much the worst | | of the three European countries which | are struggling with much the same | problem, but there is little in the | situation in any ome of the three | countries to lead Americans hastily | to adopt for themselves this conti- | nental method of bloc government in | place of the old party system. | Must Have Support. At the present moment no prime minister in Britain, France or Ger- many can propose and carry through any piece of domestic legislation, large or small, save as he has en- listed the support of onme or more parties with #otally opposing prin- ciples. 1In all three countries the moderates — the Liberals in Britain, the Radicals in France and the three moderate parties in Germany—have steadily to choose between co-operat- ing with socialism or reaction. And what is worse, the moderates in France and Germany can only control nominally by sacrificing their moder- For us the problem of bloc govern- ment might easily be more serious in one respect than the European, for, while on the other side of the Atlan- tic parties are based upon class, re- ligion, occupation, they are only in relatively few instances, quite un- important, based upon section. In America, on the contrary, the real promise or threat of a third party is based pretty frankly upon sectional interest and feeling. And if the next election sees the rise to commanding position of a middle and northwest group, is it not almost inevitable that other sections will follow suit and we shall presently have parties repre- senting sections and, as an inevitable corrollary, combinations of some sec- tions against others? Thus the bloc system might easily threaten our national unity. But apart from all subsidiary and perhaps remote contingencies, the essential fact is that the three great democracies of western Eurepe, ac- cepting Germany as a democracy at least temporarily and in form, have come to the bloc system and it is working in all three very badly. Progress Is Held Up, In fact, at a moment when the de- sire for settlement in Europe and the will for peace are greater than at any time since the outbreak of the war, and when the report of the Dawes committee has supplied at least a sound basis for solution, all progress waits upon the legislative anarchy in Paris and Berlin and "all plans must be conditional upon the contin- uance of a British ministry which is always a minority and daily in.dan- ger of defeat and resignation. Thus it has come about that at the present hour the real menace to peace in Europe, to an international set- tiement, is not militarism, mot -im- perialism, but what, for want of a better term, one may: call parlia- mentarism—the extension and expan- sion of the bloc system, which has led to paralysis and Instability and at the moment seems destined to prolong, if not to accentugte, international un- settlement by Postponing, if not pre- venting, the application of the Dawes Versailles, which German representa- tives signed. Moreover, at a moment when Germany needs beyond all else to enlist world sympathy and confi- plan, which for at least two months now has waited upon the French and Germun parliamentary clections and post-clection organizations, States came out of the debtedne: three years another billion. It was then that Con; its ablest financiers. the first director of the * ¥ of the bus- business organization, balance by lapse. You It requires that the budget with a statem government receipts. the fiscal of indebt- posed expenditure, he the expected surplus. with this provision of Coolidge in submitting ber recommended a program of redncuo\o( taxation. tion of Gen. Lord, who ever been tion and co-ordination activities. For the first time in ernment the Executive kept within the budget he submits to mendation. Congress, 0 per cent Gita eration ‘There was bitter need for prompt curbing of the rising cost of government. of twenty-five and a half billion dollars, which by August, 1919, had increased get sygstem in response to the pleadings of the Charles G. Dawes, Republican nominee for Vice President, was Where Responsibility Rests. The budget act places squarely upon the Chief Executive, as head of the government's presenting to Congress estimates in detail of the amount of money required to carry on nec- essary federal operations. ditures exceed the expected receipts, he should rcommend to Congress measures to be taken to provide the additional revenue needed. the expected receipts show an excess over pro- Congress what disposition should be made of The bureau of the budget, under the direc- the routine business organization of the gov- ernmnent, is an agency put at the service of the President to act for him in preparing the bud- get and for bringing about economy in opera- of the government's financial procedure. termination of whether that amount should be allowed, more or less, but Congress now has definitely before it each year a well digested, carefully prepared statement of the govern- ment's resources and a definite policy of op- The United world war with an fn- gress gave us the bud- now the budget. * ¥ these: the responsibility for President support this ent of the prospective If the proposed expen- 1 should recommend to It was in compliance the law that President the budget last Decem- Prodect is managing director of of the various federal the history of this gov- now really has control The Congress is his recom- properly, has the de- The budget has firmly established itself as a very ‘necessary feature In government opera- Both branches of Congress, the House and Senate, have shown most commendable co- operation and revolutionized their procedure regarding appropriation measures so as to be in line with the spirit of the budget and ac- ' counting act. Thé principal ways in which the budget system has begotten economy and stemmed the rising tide of cost of government are, roughly, First—Shaping estimates so as to get them within the proper lump sum. This is a sort of trimming the small pieces that go into the mo- saio picturc of government operation. It means who gets cut and how much, thereby making it possible to allocate to each activity the rel- atively proper amount. Second—All authorization legislation has to &0 to the budget bureau before any govern- ment official is allowed to initiate it in Con- gress, thereby nipping In the bud countless attempts of those who influence to sneak a pet through without its proper relation to the whole fiscal | program of the President being investigated. Third—A reserve system 1s set up—an honor system—under which each activity and agency of the government is compelled to set aside @ reserve fund, approximating about 5 per cent, which is drawn upon only’in emergencies, and then under the signature of the chief, with the budget bureau notified in each instance. prevents, among other things, a rush to spend all the moncy available but perhaps not really | needed before the close of the fiscal year. Fourth—Co-ordination of the forty-three de- partment and independent establishments, to overcome the greatest source of loss and waste in the federal service, through executive order | creating a chief co-ordinator, with various co- ordinating agencies under him, to deal with | ike larger functions of the government's rou- tine business SUNDAY MORNING, JUNE 15, 1924, on a complacent Congress This | (Continued on Third Page. GERMANY SOON TO FACE COMPLETE ALLIED UNITY Political Revolution in France Makes Situation Possible—Berlin in Threatening Mood. BY OLIVER OWEN KUHN. HE turbulent waters of French politics huve washed Gaston Doumergue into the presi- dency of the republic and made M. Herriot premier. The new regime came swiftly during the past week as a result of the French elec- tions a few weeks back. coupled with the refusal of the radical parties in Parliament to accept any premier named by President Millerand, they demanding the ouster of the occu- pant of Elysee Palace subsequent to the overthrow of Poincare France's political revolution, which routed the nationalist - imperialist school and supplanted them by rad- ical and socialistic elements commit- ted to sane procedure in settlement of Europe’s problems and adjustment of pressing domestic issues, now will begin to bear fruit of the nature intended. Though M. Herriot's tusk is going to be exceedingly difficult, because of the divisions which already have be- sun to make themselves manifest in the Left organization in Parliament— divisions, which eventually probably will lead to his fall and the seating of former Premfer Briand as pre- mier—nevertheless the ascension of M. Herriot marks the beginning of a new era in France's international re- 1ationships as compared to the regime of Poincare, ‘when nationalistic dog- mas excluded amicable adjustment of intenational problems in conjunc- tion with other war-time allies. Will Approach England. Whatever M. Herriot's immediate domestic difficulties, he nevertheless will lose no time in attempts to co- ordinate French political will with that of other allies, notably England, and will by so doing regain a solid front against Germany in the ad- justment of reparations and other problems. This is essential to ac- complishment. Developments in Ger- many indicate that it will be neces. sary for the allies to again bring pressure upon Germany unitedly in obtaining the adoption and fulfillment of the Dawes report, which the world almost as a unit declares the one way out of the maze of difficulties correllary to reparations settlements. M. Herriot almost upon assumption of authority announced that he would be leaving France during the present week to oconfer with Premier Mac- Donald of England on the question of future co-operation between their respective nations. This conference will be formal, and unquestionably will but carry out the decisions reach- ed through Informal channels since the Poincaire overthrow. The two men have kept in touch through Socialist intermediaries, and as a result already are of one mind on several perplexing issues, questions which, it smoothed away, will facilitate further co-operative endeavor. 3 Things Agreed Upon. It is declared on well founded authority that M. Herriot has agreed that as soon as the commissions sug- gested by the Dawes report are creat- ed and begin functioning HRrance will withdraw economic restrictions in the Rhineland and the Ruhr. Fur- thermore, France will remove her iroops just as soon as Germany has proven her good faith in meeting the Dawes plan. Both Herriot and Mac- Donald are declared committed to the idea of admitting Germany to the league of nations. What is moré Im- portant, they are united in the view that the question of guarantees for various nations against = aggressors shall be worked out through the league. Lord Robert Cecil's plan of, neighbor guarantee blocs is the most feasible plan of insuring safety for attacked countries, they believe. The details of any such agreement natu- rally would have to be left to the political expediency. but if M. Herriot and MacDonald remain at the head of their respective governments for uny period of time a new scheme of ‘guarantees for non-aggressive na- tions undoubtedly will be written into the European scheme of things . Good to Be Accomplished. When M: Herriot goes to Chequors Court and the two premiers get their heads together it is expected | that without much collision of view- point practical plans for the accom- plishment of peace and economic order on the continent will be ef- tected. Whether these plans can ob- tain the indorsement of the Parlia- ments of France and England is another question, but as long as an actual start is made on the solution of problems which have kept Eng- land and France at odds a greater part of the time since the war ended much good will have been accom- plished and the day of a new era in Europe safely may be said to be at hand. But, whatever the premiers may plan, whatever they may seek to carry out after agreement, unques- tionably will be hazarded by the pe- culiar political situation existing in Germany, where the Nationalists menace is only offset by the Com- munist. In other words, the Marx- Stresemann government is in peril at all times, by virtue of the repeated threats of the Nationalists and Com- munists against the Dawes report, which the German government be- lieves essential to the recovery of the nation. Reichstag for Dawes Report. The Marx-Stresemann regime went before the Reichstag during the past week: and demanded approval of the Dawes plan as written, with the pos- sible modification here and there in its non-essential features. The.gov- ernment received a vote of confidence on the question, the Nationalists and extreme radicals voting in the nega- tive. ‘ The government at the mo- ment is preparing the framework of the machinery essential to Germany's carrying out of the Dawes scheme, and this will be presented to the Reichstag when it convenes again next week. The real test will come at this juncture. 4 The Communists declare in making political capital that the Dawes scheme is the plan of the plutocratic interests of the world. All the ap- pellitions of Lenin and Trotsky are applied in the Reds’ barrage against acceptance of the Dawes report. The Communists have hinted broadly at bloodshed and revolution in case the government seeks to apply the Dawes scheme. The Natlonalists, on the other hand, from the standpoint of political ~expediency, largely though there-may be some honest op- fposition to Germany fulfilling her obligations, likewise hint that there will be trouble in case the govern- ment attempts to accept the Dawes plan. Strengthens Position, The government declares that this is Germany's one opportunity to prove her good faith and seek to do her| share in economic, financial and so-| clal recovery, so essential to Europe’s | welfare. Efforts are being made at | the moment to strengthen the pmu-‘ tion of the Marx,Stresemann regime, | though it must be admitted that it holds its position by a hair. It can only exist with continued support of the army and military authorities, and this support is being wooed away by the Nationalists, who are standing against continued inter- | allied control for inspection of mili tary forces, as demanded by the Poin- | care-dominated reparations commis- cion a few weeks back, and a thing | the government may be compelled to | accepte, The government is discussing lhe‘ Plan of dissolving the Reichstag ahd | £oing to the country in a special elec- tion predicated squarely upon the is- | sue of acceptance of the Dawes re- port. This it has power to do, but domestic political trends may dis- count the wisdom of go doing. As the situation stands, Germany is | divided into three camps—govern- mental, nationalist and communistic. All insist on individual courses. The ultimate power of either is question. able and always will remain so unless there is an out-and-out test of strength. As a consequence, it is ex- ceedingly problematical just which way Germany will jump in regard to the Dawes report. But whether Ger- | many remains republican in its form | of government, reverts to the nation- | alistic idea of limited monarchies, or falls under the evil sway of the Com- munists, Germany will be confronted with a solid allied front in the final | analysis, and Germany will be forced | to capitulate either to the Dawes| plan or some other scheme. 1t is for | Germany to choose whether there will be early progress and peace or continued bickering and economic chaos—possibly worse. And the next month may give the verdict. Standard Frice Legislation Looms Standard price legislation will be the subject of early hearings when Congress reassembles, according to telegrams which Representative Clyde Kelly of Pennsylvania, co-author of the Kelly-Stephens bill, has sent to parties interested in this legislataion. Representative Kelly emphasizes that producers and distributors are inclin- ed to lose sight of the important fact that, after all, they are not the most important factors in trade. That po- sition, he says, is occupied by the individual popularly known as the consumer. All the efforts of manufacturers, | jobbers, wholesalers and retailers are due to the common desire to win the consumer's favor. And, in the last analysis, all the bills affecting busi- ness introduced into national and state legislatures depend for their success upon the attitude of her majesty the consumer. Mrs. Mae E. Nolan of California, the only woman representative in Congress, has announced her championship of the standard price cause. She claime that “at least 50 per cent of all merchandise used in the home is bought by women. ‘Women buy 96 per cent of all dry goods so0ld, 87 per cent of the food, 48 per eent of the hardware and house furnish- ings. They buy 31 per cent of all-the clothing used by men.” Four bills providing for the establish- ment of standard prices on trade-marked goods were_introduced at the last ses- sion of Congress. None of these meas- ures became a law. Thelr failure was not due to active apposition, but to the unprecedented situation which prevented the passage of nearly all other impor- tant legislation except the essential ap- propriation bills. A S R Col. Edward S. Walton, Quarter- master Corps, on duty in the office of the Assistant Secretary of War, has been detalled as quartermaster in- structor of the $9th Division, Natichal ' Guard, with station fu this city, i and starvation, | which throttled Austrian trade. | to Europe. {of Chancellor Seipel, PRIEST, CLINGING TO CELL, HAS RESCUED AUSTRIA Chancellor Seipel Recovery to Middle Ignatz Seipel, chancellor of Austria, who fecently was the target of an assasein's bullet, suffering grievous wounds and from which be has not fully recovered, is one of the least known and most remarkable rulers of Europe todsy. From his bare cell in & convent this simple priest, nt- terly unknown to fame before the war, governs what is left of the once mighty empire of the Caesars. This is the first time in the history of the world that a minister of religion has become the elected ruler of a state while at the same time retaining his sacred pro. fession. —EDITOR'S NOTE. BY DREW PEARSON. IENNA — Austria, one - time stronghold of Hapsburg des- potism, has been saved from a reversion to monarchy or an alternate convulsion to bolshevism by the sanity of her middle classes. In giving this opinion, Dr. Ignast | Seipel, chancellor of Austria, disclosed not only his own creed of living, but the policy used in steering his fragile ship of state through the stormy wa- ters of reconstruction. Himself a middle-class man. Chan- cellor Seipel, more than any other individual in Austria, is responsible for the miraculous recovery of that republic. Yet no national leader in Europe is more modest and receives less popular recognition than this chancellor-priest of Austria. In 1921, after three years of misery during which the powers had given nothing more tan- gible than kind words toward helping Austria out of her terrible predica- ment, Dr. Seipel decided that his coun- try could not live on promises. He had spent months in Geneva, Paris and London, begging for a loan or for the abolition of the customs barriers Now he quit begging and started on a| series of secret visits to the capitals of Central Europe. First he went to Berlin. Imme- diately France was agog. Did this| mean union between Austria and Ger- many? Seipel said nothing, but went on to Rome. In turn, Czechoslovakia was n a furor. The press talked of an Austro-Ttalian alliance against Czechoslovakia and inevitable war. Still Seipel kept quiet and contin- ued his mysterious visits, this time to Prague. Immediately Italy began | to clamor about the danger of an Austrian-Czech alliance, and massed | her troops upon the Tyrolean border. Czech troops concentrated on the north Played Cards Well. Seipel played his cards well. When he had finished it was apparent that Austria could not ally herself with any nation. To do so would upset the balance of power and bring war Obviously also, if Austria was not given aid, she would form an alliance with any one, regardless of the dire results. At this critical moment, Dr. Benes of Czechoslovakia announced, “We must save Austria. but we must all save Austria.” Thereupon, the league of nations launched an international loan, and Austria was saved. But had it not been for the “poker” diploma Austria today would be a submerged satellite of an. other power, or split up into a dozen Dieces. Dr. Seipel is little known outside Austria chiefly because he shuns the limelight. His entire life has been one of seclusion. Christened “Ignatz" after the patron saint of the Jesuit educated by them and ordained a | priest, he became a teacher of relig- fon in a girls' school, then jumped from professor of moral theology in Salzburg University to chancellor of Austria. In that capacity today he remains faithful to his vow, spurning the pomp and ceremony with which official Austria has always strutted. Instead of the regal grandeur of Hapsburg palaces, he dwells in a small stone cell in a cloister of Notre | Dame du Sacre Coeur, where he cele- brates mass every morning, and has an iron kettle of soup sent from the convent to his office in the Bundes- ministerium every noon. He dresses simply and is very fond of noodles. Savior of Austria. This is the man, called by his ene- mies “the new Michiavelll,” by his friends “the modern St. Francis,” but recognized by all as the savior of the Austrian republi “What,” 1 asked, “is the secret of Austria’s political stability?"” “The middle classes,” Dr. Seipel re- plied promptly. “To you, as an out- sider, it may seem strange that while Germany and Hungary had their days of communism and now their threats of monarchism, Austria, the former seat of the Hapsburg empire, has been spared a revolution. This is due entirely to the Austrian middle classes, which have held their ground and not permitted themselves to be coerced by extremists of either side. e are now enjoying for the fourth year a middle class majority in the National Council, with its accompany- ing middle class government. “Fortunately, also, Austria has no such wide gap between the upper and lower classes as exists in many countries. The Christian Socialist party, the largest In the National Council, of which I myself am a mem- ber, rejects the idea of class war and endeavors to reconcile the differences between the rich and poor by a sensi- ble social policy. Of course the oppo- sition, or Social Democratic party, has been sometimes moderate, some- times radical, according to the inter- nal evolution of the party. But the important thing is that the middle classes have grown,stronger despite the opposition.” Moderates Win. The chancellor referred to the re: cent elections, in which his own party, the Christian Soclalists, had gained a safe working majority over the Social Democrats. “These middle classes,” he contia- ued, “are the people with fixed .h- |sional people been able | Vienna's old cultural | ma1 Attributes Nation’: Control by Classes. are made up of professors and doé tors and lawyers and artists and writers and opera singers, who some- how or other clung to their work and, most marvelously of all, to theis sense of right and wrong. The knew the futility of revolutfon. Even with their stomachs ecmpty they remembered its futility. It le them that we have to thank for onr political stability.” “Have these artists and profes- to restors leadership in central Europe?’ ‘“Yes,” replied the chancellor, look- ing over the horn-rimmed spectacles which perched quizzically upon his large Roman nose, “I suppose you recall that only two years ago Vienna was known as a ‘dead city.' Today it is one of my greatest satisfactions to be able to see Vienna a city full of life, magnificent in its contribu- tion to every field of human culture. The sclences—especially our old med- ical school—are beginning ko flourish. in spite of their restricted resources. Students from all over the east and southeast are coming to study here in larger numbers than ever before. In the arts, music in particular, we have reached our former position, if not passed it. Our musiclans are in- vited everywhere, and at this mo- ment negotiations are in progress concerning a season in London for a part of our operatic company. Finally. our picture galleries! Ah! You do not know how many treasures of beauty, collected during the centuries, are cherished in our museums.” Austria’s Present Needs. “What remains Austria's most sential need in her present work of reconstruction?" I asked. “Additional loans of foreign capi - tal and free natural trade with our neighbors,” was his careful reply. “During the negotiations in Geneva, out of which arose the Austrian re- construction loan, the league experts decided that we could not be perma- nently reconstructed by the mere grant of an international loan. They expressly pointed out that simul- taneously with the restoration of state finances there must take place a re-establishment of our industrial system. ‘This same necessity was pointed out by several speakers in the French Chamber before the rati- fication of the Geneva convention. “Now. in order that our industry may become completely sound and normal we must have. first of all foreign capital. We need capital to replace the machinery which has be- come out of date or has rusted away in our factories, We need it to de- velop our water power and thereby render us independent of expensive coal supplies which we now import Finally, we require foreign capital to restock our farms, fertilize our crops and bring back our run-down agriculture to pre-war standards. “By strengthening our industri Dr. Seipel went on rapidly, “w | should be able to create fresh capital in the country. Provided, that one other factor favorable. And that is our second important requirement—freer trade and a nor- exchange of goods, especially with our neighbors whose territory together with ours, formed a single economic unit until the treaty of St Germain shattered its unity with a multiplicity of new frontiers Capital Coming In. nce the stabilization krone—that is, since the nations loan—an influx of capital to Austria has in fact begun. We look. however, for its vigorous con tinuation, and we are convinced that foreign capital in our country can do business just as safely as it is profitable—and we wish it. Our com- merce has improved and the m serious restrictions at the new fron- tiers have ceased, partly through our indefatigable initiative. But even in this fleld much still remains to be done. 1 hope that in the future every American dollar invested in central Europe will be accompanied by the exhortation: ‘Make trade frec from every restriction and promote your own welfare by eliminating political distrust and commercial jealousy from your dealings with your neigh- bors.’ " “Does Austria still desire union with Germany?' was my final ques- tion. ’ “Our relations with Germany,” re- plied the chancellor, “are determined only by a single overwhelming fecl- ing. We have the deepest sympathy for the misfortune of our great sister people and we are endeavoring, ac- cording to our weak powers, to afford help to the needy. The majority of Austrians take full account, however of the fact that if we had accom- plished our union with Germany a few years ago it. would have been « blessing neither for us nor for Ger- many. Weatl; f.{:é;ds Are Used in Court Uncle Sam's weather bureau is fre- quently called upon to settle ques- tions in court. The records of the weather bureau have been used as the highest authority in a wide va- riety of cases. An unusual instance of tews kind occurred when a motor cyclist collided with a work team and farm wagon in broad daylight on an unpa--~d roadway. He very narrowly escaped the final summons and repined in the state mental hospital for some monthe because of an aberration re- sulting from the accident. But he subsequently knew enough to enter the courts armed with weather ree- ords to prove that heavy rains prior to the collision had muddied the road, which became deeply rutted, prevent- ing his turning aside for the team Being in the right-hand path. it was decided that he had a legal right of course, is of th league of ca comes, who suffered most during tha starvation days here In Vienna. They expect the teamsfer t teamster's memory was that the roa Was smooth. 9ea