The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 1926. STILL MONARCHIST.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 135, 9 June 1926, Page 6

The Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 1926. STILL MONARCHIST.

For the cause that lacks assistance, For the rcrong that needs resistance, For the future in the distance, And the good that tee can do.

When Field-Marshal Hindenburg was chosen President of Germany general fears were expressed that his election was the first step on the road to'the return of Kaiseiism, that he would =it in the Presidential chair to keep a firm hand upon ciny manifestation of Communism, and at the same time to give full play to the intrigues of.. the monarchists. The general course ol events in Germany, however, to some extent quieted these fears, and led to the belief that the Republic would have a fair chance of establishing itself without any direct attack from those placed in office to defend it. Hindenburg, in fact, maintained a perfectly correct and decorous attitude, expressing direct opposition to the aims of the Monarchists, and solemnly asserverating his support of the new Constitution, which he elated lie regarded as a permanency. Hindenburg was regarded outside German} , as a militarist who had brought peace to a distracted country. Hi 3 attack on the referendum upon the property of the Hohcnzollerns, however, shows that the old military spirit is still strong within him, and that his veneer of Republicanism is a very thin one. He may not have intended to disclose his hand so completely, but he has made his real position perfectly clear, much to the delight of the Monarchists and the chagrin of the Republicans. That the upholders of the new Constitution are numerically very strong is proved by the size of the petition for a referendum upon the property of the Kaiser and his family. Signatories to this petition favoured the absolute confiscation of all Hohenzollern property, including castles, ! lands, museums, and works of art, leaving Wilhelm sufficient to keep him in comfort for the rest of his life. Before a referendum could be taken ten million

signatories to the petition were necessary; within a few weeks of the opening of the campaign twelve millions had signed it, and the Reichstag, anxious as it obviously was to avoid the issue, was compelled to pass the bill for a referendum, to which the President so strongly objects.

Nothing more aptly illustrates the working of the old spirit in Germany and the strength of its old traditions than the persistence of the monarchist movement. No other nation in Europe would be prepared to give any consideration to a ruler who so basely deserted it in the hour of defeat. The cowardly and contemptible manner in which the ex-Kaiser fled across the frontier of Holland, with all the spoils and securities which he could obtain, caused absolute disgust and revulsion in the minds of all decent people, who regarded Wilhelm as one of the meanest and basest figures in history. Everything' he has done since has confirmed that estimate of his character, his intrigues to secure his return, his empty mockery of a court in his open prison of Doom, and, most of all, his determined efforts to wrest the last possible mark from the people he had left in the lurch. His claims, and those of the other deposed rulers, totalled £100,000,000, of which Wilhelm himself demanded £54,000,000. The Radical section of Germany contended that all the property had been legally confiscated and that no compensation should be paid. Then the Hohenzollerns offered to accept £1,500,000 in cash and undisputed title to 250,000 acres of land and all their castles, hunting lodges and other estates. This announcement was followed by two proposals in the Reichstag, the Democrats seeking to empower each State to offer 12$ per cent of valuation, the Communists seeking to confiscate without compensation. While these rival suggestions were under consideration the referendum was called for, and the manner in which it has been received is clear proof that, though the militarists may not have the majority, they are a considerable and

unrepentant body, prepared to snatch power by any possible means. The dieclosures make it clear that her neighbours must keep a close watch upon Germany and be ready to step in to prevent her achieving such war preparedness as she possessed in 1914. Not for at least two decades will the permanency of the Republic be assured.