The German Government.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18916, 3 February 1927, Page 8

The German Government.

A cable printed yesterday morning indicated that the deadlock over the formation ol' :i Cabinet in Germany had come to an end, the National Party having agreed to drop Dr. Gracl" as a candidate for a Ministerial post. Unfortunately the cables do not give much information concerning the general political situation, which is distinctly interesting. The collapse of the previous Government was foreseen some months ago, and in powerful financial and industrial circles it was hoped that the new Government would be a swing towards the Democrats and Socialists of the Left, rather than towards the Nationals of the right. The industrialists and the middle classes of Germany are, generally speaking, supporters of the Republic, not necessarily from abstract political motives, but because they believe it means stability. The National Party are uncertain in their altitude to the Republican constitution, and it is felt that any considerable gain in power on their part would be disturbing, both at home and abroad. However, when the recent session of the Reichstag oponcd, a split developed between the People's Party and the Socialists over the Reiehswehr controversy and also over n Government Bill for the regulation of hours and wages. The Nationals took advantage of this breach between the moderate parties to precipitato a crisis, believing earnestly that when it came to forming a Cabinet they would be in a powerful position. It was merely another example of the anomalies that result from the group system in politics. President Hindenburg's highly unusual action in blocking the appointment of Dr. Graef as Minister for thQ Interior because o£ his record as an irreconcilable Monarchist can only mean that he known tho Nationals have no large backing in the country. Public opinion, though inarticulate, has scored a victory over political opportunism. The Nationals hold a stronger place in the new Cabinet than in the last, but it is evident that there are definite limits to what they can accomplish. In other words, the whole incident is a promising indication of the growth of moderate opinion; it discounts wild talk about a Monarchist revolution and ensures that there will bo no sudden departure from Dr. Stresemann's Locarno policy.