Evening Post. TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 1934. HELP FOR AUSTRIA

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 55, 6 March 1934, Page 6

Evening Post. TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 1934. HELP FOR AUSTRIA

"All is over except the hangings" is the brutal remark attributed to an unnamed Heimwehr leader as he surveyed the ruins in one of the work-ing-class quarters of Vienna more than a fortnight ago. The relativelysmall number of executions since reported may have disappointed him with his own party's moderation, but there are worse punishments than death. It was a year yesterday since the General Election, which put all Germany under the feel of the Nazis, and Heir Hitler is still able to boast of the small number of murders, either official or unofficial, by which, in comparison with other revolutions, the result has been achieved and maintained. But the peace which the Nazis have given to Germany is a peace enforced by an admirably organised system of cold-blooded and persistent terrorism, espionage, and persecution, compared with which the results of many a revolution that flared vp1 at first in a far more murderous upheaval of violence have been just and merciful. The fear which has often been excited before that Dr. Dollfuss is being forced by his Fascist allies into a painfully close imitation of the tactics of the Nazis whose politics both he and they detest is strengthened by one of today's reports. On February .19 the Austrian Government was reported to have decided "to make a clean sweep of the Socialists throughout the country," and though the implication of wholesale destruction" or imprisonment was negatived by the following words it was a very odious, disturbing, and characteristically Nazi form of retrospective persecution that those words suggested. "All persons holding public offices who secured their election through Socialist votes are to be dismissed." On the same day the Vienna correspondent of the "NewsChronicle" was quoted as forecasting the eclipse of Dr. Dollfuss as likely to be the chief- result of Austria's troubles. It is impossible, according to this authority, for any statesman to keep the peace in the Austrian cockpit with Dr. Dollfuss's backing. He has only 20 per cent, of the people with him. The rest are divided between Nazi-ism and Socialism. . . . The. workers, are declaring that they now support Hitler. On September 18 the Socialist Party had issued a manifesto declaring that "the working class was determined to defend Austria's independence against all attacks of Brown Fascism" (i.e.j the Nazis). Three days later Dr. Dollfuss reconstructed his Cabinet by a compromise with the Heimwehr, the Austrian Fascists. On January 15 the Socialists nevertheless made an offer to* Dr. Dollfuss's Christian Social Party for an alliance "in order to combat Nazi influence and Fascism in defence of Austrian independence." Within a month the Government had declared war on the Socialists, and the menace to Austria's independence appears to have been increased by its Pyrrhic victory. The further alienation of the workers is testified by the report to which we have referred. In one sense the source of today's report is the same as that of the earlier one from- which we have quoted. They both come from the London "News-Chronicle," but, whereas the earlier one was the work of its Vienna correspondent, the ascription of the second to its "special investigator" appears to indicate an independent origin. Nor is there any reason to suspect either of the correspondents of any bias other than the normal British bias in favour of freedom, fair play, and decency. Today's report on Austria bears so close a resemblance to those that were once coming daily from Berlin that none of Dr. Dollfuss's admirers would have regarded it as possible six months ago. Except that it makes no mention of the Jews, this report would, indeed, with the necessary change of names, fit very well the heyday of the Nazi persecution in Germany. Extreme brutality continues in most Austrian prisons, which are filled with 6000 Social Democrats, says the "Kews'Chronicle's" i investigator. Hundreds were beaten with rubber truncheons until they agreed to give evidence against their leaders at the approaching" trials. Others were bayoneted in underground cells. The details of the brutality with which the .searching of workers' homes was being conducted, including the terrorising of children and outrageous threats to women, are too hideous to contemplate. Unless this correspondent has been guilty of serious exaggeration, his diagnosis see.ms to be inevitable. He describes the workers as "joining the Nazis wholesale, many simply in a spirit of revenge, determined to be in at the death." But, even if this latest report from Vienna is confirmed to the hilt, it does not follow that other nations should pass by on the other side and leave Austria lo her fate—the fate of falling into the hands of Germany. Whr.ihcr the Government of Austria is Fascist or Christian Social or Socialist, and whether it is guilty.

jof some of the worst crimes of Nazi Germany or not, her independence is a matter of equal concern to the peace of Europe. It is not for Italy, France, and Britain or any of them lo dictate to Austria what her form of government is to be, but they are all concerned and the whole of Europe is concerned that the "anschluss" or alliance of Austria and Germany, which is forbidden by the Peace Treaty, shall not be enforced by Germany upon an unwilling Austria. On these two ipoints the three Powers are agreed. [Sir John Simon's declaration on February 13 that Britain has "no intention whatever of interfering in the internal affairs of another country," but at the same time recognises Austria's right lo demand that there shall be "no interference with her internal affairs from any other quarter" has been adopted by France and Italy as the basis of a common policy. This agreement was reached after the Austrian upheaval and not before, and Signor Mussolini, who had so long remained on the rail, was reported yesterday to be planning another great help to international security by a scheme for the economical restoration of the Danubian States, and probably giving both Austria and Hungary an outlet to the sea. Regardless of the merits or demerits of her Government, the interests of the world demand that Austria must be helped.. V