CAMPAIGN OPENED

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 49, 27 August 1934, Page 9

CAMPAIGN OPENED

PRIOR TO PLEBISCITE

HITLER HAILED BY CROWD

CATHOLIC ATTITUDE

United Press Association—By Electric Tele-

graph—Copyright. (Received August 27, 1 p.m.) BERLIN, August 26.

Half a million Nazis at Ehrenbreitstein, conveyed from Germany by special trains and cars, tumultuously greeted Herr Hitler on his arrival, accompanied by Dr. Goebbels and diplomats, in order to launch the Saar plebiscite campaign.

Herr Hitler, adopting a pacificatory tone throughout a half-hour's speech, promised the Saar Germans that the Fatherland would receive them back as home-comers and forget the past.

Ten thousand carrier pigeons ware released at the termination of the proceedings, prior to -which messages of loyalty to the Saar were brought by 140,000 relay runners from all parts of Germany and handed to Hitler. One from the Rugen Island was taken by swimmers across the sound and another from the Sugspitze Mountain was passed from hand to hand by expert jnountaineers.

Seventy thousand Saarlanders attended an anti-Nazi demonstration at Salzbach, a Catholic priest joining the Socialists and Communists on the same platform in opposing union with Germany. The priest declared that 70 per cent of the Saarlanders were Catholics, and Catholicism could never be reconciled with Hitlerism.'

While he was speaking, several young Nazis mingled with the crowds and threw tear-gas bombs. The crowd attacked them and many police were needed to shepherd the interrupters away.

Catholic and Protestant services were held in the morning symbolical of the unity, Catholic priests participating in the Protestant services and vice versa. Herr Hitler said: "We have made a clear cut between politics and religion which the State will protect if it is not exploited politically.