THE NEW PRUSSIA

Evening Star, Issue 19951, 22 August 1928, Page 4

THE NEW PRUSSIA

The quiet resumption of work by tlx; Prussian Diet and the undisputed return of the former Government Coalition consisting: of .Social Democrats, Democrats, and Homan Catholics, aft er the elections is regarded in Berlin as a remarkable demonstration of the stability of the political allairs and the deep-rooted support of the Republican regime in the Reich s largest Federal State. This becomes most apparent from ihe tact that the Premier of tin's Stale, Otto Braun, who is a, very capable member of the Social Democrat Party, has now been in office for eight years, with only lew slight intervals. Thus he eon Id say with great calm and perfect justification in Ins opening speech that the population of Prussia had endorsed the policy of the past Government by its vote, and that therefore there was no reason _ for a Government change. In fact, it now possesses a slight majority which it did not have before, and therefore should be firmly entrenched for the next four years unless it voluntarily takes the German People’s Party into ■'■its ranks at some later date. In these circninstances it will be in the position to continue to work methodically for the further republics nisnt ion of Prussia. The must remarkable- feature about thD uninterrupted reign of the Leftist Government, while many other States are ruled by the Rightists, is that it should occur precisely in that State which before the war had been born so-called “ Prussianism ” and was the seat of the Junkers. To-day it is the mainstay of the Republican and Democratic parliamentary ideas in the Reich. This was due solely to the attitude of its population, which, once given the unrestricted vote, showed that at the bottom of its heart it felt, and mavbe always lias felt, in a democratic way. This “wish of the majority was carried out in a remarkable manner by Otto Braun and Paul Severing, former Minister of Interior Affairs and his successor, Mr Grescinsky, both members of the Social Democratic Parly, who made Prussia a bulwark republic.