DR. DOLLFUSS

Hokitika Guardian, 3 May 1934, Page 8

DR. DOLLFUSS

AUSTRIA’S ‘TINY. MAN. WITH BIG PLAN FOR, NATION ; He is an inch under rive feet in height and n pound under-nine stone in. weight. His name is Englebert iPollfuss, (Chancellor of Austria, but poTjeital was (for whom urbane Austria is famous) call him “Millimetternich,” •which neatly sums up his combination of midget, physical r . stature with the (political astuteness of his celebrated predecessor in the same office, Prince ’Metternich.

He dresses very neatly, but, as be-: comes a great representative of the peasantry, his-clothes suggest the soil rather than the rostrum. He is an. ardent. Catholic. Every morning before proceeding to the same large bright office that Metternich used so long ago, he prays -for half an hour. His religion is part of the man— Jt is, inf used, curiously enough, with something of the selfless devotion, the sense of direct- inspiration ‘from the Deity, that characterised t sucl» Protestant. leaders as Calvin. He is always talking about his “conscience” — particularly in political speeches.. Like a Calvinist, too, he never prepares a speech—he rarely uses notes, and is never at a loss for words. His Origins. Dollfuss was born in 1892 of peasant parentage. 'He graduated in law from the Vienna. Law School, and studied 'National Economy i n Berlin. When the war broke out he joined the Tyrolean Alpinists. He served over three montns iat the front on active service, and won a string of decorations which resulted in his attaining the rank of First Lieutenant—a very' remarkable achievement for a peasant • • lad in the intensely artistrocratic army of Franz Josef.

For months at a time, with an inadequate force, .for instance, he held a tiny valley against the Italian advance—a valley .now palled by the na-‘ tives Dollfussthal, or vDullfuss’ V-al-Tey. When the war ended iDollfuss be- • came Secretary rof the Lower ..Austrian ’Farmers’ League, and organised a faiqners’ co-operate trade-union, which iater became one of the country’s most important political parties. In 1930 the farmers elected him to the ' State' , ; Railway Board, a crucial position, (bemuse railways are of immense importance to farmers in mountainous Austria. In the same year he became president of the Federal Railways. ''' 1 1 v ,In 1932 at the age of 39, when-the Government fell, Dollfuss was invited ,to- -.form b Government. He did not make air immediate reply. He, i,yent; ; ihsteh'd, to his favourite church arid spent'tlie entire night in prayer. .'Next- morning lie went home, bathed, shaved, ate a steaming bowl of his 'favourite potato soup with whipped ‘cream—and-%‘ccepted the offer. He has been Chancellor ever since.

Against Nazis. Ho took office as an utterly determined opponent of the Nazis. He believed and believes -still, in- the .-basic importance of maintaining Austria’s independence v-of. -Germany. This, does not mean that he is entirely out of sympathy .with the 'actual -aims of the Nazis. He hates .Socialism He believes that the Socialist Government /that controlled .Vienna 'for 14; ■years was disastrous both to the city arid the country.;

His, actions in .the recent .outbreak i n ; Aristria are proof - enough. of that. Aim-he has as little respect , for Parliamentary democracy as has -Hitler, or, - for the matter of that, .as has Mussolini or Stalin. .But as .a .Chris-, tian-herhns .se.t'his face. against-treat-ing the .Nazis ..as* they treat their op.ponents, ..t-lrat -is, .with r terrorist .raids, barbed .wire ..concentration camps, and so on. (He pll 'not tolerate open antiSemitism, but, through his Minister for Defence, he issued last year an order that a crucifix be hung in every room of-everv military barrack, , and a picture of The Virgin be embroidered, painted, or printed on all regimental flags. He has Iris . own ideas upon the manner in which the Austrian State is 'to be built—and Thev are not German ideas. In a speech last September he. said: “The old Parliament with the old •'leaders is gone, ‘never to retui.ii. The period, of Socialist misrule is over. We will •build up a Catholic- State which, will be thoroughly .Austrian upo n a co-oner a hive absis. It will be an a,u-. thori.tarian State, based on ao-onera-•tioiis formed on occupational bnes, imi .we decline ' co-ordination or ter-

orism.”