News of the Week
PRLIAA MENTARY Government in Germany is struggling for its life, with Herr Hitler and his 230 National-Socialist deputies as its most formidable champions. That is not as surprising as it looks, in spite of Herr Hitler's wild words, for the Nazi leader's claims to office rest, after all, on the success of his candi- dates at the last election, and it would be patently illogical in the light of that to support a theory and practice of government that would make all such elections futile. No better example of Nazi discipline has been forthcoming than the rigid silence in which the 230 deputies listened to the inflammatory utterance in which the aged Communist, Klara Zetkin, declared the Reichstag open. The Government was to be given no excuse for declaring the Parliamentary system unworkable, and it has, in fact, been given none. A leading Nazi, Captain Goering, was elected President of the Chamber in due and proper form, with the support of Dr. Briining's Centre Party, and an indefinite adjournment was then agreed to, so that no immediate clash with the Govern- ment is possible. The new President and Vice-Presidents of the Reichstag will meanwhile endeavour to persuade Marshal von Hindenburg that no possible excuse exists for the exercise of the powers of dissolution with which he entrusted the Chancellor, Herr von Papen, at the interview which took place between Ministers and Reichspresident on Tuesday.
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