Foreign News Notes, Sep. 14, 1925

On Aug. 26, 1921, Matthias Erzberger, German Minister of Finance, was assassinated. All Germany was in ferment. The wearing of their uniforms in the street by former Army and Navy officers was declared to be inciting unrest. A few days later President Ebert issued a decree forbidding the wearing of uniforms by ex-officers.

Last week, four years and a few days after Erzberger's murder, President von Hindenburg issued another decree. It allowed ex-service men to wear their uniforms at all social celebrations and on patriotic or funeral occasions. The Reichstag had been debating such action, but von Hindenburg anticipated it. Nationalists rejoiced. Socialists exclaimed: "Such provocation!"

A Congress of foreign Germans met in Berlin. The meeting was opened by Foreign Minister Stresemann. The foreign Germans outnationalisted the nationalists at home. A plebiscite of all Germans throughout the world was demanded on the question of having the old monarchist flag replace the republican emblem. The confiscation of German property by the Allies was denounced. Germans everywhere were urged to propagandize against the "War-guilt lie."

With a loud voice, the executive committee of the third Internationale issued orders nine columns long to the German Communist Party: Frau Ruth Fischer, its leader, is to be deposed. Thus she follows Rosa Luxemburg* and Klara Zetkin† into limbo. The reason given for the Communist order was the growing ineffectiveness of the Communist movement in Germany. Ernst Thaelmann, former dockyard worker, was named in her place. He is a more "moderate" Communist than Frau Fischer. Dr. Hugo Eckener, veteran Zeppelin pilot, made a speech at Leipzig, appealing for funds to build a Zeppelin to make a flight to the North Pole. He announced that Roald Amundsen would not be invited to go along, since the German people still resent Amundsen's bitter anti-German spirit during the War.