GERMANY: Regime of Dictators

The German Government has long warned the French that if they continued to occupy the Ruhr the Reich would become a prey to Bolshevism. The French Government always looked upon such an eventuality as a bugaboo. The German Government also said that they could not halt passive resistance, because public opinion was too strong. The French said: "Stop resisting before talking." The German Government ordered passive resistance to stop and in the place of Bolshevism there have arisen two dictators, one for Bavaria and the other for the Reich.

Bavarian Dictator. Herr Doktor von Kahr, Minister President of Bavaria in 1921, was unanimously elected General Commissioner for Bavaria by the Ministerial Council. Herr Doktor von Knilling remained in name Minister President of Bavaria, but he is subservient to Doktor von Kahr in power and importance.

His Powers. The powers conferred upon General Comissioner von Kahr vested him with authority to call troops and to use troops, to arrest whom he chooses, to keep prisoners in jail without trial, to seize the property of persons declared to be enemies of the nation. The German Constitution was suspended as far as Bavaria was concerned—laws definitely suspended were: freedom of speech, press, assembly, telephone; secrecy of mail; secrecy and sanctity of person, dwelling and property. Habeas corpus was declared abolished.

Why Appointed. Late in August Chancellor Stresemann traveled to Munich to confer with Minister President von Knilling on the cessation of the passivierwiderstand. Dr. von Knilling unwillingly agreed to back the Federal Government but protested that the cessation of passive resistance should be a question for the Reich to settle and not a subject of discussion with the French and Belgians. In the meantime the Hitler Guards openly condemned German capitulation in the Ruhr and their leader, Adolph Hitler, ordered "grand maneuvers." Dr. von Knilling seemed unable or unwilling to curb the temper of the Hitlerites, whose audacity knew no bounds. The Government Party became alarmed and the Ministerial Council elected Dr. von Kahr as Dictator.