Fair or Foul

Fourteen of the 17 states and free cities in the German Republic filed protests last week against President Paul von Hindenburg's decree lifting the ban on Adolf Hitler's brown-shirted "Storm Troops" (TIME, June 27). In Munich, hot-headed Bavarians talked of remaking their Free State into a Bavarian Monarchy, restoring the House of Wittlesbach. Deposed Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria naturally tried to hasten the popular ferment, stopped just short of high treason to the German Republic.

"Bavaria must oppose the encroachments of Berlin!" barked the grizzled, ramrod-backed Prince to a throng of Bavarians who were once his father's subjects. "Bavaria must oppose all efforts to centralize the Fatherland. That is the Western and notably the French method! . . . The Empire of Bismarck was composed of allied states and therein rested its strength."

The Prince might talk and raise tumultuous cheers, but meanwhile Bavaria remained a Free State. Her Republican Premier, Dr. Heinrich Held, was busy with other state premiers last week, vowed to carry the cause of states' rights before the German Supreme Court at Leipzig.

Inevitably the puffing of Bavarian monarchists fanned a few German imperialist embers. Two thousand adherents of abdicated Kaiser Wilhelm II gathered at Dresden, were addressed by his daughter-in-law, ex-Crown Princess Cecilie. What she said did not amount to much but she joined in Hochs! and handclaps when General Bock von Wuelfingen went the whole hog, demanded the end of the German Republic and restoration of the House of Hohenzollern. Though this was certainly treason, Dresden police made nothing of it, stood about grinning, saluted ex-Crown Princess Cecilie when she went home.

Significance. Unquestionably the Fatherland was in ferment last week, the chief reason being that President von Hindenburg has called into being a Cabinet with no parliamentary majority, headed by Chancellor Lieut.-Colonel Franz von Papen (TIME, June 13). On July 31 Germans will elect a new Reichstag, chances being that the Fascists will emerge as the largest party but without a majority. In that unsatisfactory event the political deadlock would be so complete that a coup d'etat looms distinctly possible. Last week every faction--Monarchist, Fascist, Socialist, Communist--was watching cat-like for a chance to seize power by means fair or foul.

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