Ha, Ha! Ha, Ha! Ha, Ha!!

Like a red cloak at a bullfight was the red morocco brief case which Chancellor Heinrich ("Iron Cross") Bruening carried ostentatiously under his arm last week as he entered the Reichstag to put his new Cabinet (TIME, April 7) to the test--a vote of confidence.

The case, everyone knew, contained a decree dissolving the Reichstag and ordering new elections. The decree was signed by the most potent name in Germany: HINDENBURG.

By opening the case, Chancellor Bruening could, under Article 48 of the German Constitution, make himself virtual dictator of the Reich for a period of three months which must pass before a new Reichstag could be elected and assembled. Crack! went the invisible Hindenburg whip and the Reichstag deputies in their confusion and buzzing excitement resembled an arena-full of balky bulls.

Then, for the second time in the eight years he has been a Deputy, Dr. Alfred Hugenberg took the rostrum. Germany's potent "Little Man in Blue" was in blue serge as usual. He is the Hearst, Paramount & Famous Lasky Corp. and Associated Press of Germany, a magnat and monopolist of propaganda who has bought the leadership of the Nationalist Party (reactionary, monarchist).

"Y-y-yesterday," began Dr. Hugenberg, stuttering less from stage frigh than from sheer lack of practice in public speaking, "Y-y-yesterday the Nationalist Party was resolved to unite with the forces opposing the present Government."

Jeered a Communist: "But that was yesterday!"

Dr. Hugenberg, disturbed and losing his place in his carefully prepared manuscript looked up, seemed not to realize that he was being jeered, and observed with complete political naivete: "Yes, that was yesterday."

The Reichstag burst into one vast German guffaw; but Dr. Hugenberg, strong in his basic potency, stood his ground like a magnat, and when silence came again read his speech to the end. He announced that overnight the Nationalist Party had reversed itself, would stand with the Cabinet.

This made it unnecessary for Chancellor Bruening to unlock his brief case. He put to vote a Communist and Socialist motion of noconfidence, defeated it by the smashing victory of 252 to 187.

In the Reichstag lobbies it was said that Dr. Hugenberg and the Big Business wing of his party had been forced to reverse overnight by the agrarian wing, made up of farmers and landed proprietors fanatically loyal to HINDENBURG. The victory of "Iron Cross" Bruening was thus purely a triumph for the President of the Republic.

In his ministerial declaration Dr. Bruening was annoyingly vague, promised in a general way to continue Germany's present foreign policy "unchanged," to promote the country's "economic health.'' He did not even mention these live political issues: 1) Shall Germany build a second "pocket battleship" like the famed Ersatz Preussen? (TIME, Nov. 26, 1928) 2) Along what lines will the Government administer the new Defense-of-the-Reich Act? (TIME, March 31) 3) What is to be done about Thuringia's Minister of Interior, redoubtable Dr. Frick, who continues to defy the central German Government about reactionary military organizations and such matters? 4) Along what lines does the Foreign Office propose to work out satisfactory commercial rapprochement with Poland on the basis of the new Polish-German Treaty?

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.