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Puffing a menthol-cooled cigaret, Prince August Wilhelm von Hohenzollern, fourth son of Wilhelm II, sat in the Visitors' Gallery of the German Reichstag one day last week calmly enjoying a scene of such absolute bedlam, such screeching pandemonium that his smoking passed unchallenged by the ushers.

This prince is the Hohenzollern member of Adolf Hitler's rampant National Socialist, "Nazi" or Fascist Party. Last week the publishers of Berlin's potent Tageblatt charged (in one of their smaller papers, 8-Uhr Abendblatt) that August Wilhelm is the "Paymaster" through whom Wilhelm of Doom has contributed "large sums" to the "Nazi" war-chest. If indeed the onetime All Highest stands financially back of Trouble Maker Hitler, certainly last week Wilhelm II got his money's worth.

"Oi! Oi! Kikeriki!" "Comrades!" roared Communist Deputy Ernst Torgler as the Reichstag convened, "Do you know that working men are being clubbed to the ground outside this building? Donner und Blitz! What a way for this Reichstag to open!" In mass formation, with military tread, eyes front, the 107 new Fascist Deputies entered the Reichstag. When it last met they numbered twelve. Flushed with their great election victory (TIME, Sept. 22) they marched in coatless, each swelling out his Fascist "brown shirt," each flaunting the Fascist swastika on his left arm, each in khaki flare-pants, swank black leather boots--all proud that they had flagrantly, successfully broken the Prussian State ordinance forbidding "public appearance in political costume." Saluting the Reichstag and each other, the Browns roared: "Hail, Hitler! Wake up Germany! Down with the Young Plan." Bellowed back the Communist Deputies (who had threatened but failed to come in red shirts): "Hold the Red Front! Down with Hitler! Down with the Young Plan!" In this last cheer virtually the entire Reichstag was willing to join. There were times when everyone seemed to be yelling, "Down with the Young Plan!" but far from every yell was worth a vote.

"Is there anybody older than I in this house?" suddenly shrilled 82-year-old Deputy Karl Herold above the tumult, "I was born in 1848! Anybody older than I? Anybody?" "Nein!" rumbled the Reichstag with one mighty voice, and, as custom decrees, the oldest Deputy took the chair prior to election of a regular President, began quaveringly to call the roll.

"Herr Bruning?" "Here!" answered Chancellor Heinrich Briining, while Communists yelled, "Hunger Dictator! Not one more day of Bruning in this place!" Amid all sorts of bedlam the roll call continued, reached "Herr Dr. Lowen-stein?" "Oi, oi, oi!" jeered the Fascists, repeated this noise every time a Jewish name was called.

At women's names the Brown Shirts crowed. "Kikeriki! Kikeriki! Kikeriki!" --German equivalent to Cockadoodle-doo! (Fascists both German and Italian, hold that womgn are respectworthy as hens, jeerworthy when by entering politics they try t0 be roosters.) On tlie first day of the Reichstag session absolutely nothing was done except to call and jeer the roll.

Down to Business. That Germany, despite all the yelling, is not yet dominated by extremist parties (Communists and Fascists) was proved next day when Paul Lobe, Socialist, was re-elected President (speaker) of the Reichstag for the tenth consecutive year.

This singularly useful man, 54. tortoise-spectacled, cheerful, bristling-haired and bland, is the editor of Volkswacht, Socialist newsorgan of Breslau. He is re-elected every year because the President is always, by custom, a member of the largest party which, in Germany, is always the Socialists. But last week the Fascists, having risen from ninth to second party, captured the vice-presidency of the Reichstag for the first time, whooped in their Franz Stohr.

Smart Br uening. Actual Reichstag work of the week began when Chancellor Bruning, pale but determined, started to read his Cabinet's declaration of policy, kept on for 40 minutes, often drowned out completely by savage Red and Brown howls. Listening in the Diplomatic Gal lery, owlish, expressionless as wax, sat Prince Takamatsu-no-miya* of Japan, honeymooning brother of the "Son of Heaven," bespectacled Emperor Hirohito.

Decidedly no fool, Chancellor Bruning trimmed his talk to the new mood of the German people, the mood that made them cast over 6,000,000 votes for the party of Austrian-born Adolf Hitler, a man who cannot be elected to the Reichstag because he is not a German citizen. As nearly as he could, Herr Bruening promised by implication to try to obtain for Germany the chief things which Herr Hitler has told the people he positively will obtain if they give him sufficient votes: 1). Greatest possible reduction in Repa rations payments, which the madcap Brown Shirts "promise" to repudiate and thus reduce to nil.

2). Swiftest possible restoration of Germany to prosperity at home and to her pre-War parity with other Great Powers.

Cheerful Groans. Not daring to sug gest that Germany will ask for the emergency moratorium provided in the Young Plan, Herr Bruning hinted that circumstances may force the Allies to grant it.

"The authors of the Young Plan," he said, "clearly foresaw that Germany's ability to pay reparations depended decisively on the expansion of world commerce and the stability of international finance. . . . [But] the general economic situation in Germany and the rest of the world has grown worse from month to month." Revise Versailles! Revision of the hated Treaty of Versailles is the trump Fascist "promise." To take this trump with a joker Herr Bruning gave Germans plainly to understand that he, though bound as Chancellor to act with caution, is as anxious at heart as any fiery Fascist to tear up the Treaty of Versailles, will seek revision by every possible means.

The Treaty and the way the victors have administered it, he said, "incenses our people, and especially our Youth!" "The maintenance of Germany's armed forces," he added, "is the Reichstag's most important task. . . . Germany must recover her freedom!" [Widespread cheering, fierce Fascist cries of "Curtius must be imprisoned in a fortress!"--] Battle of Ballots. Result of the Chancellor's "fighting speech" was to consolidate and fire with new loyalty the Centrist-Socialist parties group which he leads --notwithstanding that the speech contained a qualifying statement that Germany will advance toward her aims ''solely along the path of Peace." Momentarily Herr Bruning had stolen Fascist thunder. Masterfully he pressed his advantage, maneuvered for a quick vote of confidence on a motion to adjourn the Reichstag for six weeks. Such a move would have been madness earlier in the week. But today was today. By a vote of 323 to 236 the Reichstag rejected Communist and Fascist motions censuring the Government. Next by a vote of 325 to 237 Herr Bruening was given a free hand with his budget-balancing program which involves a new $125,000,000 foreign loan (TIME, Oct. 13). Then came a setback. Amid extremist whoops the Reichstag voted 395 to 147 an amnesty to all political prisoners who have not actually attacked a member of the Government.

Midnight had struck. In the small hours the Chancellor tempted Fate, moved for a vote of confidence on adjournment. Yells, pounding on desk tops, wild minutes when every party in the Reichstag seemed to be bellowing at every other party: "Swine! . . . Grafters! . . . Liars! . . . Traitors! . . .

Apes! . . . Cockroaches!" ended in a vote of 318 to 236. The Government had won by a triumphal majority of 82! Once again, Heinrich ("Iron Cross") Bruning was virtual Dictator of Germany, able to put through his policy of drastic fiscal retrenchment under a series of decrees signed by his patron, the man who made him, Old Paul von Hindenburg--until the Reichstag meets again Dec. 3rd.

*In Frankfort some evenings later the "Son of Heaven's" brother attended a Negro opera, Mahogany, rushed hastily into the street when objectors to this blackamoor performance broke it up with stink bombs. --Foreign Minister Dr. Julius Curtius is famed for continuing the late, great Dr. Gustav Strese-mann's "line" or policy of peaceful co-operation with France.

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