Mother's Helper

Fortnight ago Ernst Riidiger Prince von Starhemberg, 37, was Vice Chancellor of Austria, leader of the potent Heimwehr, friend of Benito Mussolini and, to a great extent, dictator of his trouble-tossed little country. Last week the same young man was ignominiously booted out as Vice Chancellor, his private army was ordered disbanded and he lost the leadership of the Fatherland Front. Angry and vengeful at this sudden turn of affairs, he went to the Vienna South Station, entrained for Rome. Scarcely had his train pulled out than the final insult fell: by order of bespectacled Federal Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg the swashbuckling Prince was made Patron of the Fatherland Front's Mother's Help Section.

The rivalry between Militarist Starhemberg and Civilian Schuschnigg reached a near climax with the Prince's attempt to wreck the Chancellor's Cabinet through the Phoenix-Wien insurance scandal (TIME, April 20, et seq.). Politically it was a squib. More serious trouble occurred fortnight ago when Chancellor von Schuschnigg's own private army, the Catholic Freiheitsbund. staged an anti-Semitic march around the Ringstrasse. Word leaked out that Heimwehrmen, in civilian clothes, had been told off to break the parade up with rioting when it reached the Heldenplatz. Scrawny Chancellor von Schuschnigg promptly showed a personal courage few knew he possessed. He led the parade himself. Even so, Heimwehr-men followed instructions, threw rocks, howled "Pfni Schuschnigg! R-r-r-r-aus mit ihm! Hang Schuschnigg!" Three people were stabbed. Mounted, police swept up 70 cursing Heimwehrmen.

. Starhemberg secured the release of all the arrested Heimwehrmen by nightfall. Then last week came his chance to strike back. Cocky Prince von Starhemberg, on his own authority, sent off a telegram to Benito Mussolini in honor of Italy's conquest of Ethiopia:

"Realizing that we are closely tied to Fascist Italy and in heartfelt delight at your Excellency's and Fascist Italy's glorious victory, I congratulate you with my whole heart on the great triumph of Italian Fascist arms over barbarism and over democratic dishonesty and hypocrisy."

This exuberant telegram with its gratuitous sneers at democracy was possibly the stupidest move of that young man's none too thoughtful career. Hardly was it off the wires than the British and French Ambassadors came rushing round with angry protests. Kurt von Schuschnigg acted quickly, knowing that he had the support of the Catholic Church and the regular army to back him against Heimwehr and Nazi alike.

Schuschnigg called a midnight Cabinet meeting, announced that he had handed the resignations of the entire Government to President Miklas, had been authorized immediately to form another. In its makeup Dr. von Schuschnigg took for himself not only the Chancellorship but also the portfolios of Foreign Affairs and War. New Vice Chancellor was a Starhemberg subordinate, Minister for the Interior Eduard Baar von Baarenfels, who was also named Commander of Starhemberg's technically disbanded Heimwehr. For Vice Commander of the Vienna Heimwehr Chancellor Schuschnigg passed over the-fawning application of Major Emil Fey and picked Baron Alfonse de Kloss whose wife is a cousin of Archduke Otto, Habsburg Pretender to the throne of Austria.

Startling counter-gesture toward the Left was the appointment of. that convinced Democrat. Dr. Josef Resch, as Minister of Social Welfare, the post he held for years in the Social Democratic era.

"With full consciousness of my responsibility and in memory of the late Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss, I herewith take over national leadership of the Fatherland Front," proclaimed Chancellor von Schuschnigg. "Rivalries between private armies must end once and for all. The regular reserve force will be the militia and all forces outside of this will not be allowed to be armed. We intend to follow a more democratic line and bring the nation's workers into our councils. The previous foreign policy of the Government will be continued."

Prince von Starhemberg went hot-footing off to Rome, officially to attend a soccer match, actually to yell for help from Benito Mussolini. On the station platform he remained full of fight:

"The real contest is just starting. All my life I have been a fighter, and Austria will see that I am not licked now. When I said recently that my Heimwehr would be pushed out of the picture only over my dead body, I meant just that."

What all Austria, what all Europe wanted to know was who had suddenly stiffened Kurt von Schuschnigg's backbone. Aristocratic Prince von Starhemberg ran through the last of his private fortune years ago in outfitting his private army. It is an open secret in Vienna that at least since 1934 Heimwehr bills have been footed by Benito Mussolini. Sanctions and the Ethiopian enterprise may or may not have dealt a bodyblow to Italian finance but they did certainly cut off the Heimwehr's pay checks from Italy several months ago.

In Rome Prince von Starhemberg was left cooling his heels in II Duce's outer office for hours, was finally given a brief interview, emerged with his ears tingling. Benito Mussolini had already sent a polite telegram to Chancellor von Schuschnigg: "I desire to confirm to you my definitely friendly sentiments in formulating sincere best wishes for the continuance and success of your work, assuring you that faithfulness to the protocols of Rome, reaffirmed by your Excellency, remain one of the cornerstones of the policy of Fascist Italy."

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