Government forces, police troops and Heimwehr auxiliaries continued to mop up Socialist strongholds today. While heavy artillery firing, which pounded the municipal apartment houses into ruins has ceased, desuultory firing is still heard in various parts of the city, where small groups of Sociatists are still holding out against the troops. The Council of the Socialist Schutzboun, meeting in secret sessioin, issued orders of Scialists to attack Heimwehr men wherever found. The orders also mentioned acts of sabotage against punlic utilities and services. The situation in the provinces is obscure, although fighting seems to have ended there.
Rumors are current in Vienna that the assassiation Chancelor Dollfuss, Major Emil Fey and Prince von Starhemberg will be attempted. Other high government officials were also mentioned as targets for assasiantion plots.
A rift has developed between the Heimwehr and Christian Socialists, the Chancellor’s own party. Von Starhemberg, who delivered a funeral oration at the grave of one of the Heimwehr men, bitterly attacked the Christian Socialists, placing the blame for the bloody fighting squarely on their shoulders, because of their democratic tendencies.
The enraged clericais immedfately demaded that Dollfuss call the Austrian parliament into session. Parliament was dissolved more than a year ago. The clericals hold a majority in parliament, but the Heimwehr, with arms in hand, has demanded the abolition of parliment and dissolution of all political parties. Should the Chancellor follow the dictates of his own party, he faces possible accedes to the demand of the Heimwehr, it means a Fascist dictatorship in Austria.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
