Hitler Initiates Saar Campaign

Without once mentioning by name the world Jewish conference which closed late last week at Geneva, Reichsfuehrer Adolf Hitler today severely arraigned German refugees who, he declared, had “ruined Germany and today are saying that Germany is a wretched country.”

The Reichsfuehrer addressed an audience estimated at 300,000, who had gathered from every section of Germany to hear Hitler’s oratorical effort in the campaign to win the Saar valley for Germany in the plebiscite to be held next January.

Once more he defied the enemies of Germany, saying that the German refugees are working with an “international clique and are attempting to make the world believe that the boycott will force us to change our policies. But they don’t know us. The boycott is ineffectual and will never cause us to capitulate.”

At the same time, in order to win Saar Catholic votes in the plebiscite, Hitler declared that “National Socialism stands on the basis of a positive Christianity and is not a revolt against religion. Our movement does not interfere with religious liberty, but we do separate religion from politics.”

Speaking from the balcony of the historic Rhine fortress, Reichsfuehrer Hitler characterized the Saar as the “greatest problem which separates Germany and France.” He declared he was certain that common ties of ### and kinship would lead to the #toration of the Saar to Germany.

EXPRESSES PEASE HOPES

The entire speech was {SPAN}###tory{/SPAN} in nature and was {SPAN}ob###{/SPAN} for foreign consumption {SPAN}###{/SPAN} stressed the pacific nature of the Third Reich and gave instances of the progress Germany had made under him as the best assurance that Germany desired peace.

The speech was broadcast over a nationwide hookup to every part of Germany. As is customary, the Propaganda Ministry made arrangements to insure that the speech would reach the widest possible audience. Loud speakers were installed in all cities, towns and villages and the owners of radios were told to permit their less fortunate neighbors to listen to the “keynote” speech in the Saar election campaign.

Hundreds of special trains, thousands of automobiles and numberless bicycles poured multitudes of Germans into the Rhine valley region around Coblenz, which was once occupied by American troops. At the same time over 100,000 athletes in a spectacular demonstration came running in, bringing messages of solidarity with the Saar valley inhabitants from every city in Germany.

WANTS SAAR BADLY

The Saar valley, rich industrial region taken away from Germany by the Treaty of Versailles, will vote on January 13, 1935, whether to return to Germany, be annexed to France or to continue under the rule of the League of Nations commission, now exercising ruling powers in the Saar.

Since the Nazis came into power every effort has been exerted to swing the Saar inhabitants into line and the Nazi government announced that it would never relinquish the Saar. Vice-Chancellor Franz von Papen, now German Minister to Austria, has been Nazi Commissioner for the Saar.

JEWS WILL BE “PROTECTED”

Up to the time of the June 30 “purge” a German victory in the Saar was held to be inevitable, but since then sentiment has changed appreciably and the Nazis have redoubled their efforts to make sure of victory.

The Saar is overwhelmingly Catholic and has a strong Socialist and radical movement. In addition there are close to 10,000 Jews in the Saar Valley. The Hitler government has even made an attempt to reach the Jews. Late last year von Papen declared in a speech that Saar Jews would be protected in case Germany won out in the plebiscite.

Recently the League Saar commission asked the League for permission to recruit 2,000 additional police from outside the Saar, declaring that the regular Saar police were almost completely under the influence of the Nazi secret police. The commission expressed the fear that without additional police the plebiscite could not be held freely.