Nazis Here Act to Boss Voters

Organized Nazidom in this city revealed its intention of making a determined bid for municipal, state and federal political power yesterday, when the German-American Conference of Greater New York made public the formation of a committee whose avowed purpose will be to tell the organization’s members how to vote.

“We are interested,” said Dr-Louis A. Ewald, the new committee’s chairman, “in good government and clean politics. We are ready to endorse candidates, irrespective of party, whom we consider the ablest and best men to further these policies. Our political committee was formed from the ranks of our large representative organization to guide the voters toward this end.”

DISCLAIM NAZI TAINT

Metropolitan newspapers accepted Ewald’s glib declaration that the movement is entirely non-Nazi in character; that there will be no effort at retaliation against anti-Nazi office holders; and that neither the Friends of New Germany nor the recently organized German – American Independence League are members of the conference.

In the face of Ewald’s allegation of freedom from the Nazi taint, his committee contains among its members Dr. Herbert Schnuch, national president of the Friends of New Germany, and C. K. Froehlich, president of the DAWA, the anti-Jewish boycott organization. Others in the group are Dr. Alfons Richter, Konrad Hasslinger and John H. Werdermann.

SOLD OUT TO NAZIS

As for Ewald’s claim that the German-American Conference is not a Nazi organization, the following excerpt is reprinted from the news columns of the Jewish Daily Bulletin of last May 27:

“In a dramatic, secret meeting held Friday night…the German-American Conference, which controls all major German-American groups in Greater New York, sold out lock, stock and barrel to the Nazis.

“Victor Ridder, noted liberal publisher, who had fought valiantly against the inevitable Hitlerization of the society, failed to stem the Nazi tide and was forced to relinquish the presidency of the powerful group.

“In his stead was elected C. K. Froehlich, who is president of the DAWA…and also leader of the United German Societies.”

Ewald, a surgeon, who resides at 65 East Seventy-seventh street, is an active Republican and a brother of former Magistrate George F. Ewald, one of the targets of the Seabury investigation.

He made it clear, in a statement to the press, that his committee will swing into action immediately and will bring pressure to bear on its members—whom it numbers at 200,000, belonging to about 1,500 associations—to begin their goosestep balloting at the impending November elections.

Students of political affairs have long been expecting that New York and American Nazidom would form an alliance designed to make the Hitlerite forces felt at the polls, so that the action made public yesterday came as no surprise.

TO WORK WITH STEUBEN

Some friction between the German-American Conference and the Steuben Society was indicated at a recent meeting of the conference, when Froehlich denied reports that the society had officially or otherwise become his organization’s political mouthpiece. He pointed out at that time that the conference was planning to operate as an independent political influence.

In announcing formation of his committee, Ewald declared, however, that it would attempt to work in harmony with the Steuben group.

“This movement,” he said, “is independent of any particular party. A great majority of the German – American citizens feel that they should have a closer interest and more representation in our local, state and national government. Our people are all 100 per cent Americans and represent more than twenty per cent of the voters of the city and state….

“We are vitally interested in clean, efficient government for our city, our state and nation, and will work in harmony with all good citizens, irrespective of creed or nationality, who are interested in this cause.”