Gang warfare in the U. S. is mostly pecuniary, seldom political. But in Germany in the past year more than 300 purely political murders have been done. Last week famed Adolf Hitler had trouble with his Gang.
Fascist Hitler does not want to become a political Al Capone. He much prefers his party (12,000,000 voters) to his Gang (150,000 "storm troops"). Abruptly last week he ordered the Gang to make no resistance of any kind to President Paul von Hindenburg's decree suppressing freedom of assembly, freedom of the press and free speech (TIME, April 6). When this order, telegraphed from Weimar, reached Storm Captain Walter Stennes in Berlin he passionately told his men: "This Hitler is a dishrag!"
Not long after, "Silver Tongued" Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbles, Hitler's political representative in Berlin, communicated to Storm Captain Stennes an order to dissolve his Praetorian Guard. Furious, the Captain remonstrated to Weimar, received this reply:
YOURS NOT TO REASON WHY. YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN A COMMAND. CARRY OUT ORDERS. THEN COME TO WEIMAR. ADOLF HITLER
Instead of obeying, Storm Captain Stennes and his "brown shirts" seized the only Hitler newsorgan in Berlin, Der Angriff, filled an entire edition with abuse of the owner,* sent it out headlined TRAITOR HITLER!
In a "Declaration of Revolt" Berlin's storm squad flayed "the scandalous double-dealing of Adolf Hitler who has been used to Habsburg methods [he is Austrian]. . . .
"We are fed up with being a football in the hands of an ambitious politician. . . . We are not fighting for parties and profiteers, but solely for Germany!"
Perhaps not profiteers but certainly wealthy men have supplied "Handsome Adolf" with the wherewithal to pay each member of his Gang eight marks per day ($1.90). When Storm Captain Stennes went to the Hitler bank in Berlin to cash a check for further storm funds a very mild but very firm cashier refused his check.
The tide seemed to turn when 500 Stennes stormers permitted 100 loyal Hitlerites to eject them from brownshirt headquarters. Hitler designated Storm Lieut. Col. Paul Schulz to assume command. Soon "Silver Tongued" Joseph Goebbles fired most of the editorial of Der Angriff, hired 100% Hitlerites.
Prudently, Adolf Hitler gave his Gang time to think things over. He set a date nine days distant after which any insubordinate gangster would be expelled from the ranks. Expelled last week, however, were Storm Captain Stennes and two aides. Glowering, they prepared to doff the swastika (armband Hitler emblem. See cut). But they also talked of founding a new party, said that storm commanders in Brandenburg. Pomerania. Mecklenburg and East Prussia had promised to join them.
Nine days will test these promises. Meanwhile pledges of loyalty to the Leader poured in upon Herr Hitler from storm commanders in southern, western and northern Germany—disloyalty being confined to the east. In Berlin astute, well-informed Councilor Goerke of the Prussian Political Police said:
"I do not credit reports that the Fascist movement is declining. I believe rather that it is on the increase."