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Significance. Everything thus continues to depend on the life of 85-year-old Paul von Hindenburg whose doctor expects him to live many a year. Should he die in the present crisis General von Schleicher & Friends could no longer rule by the President's decree and could not hope that the German people would elect another President favorable to them.
They must therefore continue their toasts in expensive red wine "to the long life of President von Hindenburg!" and try as hard as possible to "tame" Adolf Hitler further. He was offered last August the Premiership of Prussia, the Vice Chancellorship of the Reich, three Federal Cabinet posts. He turned down all offers in hopes of winning a straight Nazi majority in the Reichstag.
With that hope now blasted "Handsome Adolf" may listen more attentively to General Kurt von Schleicher. If Herr Hitler can be drawn into the Cabinet and his blatancy toned down the Fatherland will be on the highway back toward a representative Government. If no compromise is reached, the alternative is to dissolve the new Reichstag as soon as it meets and continue dissolving successive Reichstags until Old Paul von Hindenburg dies or refuses to sign decrees or until some exasperated German faction attempts a putsch.
*The number of Reichstag seats varies, according to the number of votes cast. Last week 79% of those entitled to vote cast a ballot, as compared to 84% last July.