"Judas"

In London fortnight ago the House of Commons voted, after much grumbling, to lend 100,000,000 schillings ($14,000,000) to Austria, this being Great Britain's share of the League loan totaling $43,000,000 to the Government of Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss (TIME, Jan. 2). The Netherlands had meanwhile voted its share. Last week in Paris Premier Paul-Boncour asked the Chamber & Senate to chip in France's 100,000,000 schillings. Was this quite ethical?

"Monstrous!" shouted Nationalist Deputy Louis Marin. "Are we going to lend money to a former enemy country when we have just refused to pay the United States which was our ally?" Unimpressed, the Chamber voted the Austrian Loan 352-188.

In the Senate old General Auguste Edouard Hirschauer cried, quivering with emotion: "I cannot vote this bill!--considering that a fortnight ago we refused to pay America, and yet American soldiers fought admirably to defend our soil, as I can testify!" Unmoved, the Senate voted the Austrian loan 14440-68, after which Chamber & Senate adjourned to Jan. 10.

German Editors raged. The loan agreement, they recalled, pledges Austria not to join Germany in an anschluss (union). That was why Frenchmen, who want above all to keep Austria and Germany apart, voted as they did. "Chancellor Dollfuss of Austria," stormed Berlin's Deutsche Rundschau, "will figure in history as the Judas of the Germanic cause!"

"Thirty pieces of silver for Austria to forsake her birthright!" cried Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung. "Can anybody really believe that a country, however weak, would betray its whole future for so beggarly a sum as Austria will receive!"

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