Der Fuehrer - Hitler's Rise to Power (1944) - Heiden

THE AGE OF GOLD 261burst forth from the cloud of silence like a lightning flash and hadmightily kindled the demoralized souls of the four thousand; stormyapplause rained down. Suddenly Streicher, Esser, and Frick stood on theplatform; also Hitler's old companion, Gottfried Feder, the 'breaker ofinterest-slavery'; and in addition, two sub-leaders by the names ofDinter and Buttmann. Only two hours before, the six had been furiouslyfighting one another, had justly called one another men without honor,swindlers, pornographers. Now they all shook hands, and swore toforget all hostility, to follow the leader, to be faithful comrades;Streicher stammered with emotion that Hitler's return to politics was a'gift of God.' None of the six except Frick ever rose to a leadingposition; they have been practically forgotten even among NationalSocialists; half-childish, mentally deranged, weak natures. But at thattime they were the best Hitler had.Next day Hitler, half-sleepy, and drunk with success, sat in the livingroomof a little house in a snow-covered suburb of Munich. It was thehouse of Frau Carola Hofmann, an old lady who for years had beenrather bashfully mothering and caring for him, sometimes stuffing himfull of cakes and sweets like a child; he called her his 'little mother.' Intothis comfortable atmosphere — a faithful reflection of the mild newGerman conditions — burst a terrible message. Hitler had again beenforbidden to speak in Bavaria. Why had he spoken of the 'severalenemies' which could be understood under the one? Why had he spokenof passing over the corpses of the enemy? In such a case even Gurtnercould no longer help him.The dissolution of parties, the prohibition of public speeches — thesewere strangely violent measures of the state in defense of freedom. 'Thefreest constitution in the world' did not officially provide or allow forsuch brutal intervention of police power. But Hitler and his like had foryears filled the country with violence, murder, and destruction, and thestate had not found the strength to suppress them with the cold majestyof law; and now, having unjustly spared them, the state could no longerdefend itself except by injustice. Where Hitler began to speak, murdercould be expected as a result. Hitler forced the state to stretch the lawsin a rather