OCR
With the first days of September, the domestic situation of Austria has undergone a radical change t though the constitutio<~ nal term for new elections is only the late fall of next yeary there is a general feeling that the elections muy not be far off 3 heece the electoral campaign has virtually started, This campaign has so fur been mostly one of reckless a@thack on the part of the Socialist Party, That Party, as we poins ted out in more then one previcus €ispatches, is deeply splite While most of its leadership, like President Körner, the Ministers Sch*¥f and Helmer, the head of the Trade Union Council Böhm are fuddenentaliynoderate meny there has developed in the purty a Bes vanite wing of extreme radicels, going frop the colour of Keven ali the way to men, who can scarcely be distinguished from the Nerdi. type of Socialist, These radical extremist groups have found in Minister Waldbrunner a dynanic lesder, The Minister of Nationa= lized Interprises and trawsports is by nature a dictator, has little sense for constitutional governement, a wide intelligence end a burning anbition, He has been able, for the tims being at leusty to wield the widely split extreme left of the Socialist Party into owe powerful machine, with which to exterminate the more modersute leadership which stands in bis way. Interestingly enoughy this radical offensive has little support in the Trude Unions, but wide support among the youngsters and intellectuals of the pebty : and it is gravely infiltrated by ominous elements. This agressive element is forcing the hand of the more moderate ones. It has forced them, since the beginning of September to use a demagogic language which is only useful to the USSR. It has brought about on the part of the Sociulist attitudes and reve= lations, which are absolutely contrary to the neticonal interest of the country, and only a boon to he Communists. In its reckless bid for power in the coming elections, the Socialist Party has used weapons which are bound to backfires szá The first of these violent attucks came by the bid of Minister Waldbrunner for the contvol of the Nationalized Benks. When the mein Benke of the country were rationalized ( except for the Worker's Bank, whith belongs to the Socialist Party and hence was excluded from Nationalization ) f 13, |