European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 11, 1947, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Germ nov the four minister president in the democrats who the Weimar Constitution written off the Hooks the problems their governments still face two years after wars Shier by win fanning this is the first of two articles written for weekend by fan in which he discusses the views German ministers president of the four states in the this article pre sents a summary of the political background of each of the four men and the problems they face today two years after be in the second of the the four minister president will answer specific questions about the operation of their on March in the second Day of its predominantly nazi Reich Stag met in Berlin under the new Chan Adolf Hitler and voted into oblivion the fourteen Earold Ger Man governing the Weimar it was a Day that marked the for twelve of democratic government on German soil a few of those Weimar democrats who were there to see the Advent of the National socialist German labor party Are struggling to erase memories of the the social Nightmare and the shame which grew out of that four of these men who saw the Weimar Constitution written off the books Are now the leaders of German government in the United states zone of into the hands of these the people of the american zone have placed some of the greatest problems of government Ever to face political the ministers res ident of Wurtem Ber Baden and the newly created state of Are old line democrats they Are also old each of these for one reason or suffered under the nazi two of them thrown into concentration Camps in the Early Days of hitlers one had to divorce his jewish and the fourth risked his life As Well As his professional future in an attempt to maintain an honest administrative court under the none too sympathetic of the two of the present state Lead ers were appointed by government and later elected the other two were elected this Spring All four have had the unqualified support of the american officials with whom they must minister president of Bavaria Hans was elected by the people of his state last december when an overwhelming majority of the votes were cast Lor the Christian social Union now sixty years has had a career which follows the traditional Amer ican rags to riches born the son of a town clerk in the bavarian town of where his family had practice handicrafts mans Trade since the sixteenth be graduated from the universities of Wurzburg and Munich with a doctors degree in through the lower Ehard was appointed a Public prosecutor for the state of and for a number of years before he was a member of the German ministry of with the Advent of National Ehard put aside his Crim Inal Law practice and severed All connections with this Branch of the Justice As president of the bavarian court for Coytt actions he managed to evade hitters but was bluntly warned that at wars end he would be dismissed from his position unless he altered his wars end bring an end to shards career As a but the elections in december he assumed the office which he admits he had never dreamed of hold actually elected by the state Assembly As Are All German replaced military government appointed Wilhelm hog a social who was elected to the position of land tag and with whom Ehard is on extremely Friendly Christian minister president of the military govern ment created state of at is the oldest of the four top in the he replaced Karl a nonpartisan military government Stock was born in now a part of the state he a social he has worked most of his life in various labor he is the Only one of the four min ister president who served As a member of the German National Assembly which met after world War i to draw up the Al lated Wei mar and he dates his work for democratic principles Back to to the first labor Post he Hitler threw Stock into a concentration Camp in 1933 for eight months of Cooling until that time he had headed a social insurance com Pany and had held several political positions in but the War brought More than a broken career to Christian it brought the death of one a report of for another and a still term As a prisoner of War forthe  Reinhold Long time Leader of the German democratic Peoples and chief of Wurttemberge Badens is the youngest of the born in near Stutt is a doctor of a Grad uate of Grenoble and tub Ingen uni who has followed a political career All his adult Wurttemberge minister of economics from 1929 until served As member of the state and National Maier was appointed by military government to head the government of the combined state of Wurtem Berg and each of been Cut in half by the Boundary be tween the american and French and was then elected by the state As Sembly to continue in his position after the november popular elections failed to give any of the four political Par ties a Clear Cut the Way of the Democrat has not proved too easy for Maier and he alone of All minis has had to face the severe test of criticism by Germany Many new democratic Reinhold Maier voted tar enabling the Reich Stag through which Hitler legally dictatorial Power Over the same time Leader of my tiny German democratic spoke More boldly Thani a Man Wou dare to do in his on the record he left a Many ifs which failed to he told the Reich Stag would support Hitler if there War there was a real if there a real made to re employ Germany six i lion unemployed then cast Bis vote for Hitler whether or not action in the Reich Stag can be u is certain that he but of politics within a Lew of hitlers ascent to he his jewish wife jewish and daughter to England Jutt safety became a ing always just a step of the nazis watchful As chief of a coalition i Reinhold Maier has answer several put demand that he trial and formally dear pro nazi As evidenced his 1933 vote for has been accused of having Der his wife because he did not remain married to a Jewe who were happily in january did obtain a divorce in through Swiss so that Maier and children could live More in England where they had seek Refuge in a devoted the minister president but shrugged off the what he will do former remains to be minister president of smallest of the four i former president Bremen is Wilhelm a Democrat a determined of sixty who been a labourer in a soap factory and polish a building Wilhelm Bremen Christian Sto