RUMANIA: 99.89% for Carol

First act of a state turned authoritarian is to get itself democratically approved. Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin have all “gone to the polls,” and those dictators at least retained the form of a secret, written ballot. Last week Europe’s newest dictator, Carol von Hohenzollorn, “royal dictator” of Rumania, supplied the newest twist to the technique. He sent his 4,000,000-odd voters to the polls to register orally their support of his three-week-old regime. Names of those voting against the Government were recorded by election managers. When the tabulations were in, only 5,413 had dared say “No,” 4,283,395 had spouted “Yes.”

Triumphantly Interior Minister Armand Calinescu announced “By a majority of 99.89% the people of Rumania have overwhelmingly approved the personal dictatorship of King Carol II.”