New-York tribune., 1870-08-19
ALS1CE AND LORRdINE.


The two provinces of Alsace and Lorraine,
now French, but formerly German territory,
have not only become prominent during the
last month as the battlefield of one OF the
bloodiest wars of modern times, but they de-
rive an additional interest from the wide
spread expectation that the Germans, II VIC
torious will demand their cessiOn from France
as one of the conditions of peace. Before the
war began, it was rare to meet in the German
press with any demand of this kind, and it safe
to say that a war for the outspoken purpose OF
reconquering these two provinces would have
met with general opposition. But now, when
Napoleon has forced the war upon Germany,
and when large war party, comprising, III
fact majority of the French people, have
made no secret of their desire to extend the
French frontier to the Rhine, it cannot be
surprising that the Germans have taken up
the gauntlet and that national cry has arisen
for the recovery of Alsace and Lorraine. In
a few weeks, the question may engage the
attention of all the Great Powers of Europe.
The larger portion of the provinces is at
present i'm the hands of the Germans T; and, as
a cable dispatch advised us few days ago,
the King of Prussia has appointed Gen. Bonin
marck Governor-General of Alsace. French
newspapers, moreover, report that the German
authorities are appointing in every community
within ftheir lines new municipal authorities.
All this seems to indicate that, in case Ger
many should dictate the terms of peace, the
cesson of Alsace and Lorraine will be one OF
them.
In view of such contingency, we give on
e ofo fiof,r
and historical statement of the relation which
these provinces sustain to Germany on the one
hand and to France on the other. One of the
most interesting points in this statement is the
account of the comparative strength of the
German and French nationalities. AS the ma
tiOnality question has of late obtained an i'm
portant prominence in European politics, the
national relation of the districts has been in
vestigated with the utmost care, and official
accounts of an entirely trustworthy character
are within reach of every one who desires to
understand the subject. 1t appears from these
figures that in the two departments of Alsace,
out of total population of about 1093,OO0 in
habitants, fully 100000 belong, even to this
day, to the German nationality, either speak
ing German exclusively or North German and
French. In Lorraine the relation of natiOnali
ties is not so favorable to the Germans. This
province has four Observation-Disclosures, Mo-
selle, Meurthe, and VOsges. The first has no
German population of any amount; but the
last three, with total population of 1,S90,O
have number of wholly German districts
with population of $4,000. The three de-
partments of Lorraine and the two of Alsatia
thus have, in total population of ,OO0
German population of 1,359,0O0 or more than
one half. Germany, on the other hand, has on
it's western frontier but a few scattered
French-speaking communities, with an aggre-
gate population of only 10000.
If France should prove the victor in this
war. the Government, with the applause of the
immense majority of the nation, would demand
from Germany the left bank of the Rhine
with several millions of Germans, who never
except for few years, have belonged to France
What objection, then, can the French make, if
defeated, to the remuneration to Germany of
districts which originally, and for centuries,
belonged to Germany, and which still are in
habted by German-speaking peOplef The
neutral Powers may interpose veto from rea-
sons based upon the principle of balance of
Powers; a portion of the German people may
desire that no part Of France be annexed to
Germany without previous pIebiscitum but
France has certainly forfeited all right of
remOnstrance il the victorious Germans insist
on the cessiOn of these two ancient German
provinces.
We were in a fair way to find out what
90 Copaeryative ~ ia but the chapce af leaat