The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-11-11
THE DECAY Sf ALsAcE.
prospective Ruin of q Great In
dustrial District.
French Blunders-Jules Favre's short-Sighted-
ness-Thiers Just as Bad-How Bismarck
Hoodwinked Both-The Rich Manu-
featuring Districts Of Alsace in
Danger : Poor Alsace,

SbOUH7, Oct D, 18Th
short tour through the province Of Alsace has
enabled me 70 obtain information calculated to
throw some light on the subject matter connected
with the controversy now pending between France
and Germany. 1t Is needless to say that the cession
oftwo OF her most prosperous departments inicts
France pecuniary loss OF the most appalling mag
nitudc. One OF the most nourshing branches OF In
dustry In Alsace comprised the cotton manufacto.
rics. On inquiry 1t will be found that the loss Of
capital invested ut Mulhouse Wasserling and the
neighb0rhood is vartously estimated at nom forty
TO fty million dollars. But that Is hardly the ques-
ton now at ISSUE nation, paying to the foreign
invader tribute OF OoO. 900 0Oo can probably ar
ford TO part with an additional 500, COX. 900 or
$2oo, 900 without seriously arectng the national
wealth. still IL would puzzle our old ''politiciansn
who held to the maxim Of "Milions for defence not
q cent for tribute.n Statesmen Of modern Europe
seem resolved to recast that system.
BAD BLuNDER.
Al the time when the preliminaries OF PEACE were
arranged at Versailles no allusiOn was made to com.
mercial afYatrs. The chivalrous Jules Favre, who
loathed to give M one stone OF the French for
tresses was too proud, too naughty to touch on
matters connected with trade. Though considered
smart lawyer and an able debater, that man
proved very poor negotiatOr. Overcome with his
melodramatic pathos 1t apparently never occurred
10 him to take steps for the purpose OF protecting
the commercial interests or the country. With q
little forethought and ordinary measures Of precau
tlon itwould have been possible to save from ruin
and obstruction the private property or thousands
OF families Even in their negotiations at Frank
fort-onthe-Man M. Jules Favre and NJ. Pouyer-
Quertier failed to assert the claims to which the
commerce OF France generally and that or Alsace
especially were entitled. The two provinces were
rretrievably lost, ana with them, as q matter Of
course, the property appertainng soil, as well
as the produce OF the industry OF the inhabitants.
HOW THE PEACE NEGOTIATIONS WERE CONDUCTED.
But while 1t was impossible to resist the rapacity
OF the Prussians, there is abundant evidence to
show that but for the reckless and offhand manner
In which the French delegates conducted the peace
negotiations France would have been saved many
hardships. private properly would have been
protected and much individual suffering coulu have
been alleviated. President Theirs himself was ig.
nOrant OF what he was doing when he traded away
Important coal and mining districts, situated on
the borders OF the Duchy OF Luxembourg, in ex-
change for strip OF land which, 1t was contended,
the French engineers required to strengthen tn po
sltion OF the fortress OF Befort. The same deplor
able ignorance has been revealed In the negotiations
now pending between the two countries. All that
can he said Is that the Prusslans have far better
knowledge than the French themselves OF the value
OF territory and OF commerce in France.
THE MINISTER OF FINANCE,
M. Ponyer- Querter, has started for Berlin with the
view ofsmoothing down the difficulties which nave
q man who Is so wilfuliy blind to all experiences
made IN other counriesf The reduction in the
revenue. N. Pouyer. Quertier is VAN enough to be-
neve that he Is In position to benefit the National
S WIN the Tor the good Of
groove he IS continually lighting with shadows. IL.
at ,ns an
OF few dollars, OF which the customs receipts may
while In another sense the loss 10 the County viii
make ITSELF felt tenfold. On the other hand, the
russians snouid pe mhnIni INA. ~ - dangerous 70
Prince Bismarck TO see the necessity OF abstainiug
from injury or violence and to remember that those
who govern others by terror have TO be them.
selves the most terrified.
THE DISTRICT OF MuLHousE
may be designated as the Lowell OF France. Prior
to the outbreak OF hostlles there were upwards OF
two million spndles IN mouon in the coston iacto-
ries OF that district. An Official return gave the
following figures I'll 1885, and since that period there
Sptnd,es.
Department Of Upper Rhine. i,4i7,29o
Department OF VOsges. .............., 46I, 454
Department OF Lower Rhine ............... 100000
Total: ........... NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 2,l31,7A
This immense amount OF industrial wealth was
crammed together In O small corner OF the province,
While the total NUMBER OF spindles spread over the
whole German Fatherland barely reaches the figure
OF three millions. The cotton factories throughout
the German Zolverein comprise $1,000 or $4,000
power looms, while alone in the depart
wards Of twenty.elgSt thousand hive i've hundred.
The total OF the cotton factories IN the
annexed territory is estimated 10 comprise $4,000
power LOOMS Or say IL GEO more than possessed by
all the German States together With such immense
additions to the sources OF wealth 1t might be
found willing TO act with magnanimlty towards the
conquered. The very reverse is. however, the
case
HARpsHIPs OF TIE ALsATIAN COTTON spISNERs.
Severed, as ne now Is, from his old connections,
the Asatan cotton spinner or manufacturer is ex-
posed to peculiar hardships. His produce hitherto
was calculated 10 supply the French market Fa-
vored by protective duties, neither cotton yarn nor
cloth was exposed to competition with fabrics I'm
ported from foreign countries The outle6 OF all Al
satian produce was mainly obtained through Paris
The mainsay OF all French manufacturers lea in an
organized system OF naturalization. AS a rule and
there are very few exceptions, the whole pro-
of or Is Pnsa INTO the
who undertake TO supply the home and
foreign f., markets, as the case may be.
entire OF the Rue du Sentier, Rue ST. Fiacre and
others Is almost exclusively occupied by stores
nlied with Alsatan produce. The commission
houses In most cases undertook the Deicredere "a
II Is termed, and guaranteed the manufacturer on
payment It., OF IA small commission against capital
loss sun that was hardly necessary, inasmuch as
the majority OF sales are effected against cash pay
ment or, at any rate, at short date e., sixty or
ninety days approved bills. The methodcal man.
ncr In winch business is conducted places the man.
ufactnrer beyond the reach OF ordinary vcssltudes
and fluctuations. lie had neither TO seek nor to
nurse a customer. relying as he did implicitly on
the integrity and energy OF the intermediary in
Paris The manufacturer, relieved to a certain ex-
tent OF much anxiety and responsibility, was en-
abei 10 husband his means aud TO concentrate ali
his energy on the mere manufacturing process ana
10 the perfection OF his produce. Furthermore there
Is an
ADMIRABLE DIVISION OF LABOR.
Thus, for instance O manufacturer of cotton cloths
II not always prepared TO dye his goods nor has the
calico printer the ambition OF weaving his own
c0th. The spinner, the weaver. the dyer, the
printer ana the caendefer each are forming sepa-
iale interests. with the speciality OF trade each
branch IS In position OF reallzag higher degree
OF economy As well as OF attaining greater perfec.
uon IN te production OF the goods The position OF
German manufacturer Is Numerically opposed to
that ol the FrenchInans. Spinning weaving dye-
ing. &c, all are manipulated under the same roof
lhere ~ no intermediary lne-the goods are taken |
from the manufacturers direct TO the retail store
roiNis of Difference BETWEEN GERMAN AND |
OTHER MANUFACTURING
Sernany, which up TO "a la.e period mirht appro-
piisteiy nave been designated as the Dlsunted |
states, has no point OF Capitalization Saving some
eXCep,lCQAl s.s 3SS