The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-08
CONSTITUTION IS
 4 D|SAPPO|NTM MENT People of Alsace-Lorraine Are
 Not Satisfied ON COAST DEFENSE
COAST DEFENSE
ON
Popular opinon in Holland Seems to Oppose the Plan of Speed-
 ing the Sum of
 s19,00O,OOO

Berlin, January 7-(Special) )-If Herr von Bethmann Holweg hopes that the constitution, which he has just granted to the annexed French provinces Alsace- Lorraine. Is going to win such needed l friends for him in that part of the Ger man empire or praise from France or the German liberal party he is evidently greatly mistaken. To the people of AL sace-Lorraine who had hoped for a real l not sham constitution the gift is great disappointment, because it does not go far enough, and here in Prussia it grants to the people of the annexed anti German provinces greater freedom than loyal Prussian subjects are now enjoying
 What makes the home rule proposition more interesting than anything else is that it's second chamber, which consists of thirty-six members of whom half are named by the Kaiser, evidently gives an
 ntimation of what the government con- siders a model senate. The other eight teen members of the Alsacian upper house will consist of the heads of the recognized religious communities, the Evangelical. Roman Catholic, Jewish and so forth. of four representatives elected by the councils of the four largest cit ies in the Reichsland (Strassburg, Metz, Komar, and Muchlhausen; of three rep resentatives of the chamber of com merce: of as many from the chambers of agriculture; and one each from the Strassburg university and the Strassburg Chamber of Trade; and, lastly. of the President of the Central Law court.
 The laboring population, which, as ev- anywhere. is very shifty, is almost en- tirely disfranchised by clause requir- ing a residential qualification of three years from all those who did not possess either a stake in the country or inde- pendent means of living This clause is obviously intended to handicap the Soci- alists
 As an intended sop to the people of AL sace-Lorraine the constitution is a fail ure principally because it does not change the status of the province with in the German Empire. Alsace-Lorraine remains a mere province the Kaiser is still Its sovereign ruler and the reform bears no resemblance to real autonomy.
 The press of Alsace-Lorraine has not for a moment concealed its opinion, that the people of the province while accept ing the constitution place themselves un- der no obligations, that they have no reason for gratitude towards their sup pressors and that they will not give up a single one of their just dreams. Only the granting of absolute independence will satisfy the Alsacians, who will not rest until they are given equal rights with any other state within the German empire and at the bottom of the hearts of the people is the fertent desire of reunion with France, desire no less strong than thirty years ago.
 Popular opinion in Holland continues to be strongly opposed to the scheme of the Government for spending $19,0O0,000 on coast defenses.
 It is generally agreed that the govern ment has responded to some indirect pres sure from Germany. No seriously | believes that the coast of the Neither | lands Is in danger from Great Britain. | The only power that can covet or can ben | eft in war by the occupation of Holland in Germany. Why people ask, should the Netherlands government suddenly re- verse the traditional policy of the country and not merely neglect the land defenses on the eastern frontier but even withdraw the annual subsidy for their improve ment
 The coast. defenses demand no immedi- ate improvement whereas the inunda- tion line does now require attention. Within fifteen hours German cavalry
 
 the security of Holland depends If at tacted from the east. More than fifteen hours are needed to flood the land. and the defenses are so deliberately neglect ed by the Government This is a really alarming situation.
 Now that domestic political conditions in Greece are less uncertain than for many years the government intends to nj he trv'G nd which have been in rather chaotic con dition. since the last war with Turkey. and as Greek army officers consistently have refused to obey the orders of a fel- low countryman, simply because he happened to be the commander-in-chief, French general Is to be trusted with the important task of teaching Greek of ficers to obey their superiors. and King George has just been informed by the French Secretary of War, that a French general known to be stern discipin- arian, three French colones and five lieutenant colonels, have been placed at his disposal, and will arrive In Athens next month
 The King has now asked the British admiralty to permit the English admiral Sir Edmund Poe to take charge of the reorganization of the Greek navy. If the admiral comes, his flagship will be the new armored 10000 tons cruiser "Aweroff'' which Is being built for the Greek government at Leghorn, Italy, and which will be completed in a week or two.
 The building of the four Austro-Hun- garian Dreadnoughts which form the battleship section of the present naval programme, and two of which are all ready in hand at Trieste, seems likely to cause some i'll feeling between the two kingdoms. As a result of the confer ence between the Hungarian board of trade and the admiralty in 1908. the Hungarian government voted $6,000,000 for the construction of a dockyard at Plume large enough to build Dreadnoughts. They did this under the impression that 1t was understood that Hungary was to have her share in the profits of the con struction of the empires future battle fleet.
 Under the arrangements for the pro gramIne now laid down, however, all four of the new battleships are to be built in Austrian shipyards-three at Trieste and one at Pola. The reason put forward in we'll uniformed quarters for this neg feet of Hungarian shipbuilding enterprise, which has already evoked protest in Budapest, is that the new backyard at Fieume could not safely be entrusted with the building of Dreadnought on the ground of it's lack of experience, and. further, that it could not possibly de-