The Alaska daily empire., 1914-10-08

try is agriculture and whose religion is Catholic. In 1870 the population of the territory numbered 1,549,73S. In spite of the tremendous emigration after the events of 1871, the popula' tion increased two per cent, most of the people settling in the new terri. tory coming from Germany. In 1813 the population had increased to twen' two per cent. more than that of 1871
 The chief city and capital of Alsace' Lorainne is Strassburg, which is sit uated in Upper Alsace and which has census of 17S,9S1. Most of its peo' pie are engaged in the leather indus try, which is the main support of the city. The next important city is Mul- hausen, which figured largely in the early part of the present war. Null hausen is the home of the largest cotton industry in Germany and now claims nine hundred and seyenty-one factories, employing in all 72,436 work CTS, (more than three-fourths of It's population.) After Mulhausen, Metz comes next in importance. Metz is the stronghold of Northern Lorraine and played very important part in the first few weeks of the war. The city of Colmar is the center of Alsace, and has 43,SOS inhabitants. These four cities, taken together with the important industries which abound in them, form the nucleus of the enor' nous economic importance of Alsace- Lorraine as a territory, and naturally are the basis of it's great significance to the German Empire.
 Geographically, the location of Al sace-Lorraine affords Germany na- tural fertilization which guards against France on the west. This guard is effected by the Vosges noun tains, and behind them is the city of Strassburg, which Is really an intrench' ed camp. Lorraine has no natural barriers before 1t and is consequently open to attack. But Metz, the larg- est city of this part of the territory is so we'll fortified that it is the pride ofthe Empire as it stands shielded by formidable rampant of hills and gird- ed by forts which make it almost i'm pregnable There are no other forts along the border of Lorraine and France. and if the French were to sue ceed in capturing Strassburg and com pletely beating the German back across the Rine the line of defense be- tween Ulm and Cologne will form an other barrier with which they will have to contend, besides crossing the Rhine"
 This is the situation which explains the attitude and the action of Bismark for he knew that if he left the question of German acquisition to the inhabi- tants of the territory Alsace-Lorraine would continue in the hands of the French. As proof of this statement may be cited that fact that when the inhabitants of Alsace-Lorraine were eventually given the privilege of choos- ing their nationality and to depart from the territory if they preferred France. more than 2500, ] left within the first two weeks. And even today Alsace.L Lorraine is no more German than it is French, and Metz is a French town in every way. Strass- burg might be called half French and half German, while Mulhausen Is al most entirely German. Incidentally the government has encountered great difficulty in "Germanizing a people who stubbornly refuse to forget their native language and habits"
 Where the French language and GUS toms were dominant, they have re- mained so to this day. Perhaps the significant reason for this may said to venter in the domineering control that the Kaiser has held over the Reich land. as Alsace-Lorraine is sometimes called. Since 1871 the Kaiser has eN- ercised soverignity over Alsace-Lor- raine, either standing alone or through the Bundersath, which is the upper house of the German Legislature. All of the offices, from the Statthalter raine. to the judicial officials are ap- for Governor-General of AlsaCe-Lor- pointed by the Emperor. The only opportunity the people have had to voice their opinions has been through the territorial committee, which had power to initiate legislation pertaining only to Alsace.L orraine, and whose leg islation was subject to the consent of the Bundersrath and the Emperor.