El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-08-29
A[SBGE LORRAINE
LONG A WAR PRIZE
For More than 1000 Years
Small Strip Has Been
Fought Over Often.


London. Eng, Aug. 2s.-History Is
but repeating itself once more IN the
big conflict where the French and Ger
mans are battling in Alsace and Lor-
raine, buffer state and prize Of war
for more than 1000 wears Almost times
without number. since the year S43 A
D., the people Of what is now Germany
and France have fought for the pos
session OF Alsace and Lorraine. that
territory changing from one flag TO an
other with astonishing frequency
The history Of France and Germany,
as separate nations, begins in $50
1912 years ago. and the history OF the
woes and tribulations OF Alsace and
Lorraine as the bone OF contention be-
tween the two and as conquered first
by the one and then by the other, be-
gan soon after that same year SO
Continuation Of Struggle
The present campaign that France IL
waginE against the Germans in -Alsace
is therefore only the continuation OF
a struggle over 1000 years old The
facts Of geographical position have ere
which will remain unsoIved and IN
solvable as long as the Rhine flows
and the VOsges mountains stand
France says that the Rhine is her tue
eastern frontier. Germany says that
the frontier lies beside the mountains
II was in SIS that the three grandsons
OF Charlema gne. fighting among them
selves. decided TO end the controversy
by dividing their grandfather's pos
sessions among themselves. They
acted on the ancient principle that the
lands and the people dwelling upon
them. tilling the soil in peace and
fighting the battles in war. were the
private property OF the sovereign. rul-
ing by divine right Of kings Char
lemagne had ruled the whole OF Europe
as one united government. with the eI-
OF the pope OF Italy HIS capital was
at Aacheu-the AK Ia Chapelle OF
modern times. which is now posses
sion Of Prussia
Too weak to Hold It.
CharIemagne's son. Louis le Debon-
air. was too weak TO hold together
such a heterogeneous empire OF peo-
ples az different race and tempera-
uent and speaking different tongues.
their only bond being an official re-
HEion. that OF their sovereign and a
common government he was TOO Fealz
even 10 rule in his own 1arnl4y ana
long before his death. his three sons
were quarreliuE over their prospective
Inheritance The one who was the
strongest called Louis. the German,
, had. the first choice in the DIVISION
and he took northern Europe and be-
came king OF the Germans The sec
ond brother. Charles the Bold look
southwestern Europe and become king
OF the Franks. In the main the des-
cendants Of the people OF these i've
KINGDOMS are the Germans and French
These two brothers took land which
formed a compact whole and Wnlcn
could easily be defended The people
OF Louis all spoke one language and
the people OF Charles, now the Frencn'
all spoke another
The third brother. Lothair. the weak
est had TO take what was left OF his
fathers empire That included what
is now Holland. Belgium. Luxemburs'
Alsace. Lorraine and strip OF NORTH
ern italy II was peopled by many
different uationalities- 1t could not
be easily defended because the Alps
broke IL into two parts. and the narrow
strip along the Rhine, from Ine alps 70
the North sea. which kept the posses
sion OF Louis from touching those OF
Charles was too great prize not 70
be coveted by both the stronger
brothers and they soon began TO uslL
one another about il. each 70 take II
away from Lothair- Thus the troubles
OF the buffer states began
Switzerland Breaks Away
The nounta1neers OF SWlIZerlanu
Wrested themselves free from Lothatrs
kingdom in the thirteenth century and
have been a republic ever since. The
people Of Holland gained their lnde-
pendence under the leadership OF VIII
liam OF Orange in 164S, but the success
sors Of Charles the Bold. ruling in
France. conquered them later ana II
was not until 1918 that they were 1ree
again Belgium then formed a part
Of Holland. but the combined coun-
tries were too big and powerful for a
buffer state. in the eyes Of the great
powers. and Belgium was separated
from Holland in 1888.
Luxembourg was promised TO France
BY Prussia II France would stay out
OF the Prussia-Austrian war OF 1856,
but when the war was over. the des-
cendants Of Louis the German refused
to give the state to the descendants
OF Charles the Bold Luxembourg ac-
cordingIy was made independent and
the guns Of her forts taken away that
she might not fight on either side the
small strip Of northern Italy which
belonged to the kingdom Of Lothalr
was, after many vicissitudes, tncor-
porated in the union OF Italian states
under Victor Emmanuel IL
Alsace and Lorraine have alone re
NAMED Of I.Othair's kingdom 20 De
fought over by the two great nations
on either side Together they cover
an area OF 5.601 miles
During the FrancO-Prussian war OF
1870 when Germany was the Nlclor'
almost all the great battles were
fought in Alsace and Lorraine Al the
commencement of the present war
France Immediately invaded Alsace 70
wine ont the disgrace OF 1871