New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-11-18

Germany hdS JusI Helu 10 'A'
national convention since the
war began. With the exception OF
party conference called in 1915 to dis
cuss the split in the party representation
in the Reichstag, this meeting was the
first national convention held since 1918,
the convention appointed for September,
1914, at WGrzburg having been sban-
doned on account Of the var. The gath
erinR that has Just taken place was held
in that city October 1916, with 1854 dele
gates present. Some Of the discussions
of the convention viii interest the readers
Of The Review.
Talk about peace and peace terms oc-
cupied much OF the time of sessions; and
a strong desire for peace was manifest
in all the speeches. The delegates, how
ever. were by no means willing TO con-
slider a peace that left Germany shorn
of part Of it's territory. Not even in the
case Of Alsace-Lorrains was there any
willingness TO cede German territory as
the price of peace. One speaker was will
ing to go so far as to allow the people OF
the "Reichsland" TO vote on where they
belong, bat even he was sure that its I'm
terests lie with Germany.
The question Of Alsace-Lorrsine took
up much of the time of the convention.
Ebert, the chairman Of che National Com
mittee, said in submitting the annual re
port. that the declaration regarding Al
Lorraine at Stockholm by the Ger
man delegation that went there 70 pro-
mote the ill-starred Stockholm lnterna-
tional Congress, was the same as that
adopted by the German Socialists some
Years before the war began; and that
declaration hal been formally accepted
By the French Socialists. Seheidemann,
who was the dominating spirit Of the Con
vention. opposed a plebiscite for Alsaee-
Lorraine on the ground that the principle
Of the RIGHT of nations 20 determine their
orn destiny does not apply to the
.Reichsland," which is no, a nation; It's
land is German land. Scheidemann said
that the Socialists only demanded that AL
SAGE Lorraine be given autonomy within
the German Empire. It Is also note
worthy that an Alsatian member claimed
that this is all that the people of the prov
noes wanted, and he refused to indorse
any plans of separation or even voting
on the matter.
Opposition to the Much Discussed
~ Plebiscite Method
Muller, Of the National Committee,
Who was also at Stockholm, pointed out
hat the French would not be satisfied
With the application to Alsace-Lorraine of
he principle Of nations determining their
own destiny, for they were demanding
that all persons who had immigrated into
the provinces since 1871 be excluded
rom the vote. Muller said 1t would be
impossible to vote at all on the question
during the war; and to hold the election
two or three years after the war, as has
been proposed, would be, he said, the worst
thing that could happen, inasmuch as It
would only stir up race hatred anew. He
said that Alsace- Lorraine to-day had been
"disannexed" in 1871. The right Of self
he went on to say, was
very ambiguous; the Entente statesmen
were appealing TO II TO justify tearing
Austria to pieces. when they talk about
self for Alsace-Lorraino,"
he went on, why, even the Provincial
Diet and the District Diet demand nothing
more than autonomy within the Empire;
and that is what we want. We are fight
ing for the territorial integrity of Ger
many"
Emmel, member Of the Reichstag from
Mdhlhausen In Alsace, who was the only
delegate In the present Convention to op-
pose voting credits to the German govern
ment for carrying on the war, neverthe-
ess took the position that Alsacc-Lorraine