The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1917-09-13
THE SPOILED CHILD
OF THE WORLD?
(Col1iers' Weekly

A war department bureaucrat with
a Teuton name was chatting the
other day. Speaking for himself, he
said: France is the spoiled child of
the world. She has lost Alsace-Lor-
raine, and honestly thinks that all
the rest of the world ought to strive
and suffer so that she may have her
lost provinces back again"
France lost Alsace-Lorraine as a re-
suit Of the Franco-Prussian war in
1871. The people of those provinces
refused to be annexed to Germany;
their legislative representatives in
sisted that they were, and would
stay, French; and when new elections
were held under Prussian auspices the
vote was once again overwhelmingly
against ratifying annexation to the
enemy country. That is ancient his
tory.
More recent is the fact that France,
in defending herself, and all civiliza-
ton, against the Prussian drive. has
also had a vision that her own would
be returned to her. This is not con-
quest. This is not annexation This
is justice.
Russia pledged themselves to the re-
turn of AIsace-Lorraine to France,
Just as they pledged themselves to
guaranteeing the rehabilitation of
Belgium by Germany. Since the bat
tie of the Marine all civilization has
been in the debt of the hero nation
which won that decisive victory, a
turning point in history no less unfor-
h. II +1o ,olaSv,
of Tours by which Charles the Ham
meE saved Europe from becoming an
African province. And everyone ex-
cept the neutral souls, and the Ger
mans themselves, and German sympa-
| thiZers, has felt that whatever else
| befell the world, France must be her
| self again-France must have her
own.
Alsace-Lorraine does not, however,
present a question of pure sentiment
After this war Europe faces a great
| task of reconstruction. Coal and iron
| will then be among the necessaries of
peace, as today they are among the
necessaries of war. The country that
| lacks them will labor under a ire
mendous disadvantage for peace OF
! for war. Now, Alsace-Lorraine is
| precious 1OT It's dCCUHluldIIOII- VI SOdl
and iron. That was why the Germans
insisted on tearing the provinces from
France in 1871, and ever since then
French industries have staggered un-
| der a tremendous and unjust handi-
cap When this war is over either
Alsace-Lorraine will be returned tC
the nation loved by the people Oh
those provinces, the great-hearteC
and pacific republic of France, or else
Alsace-Lorraine will remain a Ger.
| man conquest-a token of victory anC
a source of power for the ironmasters
and gun founders and Pan-Germans
| whose cult is violence and whose ain
is world domination.
In one sense we Americans are not
! concerned with what we used to call
a little contemptuously, the "interna
politics" of Europe. The intrigues OF
princes and parKaments, we used tc
say, had no appeal or interest for us
whose empire was the harvest fields
and the meadowland, the mines anC
| the mills. of Kansas and Pennsylva-
MIA, of New York and California, Oh
Dixie and the Mississippi valley. But
today? Surely we have learned now
that it does matter whether there is
| justice in Europe or injustice; wheth.
| er the robber state among the nations
is granted immunity to murder anC
destroy, to steal and to poison, tt
have and to hold, and to spread It's
tentacles round neighbors at home
and rivals overseas in peace time as