The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-10-02

! Germany whore officers. having n
slight dispute with civilians. have IN
stRnty cut the civilian down, In
stances os this kind and the harsh
treatment of the Germans by officers
and under officers, while serving in
the army. undoubtedly created In
Germany a spirit OF antagonism not
only to the army itself. but TO the
whole military system of Prussia.
| ZABERN AFFAIR BRINGS
/ THINGS TO A HEAD
! Affairs we're brought to q head by
the so-cslled Zsbern affair. In this
affair the internal antagonism between
tls civil population and professional
/ soldiers. which had assumed great
proportions IN a period Of long peace,
seemed to reach it's climax. OF course.
this antagonism had increased with
the increase in 1sI3-i4 of the effective
strength of the standing army bring
ing material increase In the num-
oers of officers and non commissions
officers who represent military pro-
fessionalism.
The imperial provinces, or Reichs
land, as Alsace and Lorraine are
called. had been in a peculiar posi-
tion within the body polite Of Ger
many since their annexation in 1870.
The Reichsland, az indicated by it's
'ffAsa'tt as " bS CONSIDERED ds com
mon property of the German empire
and was not annexed to any one Ger
& man state. It's government is by an
+ imperial yiceroy with a kind Of cabi-
/ net consisting of one secretary OF
state, civil and under secretaries and
/ department heads, assisted by a legis-
tatlvc body of ~ o members, one elect j.
ed by popular vote and the other con-
sistin Of members partly elected by
= hC.t lac ~
es and so forth, and partly appointed
/ by the imperial government. The
viceroy and his cabinet are appointed
! by the emperor in his capacity OF
the sovereign of the Reichsland
Cntii the 3lst of May. 1911, the
Reichsland had no constitution OF it's
own the form of government being
regulated by the reichstag and fed
'eral council slbundesrat) in about
the same way as the territories OF
the United States are ruled by con-
gress and president In 1911 Alsace-
+, Lorraine received constitution which
gave them presentation In the fed
eral council, representation in the
reichstag having already been granted
as carly as 1871. The sym patty of
Alsace Lorraine for France had been
Increased by the policy OF several OF
the German viceroys, Won Manteuffel
and Count Wedel, who had. in their
administrations, alternated severe
measures with great leniency and
had not improved conditions. so that
the population essentially South Ger
man. was Undoubtedly irritated by the
tone and manner of the North Ger
man officials
Great industries had been developol
by the imperial government especially
textile ard coal mining. and the in.
duStrial population Ceotering in MuI
, hausen was hotly and thoroughly SO.
Clal dernocratiC.i The upper or we'll
TODD classes we're tied to France by
family connection and by religion
The bourgeois remained mildly anti
Herin3n-nlore properly speaking
= anti government--for similar reasons
and the working men were opposed
to the government on social ana eco
, monte grounds. The farming popula
ton, not troubling much about tn.
) politics, but being ected bv thu
: fe@fnpsign NJ the paiions lisiic I,yegs
, were IN sympathy with France &,
the atmosphere was well prepared fol
: the coming storm
Iahern, or, in French Saverne il
little town of between eight and min,
thousand inhabitants. beautifully SIT
uated at the foot of the Nosges noun
= tains on the banks OF the Rhinc
Marine canal It's garrison comprtceC
the star and two battalions of infan
= try regiment No. 91, commanded l.,
Won Reuter-. and among its officer,
= was Lieutenant Won Forstner 3
= young man only twenty years old
whose boyish appearance had excited
the school children aud, boys workinf
} In nearby iron factories to rldicul,
J him.
j became known that this vouns
OFFICER, while instructing his men. ha(
lnsulted the French flag anC
had called the Alsatian recruit,
"ackeE, nickname meaninG
equarehead, and frequently used b,
the people Of Alsace-Lorraine in :
locular way. but holly resented n,
them n used toward them by others
II was further reported that he had
promised his men a reward OF ter
marks If one Of them. in case of trou.
bic, should bring down Social Dem.
ocrat
Forstner had told his men to he.
ware, and warned them against lis
tening to French foreign agents, WHOM
the Germans claimed were tnducins
J French soldiers TO desert in order Il
join the French legion. 1t is prob
able that .Forstner. in talking to hi,
men OF the French legion used Ian
guaEe offensive to French ears.
He admitted that ne had used the
word ''wackes" in defiance Of an order
Of the commanding general and fol
this he had been punished with sey