New-York tribune., 1917-07-10
By Clement Rueff
President of Les Amis de rALdce-Lordne


and Jews were driven out Of the country, III
Alsace both Jew and Protestant were 'oi-
Grated and had the right 70 worship accord
ing to their belief. Real justice was also IN
troduced to degree never known neretoloie'
Under the French Revolution Alsace De-
came entirely free and imbued with the IDEAS
of liberty and republicanism. IL was tore-
most among those who helped to estaoiish
the French Republic and it gave Willingly 'ne
best of its children to fight for these prino,-
ples of liberty which are the same Tor wh'o"
America is fighting to-day. kellermann' hapP'
Kleber, Lefevre, and how many others arc
among those that helped to carry the light o.
liberty to all downtrodden and oppressed Eu'
ropean countries! It is in Strasbourg, in the
house of its Mayor, Dietrich, that Rouget dc
Iisle. under the inspiration of the patriotism
~ the Alsatians who surrounded him. ere
ated that most famous and most inspiring OF
national anthems. the "Marseillaise,' which
more Justly ought to be called the "Stras-
bourgeoise."
No German Voice in Alsace
How is it that, n the Alsatans are as pro-
German as the Kaiser would like to make US
believe. during the 230 years that the Asa
tians were entirely French there never was
raised an Alsatan voice asking, claiming that
they were German and did not want to be
French? On the contrary, on every occasion
the people of Alsace proved its attachment
TO France, to French institutions, to French
civilization, to French thought, to French art
and French life and habits
One of the greatest arguments OF tne
Germans in favor of their contention that
Alsace is German is the fact that the great
est part of Alsace speaks a German dialect
intermixed with French, Latin and Celtic
words We do not deny that the dialect or
Alsace is essentially German. but the very
fact that Alsace, after 230 years Of French
domination. still spoke and was allowed to
speak German is the most conclusive proof
that can be found of the kindness and toll
erance of the French regime.
The Germans were hardly few months in
Alsacc, after 1870, when they already imposed
their language on the people OF Alsace.
France had been 230 years there and had not
done it, and it is just this tolerance, this
respect of the liberties and particulartles OF
Alsace, which has been the principal cause
of the deep and unshakable attachment of
the Alsatians to France.
The Alsatians, although they speak Ger
man dialect, are as thoroughly French as
guage are thoroughly Americans, as the Ar
gentinians or Mexicans or Colombians or
Cubans, although they speak Spanish, are
thoroughly Argentinians, Mexicans, Colom-
tians or Cubans.
The nationality Of people does not de-
pend on the language, otherwise Switzerland
would not exist as a country, the United
States would be part of England and South
America would be Spanish
The Danger of Autonomy
The question of autonomy for Alsace-Lor-
raine is raised by few irresponsible Asa
tians, who, without knowing it, are playing
the German game. If Germany cannot OBJ
tain from the peace council that Asace shall
remain German, she would be perfectly will
ing to let Alsace- Lorraine be autonomous,
because by so doing she would deprive
France of the valuable coal and other mines
of Alsace- Lorraine, of its immensely rich
potash fields, and of the chemical, cotton
and iron industries, etc, and for everybody
who knows German ways it is evident that
before long the autonomous Alsace Lorraine
would be caught again in the German net
and finally gobbled up. But outside OF this
point of view of looking at autonomy, there
remains another one. Should Alssce Lorraine
really become autonomous, what would be
obvious is that the little country could not
be self-sustaining.
There is also certain group of people, not
among the Alsatians, but to a large extent
in neutral countries and in the United States
Ia prominent New York newspaper published
a few days ago an editorial in its favor),
who advocate a referendum or plebscite
among the people of Alsace Lorraine, in or
der TO find out to which country they want
to belong. A plebiscte is all right in free
and unhampered country. A plebscite taken
in state of the United States, New Jersey,
for instance, or in a canton of Switzerland
would undoubtedly express the will of the
people, but it is an entirely different mat
ter with Alsace-Lorrane, that has been for
forty-seven years under the German heel a
third Of the population of which at the pres
ent time is composed Of Germans, born in
Germany; and then, how could the people
of Alsace-Lorraine. not knowing themselves
what the result of this plebiscite would be,
how would they dare to vote for France, when
they are under the fear that through under
hand work, with the help of the many Ger