Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-02
GERMANY FORCED
FRANCE into WAR
Foreign Minister Pichon Shows
Teutonic Determination to j
Make Trouble.
ALsAcE LORRAINE CASE

By the Associated Press.
PARIS, March 1.-TWO historic docu-
ments, one showing the German govern
ment's determination to force war upon
France and the other setting forth the
reasons which induced Germany to take
Alsace Lorraine. were made public yes
terday by Stephen Pichon. the French
foreign minister. The minister was
speaking at the Sorbonne upon the an
niversary of the protest made by repre-
sentatives of the national assembly of
Alsace Lorraine against annexation to
Germany.
II will establish by documents" said
NJ. Pichon. "that the day the Germans
deliberately rendered inevitable the
most frightful OF wars they tried to
dishonor US by the most cowardly COM
plicity in the ambush into which they
drew Europe. i will establish it in the
revelation of a document that the Ger
man chancellor after having drawn up
preserved carefully. and you will see
why, in the most profound mystery OK
the most secret archives.
Notified of Danger of War.
I'VE have known only recently of its
authenticity, and it denes any sort of
attempt to disprove it. II bears the
man imperial chancellor at the out
break of the WARP and the date July 81.
1914. On that day Won Schoen German
ambassador to France) was charged by
a telegram from his chancellor to no.
tify us of a state of danger of war
with Russia and to ask US to remain
neutral, giving us eighteen hours in
which to reply.
that the telegram of the German cham
cellor containing these instructions ter
minated with these words:
"Tf the French government declares
II will remain neutral. your excellency
will be good enough to declare that we
must, as a guarantee Of its neutrality.
require the handing over Of the fort
resses of Toul and verdun: that we
after the end of the war with Russia
A reply to this last question must
reach here before Saturday afternoon
at 4 o'clock
Example of Sincerity.
That" said M. Pichon, sis how Ger
many wanted peace at the moment
when she declared war. That is how
sincere she was in pretending that we
obliged her to take up arms for her de-
to make us pay for our baseness il we
had had the infamy to repudiate our
signature as Prussia repudiated hers by
tearing up the treaty that guaranteed
"Our mortal enemy in the war OF
1871, Won Moltke, declared on the NOR
row of the treaty Of Frankfort, added
M. Pichon on taking up the question OF
Alsace-Lorraine, that 1T would require
no less than fifty years to wean the
heart Of her lost provinces from
M. Pichon contrasted the German
acceptance then that the provinces
were in reality French. with the reit-
Grated pretensions of German states
men since, especially the assertions OF
former Chancellor Bethmann Holweg.
and the present chancellor. Count Won
Hertlfng. that most Of the provinces
were always German.
Letter Of william I.
The foreign minister made public for
the first time the full text Of a letter
written by William /, the grandfather
of the present German emperor. to EN-
press Eugene. The letter is dated
Versailles. October Is. 1870.
defense" read NJ. Pichon, Germany
desires to be assured that the next war
will find her better prepared to repel
the aggression upon which we can
count as soon as France shall have re.
paired her forces and gained allies. -,
This is the melancholy considers
ton alone and not . desire to augment
my country. whose territory is SUM-
GENTLY great, that obliges me to In
has no other object than to throw
back to the starting point the French
armies that, in the future. will come
to attack u.s.
After reading this passage M. Pichon
asked:
Can one better destroy the legend
Won Hertling tries to establish that the
annexation of Alsace Lorraine had for
its origin in the minds of its authors
the wish to return to Germany German
provinces of which she had been dis
possessed by French usurpation?
The foreign minister pointed out that
Prince Won Bismarck in subsequent con-
with the Marquis De Gabriac.
the French charge d'anaires at Berlin,
confirmed what his sovereign had writ
ten in his own hand. M. Pichon then
cited the words of Frederick II, when
entering Silesia: II take possession
frst. 1 shall always find pedants to
prove my right" and M. Pichon added.
Rights Never Proved.
"But the rights of the German over
by any pedant because it cannot be
done" NJ Pichon recalled that from the
time of Louis XIV Alsace Lorraine had
been known generally as French. and
he quoted the words Of Gen. Maximilien
Foy, $50 years later. when be said;
"'If ever the love of all that is great
and generous weakens in the hearts of
the inhabitants Of old France it will be
necessary that they Cross the Vosges.
come to Alsace and temper again their
patriotism and their energy.
what was true under the restora-
tion," added NJ. Pichon, 'is none the
less true now.
MOTHERS FIGHT P0LYGAMY.